NÉVÉFLO: Northern Environmental Variability at the Expedition Fiord Landscape Observatory

NäVäFLO：探险峡湾景观观测站的北部环境变化

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04738
• 负责人: Thomson, Laura
• 金额: $ 2.19万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=754830
• 关键词: FLO; Northern; Environmental; Variability; Expedition

The Canadian Arctic hosts the largest area of glaciers outside of Greenland and Antarctica, and is the largest contributor to rising sea-level from glaciers and ice caps due to greater warming in the Arctic than elsewhere. It is therefore essential that we improve our ability to anticipate glacier changes quickly. This will help coastal communities and insurance companies plan for and reduce the risks of rising sea-level. Changing climate impacts both the production of meltwater and runoff from glaciers, as well as the speed at which ice flows to lower, warmer elevations where melt conditions prevail. Field-based studies into the glacier-climate processes and the impact on downstream ecosystems are limited and rarely span >10 years due to logistical challenges. However, the region of Expedition Fiord on Axel Heiberg Island, NU, hosts more than 50 years of continuous glacier research and a large collection of increasingly critical baseline data about the high-Arctic environment. Building upon this legacy of research, the proposed Northern Environmental Variability at the Expedition Fiord Landscape Observatory (NÉVÉFLO) program will lead the continuation of the glacier measurements in the region, while advancing our knowledge of the sensitivity, stability, and downstream consequences of glacier change in the Canadian Arctic. The proposed research will 1) address knowledge-gaps concerning processes at the glacier-atmosphere and glacier-bed boundaries, and 2) assess how these processes impact downstream environments. At the glacier-atmosphere boundary, unknowns include the amount and distribution of meltwater stored in high-elevation snowfields (névé), and how the refreezing of meltwater in these snowfields will impact the internal temperature and deformation-rate of glacier ice. At the glacier-bed boundary, there are still large unknowns concerning the mechanics of ice deformation and sliding at the base of cold, polar glaciers. These glacier-bed processes control ice velocities, erosion, and the landscapes formed as glaciers retreat. Together, these processes control the quantity, chemistry, and sediment load of freshwater released from glaciers, and will ultimately impact the downstream river, fiord, and ocean ecosystems. NÉVÉFLO will use a combination of ground- and satellite-based observations of glacier change, along with models incorporating weather observations and future climate scenarios, to determine the amount of water and sediment released by glaciers. In addition to helping predict sea-level rise, the proposed research will reveal how changing glaciers impact the creation and alteration of landforms, watersheds, and ecosystems. Over five-years, this program will support scientific and transferable skills training for 19 highly-qualified personnel (HQP), including 3 PhD, 6 MSc, 5 BSc, and 5 northern students. It will also foster the development of a glacier watershed monitoring program in the northern community of Grise Fiord, NU.

加拿大北极地区拥有格陵兰岛和南极洲以外最大的冰川面积，并且由于北极的变暖比其他地方更严重，是冰川和冰盖导致海平面上升的最大贡献者。因此，我们必须提高迅速预测冰川变化的能力。这将有助于沿海社区和保险公司规划和减少海平面上升的风险。气候变化既影响了融水的产生和冰川径流，也影响了冰流向较低、较温暖海拔的速度，在那里融化条件占主导地位。 对冰川气候过程及其对下游生态系统影响的实地研究是有限的，由于后勤方面的挑战，很少跨越10年。然而，位于NU阿克塞尔海伯格岛的远征峡湾地区拥有超过50年的持续冰川研究和大量关于高北极环境的日益重要的基线数据。在这一研究遗产的基础上，远征峡湾景观观测站（NÉVÉFLO）计划提出的北方环境变异性将导致该地区冰川测量的继续，同时推进我们对加拿大北极冰川变化的敏感性，稳定性和下游后果的认识。 拟议的研究将1）解决有关冰川-大气和冰川床边界过程的知识差距，2）评估这些过程如何影响下游环境。在冰川-大气边界，未知因素包括储存在高海拔雪原（névé）中的融水的数量和分布，以及这些雪原中融水的重新冻结将如何影响冰川冰的内部温度和变形速率。在冰床边界，关于冰在寒冷的极地冰川底部变形和滑动的力学仍然存在很大的未知数。这些冰川床过程控制着冰的速度、侵蚀和冰川退缩时形成的景观。这些过程共同控制着冰川释放的淡水的数量、化学性质和沉积物负荷，并最终影响下游的河流、峡湾和海洋生态系统。 NÉVÉFLO将综合利用地面和卫星对冰川变化的观测，沿着包括天气观测和未来气候情景的模型，以确定冰川释放的水和沉积物的数量。除了帮助预测海平面上升外，拟议的研究还将揭示冰川变化如何影响地貌，流域和生态系统的形成和改变。在五年的时间里，该计划将支持19名高素质人员（HQP）的科学和可转移技能培训，其中包括3名博士，6名硕士，5名理学士和5名北方学生。它还将促进在NU格里斯峡湾的北方社区制定冰川流域监测方案。