Ice Dynamics and Cryospheric Changes in Northern Canada

这项研究计划的中心目的是增进对冰动力学以及气候变化对加拿大北部冰川、冰帽和冰架的影响的了解。近年来，冰川和冰盖的厚度大幅下降，但目前人们对这些冰块是如何运动的，以及这种运动可能如何随着时间的推移而变化做出回应，知之甚少。因此，这项研究将首次绘制加拿大北极群岛(巴芬、德文、阿克塞尔海贝格、比洛特和埃尔斯米尔群岛)所有冰川和冰盖的完整速度图，以及育空地区克鲁恩国家公园内的所有冰川。这些测量将通过处理加拿大Radarsat-2卫星收集的图像对得出，并将与利用全球定位系统进行的地面测量进行核对。同时测量表面融化、降雪模式和气温等因素将有助于识别控制冰层运动的因素。这些信息最终将提高对加拿大北部冰块未来演变的理解，并改善对未来海平面上升的预测。对埃尔斯米尔岛北部冰架变化的监测将有助于确定冰架的长期稳定性以及导致其最近戏剧性解体的因素。这还将有助于改进对冰岛从冰架上释放给近海石油勘探带来的风险的评估。

The central aim of this research program is to improve understanding of ice dynamics and the impacts of climate change on glaciers, ice caps and ice shelves in northern Canada. Glaciers and ice caps have lost substantial thicknesses in recent years, but is little is currently known about how these ice masses move, and how this motion may vary over time in response to climate forcing. This study will therefore produce the first complete velocity maps for all of the glaciers and ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (Baffin, Devon, Axel Heiberg, Bylot and Ellesmere Islands), together with all of the glaciers within Kluane National Park, Yukon. These measurements will be derived from processing of image pairs collected by the Canadian Radarsat-2 satellite, and will be checked against ground measurements made with differential global positioning systems. Simultaneous measurement of factors such as surface melt, snowfall patterns and air temperatures will enable identification of the factors that control ice motion. This information will ultimately improve understanding of the future evolution of ice masses in northern Canada, and improve predictions of future sea level rise. The monitoring of ice shelf changes on northern Ellesmere Island will enable identification of their long-term stability and the factors that have caused their dramatic recent breakups. This will also enable improved assessment of the risks to offshore oil exploration posed by the release of ice islands from ice shelves.