Upward-looking Impulse Radar for continuous monitoring of Snow Accumulation and Melt in Greenland (URSAM)

尽管人们对格陵兰冰盖进行了数十年的研究，但还没有在时间上连续测定雪和降雪的性质，特别是积雪的总质量和液态水的含量。然而，在变化的气候前提条件下，这种监测对于更好地了解格陵兰冰盖冰盖积雪和融化的相互作用是至关重要的。随着温度的升高，更多的液态水将渗入系统。因此，更多的潜热被输送到降雪层，地层也随之发生变化。液态水的渗入促进了大量冰层的形成，而冰层极有可能使水进一步渗入。然而，积聚和熔化之间的反馈反应很难理解，相应地，FIRN模型缺乏对表面质量平衡的正确预测。这项提议旨在利用仰视脉冲雷达技术持续监测格陵兰西部冰盖内的积聚和融化过程。设想的项目可以在很大程度上改善目前对积聚和融化相互作用的理解，特别是融化过程对西部冰盖渗透带内降雪地层的影响。该项目的总体目标是加深对过程的理解，以便更准确地确定这一地区的表面质量平衡。

Despite decades of research on the Greenland ice sheet (GIS), temporally continuous determination of snow and firn properties, especially the total mass of accumulation and liquid water content, has not been performed yet. However, in changing climatic preconditions, such monitoring is of utmost relevance to better understand interactions of accumulation and melt in firn regions of the Greenland ice sheet. Through warmer temperatures more liquid water will percolate into the system. As a consequence, more latent heat is transported into the firn pack and stratigraphy changes accordingly. Percolating liquid water promotes the formation of massive ice layers, which most likely pond further water percolation. However, such feedback reactions between accumulation and melt are hardly understood and, correspondingly, firn models lack in correct predictions of surface mass balances. This proposal aims at continuous monitoring of accumulation and melt processes within the Western Greenland ice sheet utilizing upward-looking impulse radar technology. The envisaged project can, to a great extent, improve the current understanding of interactions of accumulation and melt, and, in particular the influence of melt processes on firn stratigraphy within the percolation zone of the western ice sheet. The overall goal of this project is a deeper process understanding for a more accurate determination of surface mass balance in this area.