Ice dynamics and cryospheric changes in northern Canada

这项研究计划的中心目标是提高对冰动力学和气候变化对加拿大北部冰川、冰帽和冰架的影响的认识。近年来，冰川和冰帽的厚度已经大幅减少，但目前对这些冰块如何移动以及这种移动如何随时间变化而响应气候强迫知之甚少。因此，这项研究将为加拿大北极群岛（巴芬、德文、阿克塞尔·海伯格、拜洛特和埃尔斯米尔群岛）以及育空地区克卢恩国家公园内的所有冰川制作第一张完整的冰川和冰盖速度图。这些测量结果将来自对加拿大Radarsat-2卫星收集的图像对的处理，并将与用差分全球定位系统进行的地面测量结果进行核对。同时测量地表融化、降雪模式和气温等因素，将有助于确定控制冰运动的因素。这些信息将最终提高对加拿大北部冰块未来演变的理解，并改进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它们的长期稳定性，以及导致它们最近急剧解体的因素。这也将有助于改进对从冰架释放冰岛对海上石油勘探造成的风险的评估。

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.