RUI: Water from Stone -- Investigating the Hydrologic Role of Rock Glaciers

当冰冰川被岩石雪崩掩埋时，或者当冰在陡峭悬崖底部松散的碎石堆中积累时，岩石冰川就形成了。 在这两种情况下，这些冰可以变形，使岩石冰川缓慢地向山下移动。 当岩石冰川延伸到较低、较温暖的海拔时，或者当夏季气温上升时，这些冰融化，水被释放出来，供给河流和湿地。 该项目将调查有多少水是从犹他州两个山脉的数百个岩石冰川中流出的，这两个山脉是科罗拉多河系统、尤因塔山脉和拉萨尔山脉的重要水源。 明德学院的本科生将直接参与实地和实验室研究的各个方面。 这些学生还将参与指导Terra学院的学生，Terra学院是犹他州东北部的一所公立高中。以前的工作已经证明，岩石冰川改变了高海拔流域径流的时间和数量，并作为夏末基流的重要组成部分。还有证据表明，岩石冰川内的永久冻土融化正在释放以前作为常年冰存档的融水。 如果岩石冰川中的冰库被消除，那么未来这些流域的可用水可能会减少。 该项目将检验这样一种假设，即岩石冰川内以前的常年冰的融化正在对高海拔流域的水文学产生不可持续的影响。 这些技术将包括综合利用卫星雷达干涉测量法监测岩石冰川运动;部署数据记录器记录岩石冰川表面和水排放的温度;对岩石冰川排放的沃茨进行连续取样和水化学特性分析;测定岩石冰川融水的年代;以及进行地面穿透雷达测量以查明内部冰。 该项目将为本科生提供参与和培训尖端研究方法的众多机会。 主要研究人员和他们的学生还将指导犹他州东北部的一所公立学校Terra Academy的高中生，他们将对水文学和相关主题进行独立研究。 研究结果将与美国林务局进行沟通，以帮助管理决策，更好地预测未来水资源的变化。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得支持的，通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估。

Rock glaciers form when ice glaciers are buried by rock avalanches, or when ice accumulates within loose piles of rubble at the base of steep cliffs. In both cases, this ice can deform, allowing the rock glacier to slowly move downhill. When rock glaciers extend to lower, warmer elevations, or when summer temperatures rise, this ice melts and water is released to feed streams and wetlands. This project will investigate how much water is coming out of the hundreds of rock glaciers in two mountain ranges in Utah that are important contributors of water to the Colorado River system, the Uinta Mountains and the La Sal Mountains. Undergraduate students at Middlebury College will be directly involved in all aspects of the field and laboratory research. These students will also participate in mentoring of students at Terra Academy, a public high school in northeastern Utah.Previous work has demonstrated that rock glaciers alter the timing and amount of runoff in high-elevation watersheds and serve as an important component of late summer baseflow. There is also evidence that thawing of permafrost within rock glaciers is releasing meltwater formerly archived as perennial ice. If the ice reservoir within rock glaciers is eliminated, then there may be less water available for these watersheds in the future. This project will test the hypothesis that melting of formerly perennial ice within rock glaciers is contributing unsustainably to the hydrology of high-elevation watersheds. Techniques will include a combination of satellite-based radar interferometry for monitoring rock glacier movement; deployment of dataloggers for recording the temperature of rock glacier surfaces and water discharges; sequential sampling and hydrochemical characterization of rock glacier discharge waters; dating of rock glacier melt water; and ground penetrating radar surveying to identify internal ice. This project will provide numerous opportunities for involvement and training of undergraduate students in cutting-edge research methods. The principal investigators and their students will also mentor high-school students at Terra Academy, a public school in northeastern Utah, who will conduct independent research on hydrology and related topics. Results will be communicated with the US Forest Service to aid management decisions and better predict future changes in water availability.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.