Ice dynamics and cryospheric changes in northern Canada

该研究计划的中心目标是提高对冰动态以及气候变化对加拿大北部冰川、冰盖和冰架影响的了解。近年来，冰川和冰盖的厚度已大幅减少，但目前人们对这些冰块如何移动以及这种移动如何随着时间的推移因气候强迫而变化知之甚少。因此，这项研究将为加拿大北极群岛（巴芬群岛、德文群岛、阿克塞尔海伯格群岛、拜洛特群岛和埃尔斯米尔群岛）的所有冰川和冰盖以及育空地区克鲁恩国家公园内的所有冰川绘制第一张完整的速度图。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，并将根据差分全球定位系统进行的地面测量进行检查。同时测量地表融化、降雪模式和气温等因素将能够识别控制冰运动的因素。这些信息最终将增进对加拿大北部冰块未来演变的了解，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能够确定其长期稳定性以及导致其最近急剧破裂的因素。这也将有助于改进对冰岛从冰架上释放所带来的海上石油勘探风险的评估。

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.