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Topographic Control Of Asynchronous Glacial Advances: A Case Study From Annapurna, Nepal, B. Pratt-Sitaula, D. W. Burbank, A. M. Heimsath, Neil Humphrey, M. Oskin, J. Putkonen
Topographic Control Of Asynchronous Glacial Advances: A Case Study From Annapurna, Nepal, B. Pratt-Sitaula, D. W. Burbank, A. M. Heimsath, Neil Humphrey, M. Oskin, J. Putkonen
Neil Humphrey
Differences in the timing of glacial advances, which are commonly attributed to climatic changes, can be due to variations in valley topography. Cosmogenic Be-10 dates from 24 glacial moraine boulders in 5 valleys define two age populations, late-glacial and early Holocene. Moraine ages correlate with paleoglacier valley hypsometries. Moraines in valleys with lower maximum altitudes date to the late-glacial, whereas those in valleys with higher maximum altitudes are early Holocene. Two valleys with similar equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs), but contrasting ages, are aspect, such that spatial differences in climate can be excluded. A glacial mass-balance cellular automata model of these two …
Georadar-Derived Estimates Of Firn Density In The Percolation Zone, Western Greenland Ice Sheet, Joel Brown, John Bradford, Joel Harper, W. Tad Pfeffer, Neil Humphrey, Ellen Mosley-Thompson
Georadar-Derived Estimates Of Firn Density In The Percolation Zone, Western Greenland Ice Sheet, Joel Brown, John Bradford, Joel Harper, W. Tad Pfeffer, Neil Humphrey, Ellen Mosley-Thompson
Neil Humphrey
Greater understanding of variations in firn densification is needed to distinguish between dynamic and melt-driven elevation changes on the Greenland ice sheet. This is especially true in Greenland’s percolation zone, where firn density profiles are poorly documented because few ice cores are extracted in regions with surface melt. We used georadar to investigate firn density variations with depth along a ~70 km transect through a portion of the accumulation area in western Greenland that partially melts. We estimated electromagnetic wave velocity by inverting reflection traveltimes picked from common midpoint gathers. We followed a procedure designed to find the simplest velocity …
Two Modes Of Accelerated Glacier Sliding Related To Water, J. T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. T. Pfeffer, B. Lazar
Two Modes Of Accelerated Glacier Sliding Related To Water, J. T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. T. Pfeffer, B. Lazar
Neil Humphrey
We present the first glacier-wide detailed measurement of basal effective pressure and related observations including bed separation to elucidate the role of water in sliding. The hard bedded glacier instrumented in our study exhibited two phases of accelerated sliding motion apparently driven by separate mechanisms. The first acceleration phase ( up to 5 fold increase in speed) was closely tied to an increase in bed separation. The faster second phase ( up to 9 fold increase in speed) was related to an unusually high level of connectivity of subglacial waters. We infer the first mode was related to cavity opening …
Topographic Control Of Asynchronous Glacial Advances: A Case Study From Annapurna, Nepal, B. Pratt-Sitaula, D. W. Burbank, A. M. Heimsath, Neil Humphrey, M. Oskin, J. Putkonen
Topographic Control Of Asynchronous Glacial Advances: A Case Study From Annapurna, Nepal, B. Pratt-Sitaula, D. W. Burbank, A. M. Heimsath, Neil Humphrey, M. Oskin, J. Putkonen
Neil Humphrey
Differences in the timing of glacial advances, which are commonly attributed to climatic changes, can be due to variations in valley topography. Cosmogenic Be-10 dates from 24 glacial moraine boulders in 5 valleys define two age populations, late-glacial and early Holocene. Moraine ages correlate with paleoglacier valley hypsometries. Moraines in valleys with lower maximum altitudes date to the late-glacial, whereas those in valleys with higher maximum altitudes are early Holocene. Two valleys with similar equilibrium-line altitudes (ELAs), but contrasting ages, are aspect, such that spatial differences in climate can be excluded. A glacial mass-balance cellular automata model of these two …
Depth-Varying Constitutive Properties Observed In An Isothermal Glacier, H. P. Marshall, J. T. Harper, W. T. Pfeffer, Neil Humphrey
Depth-Varying Constitutive Properties Observed In An Isothermal Glacier, H. P. Marshall, J. T. Harper, W. T. Pfeffer, Neil Humphrey
Neil Humphrey
[1] Detailed three-dimensional in-situ measurements of deformation at depth are used to examine the rheology of a 6 x 106 m3 block of temperate glacier ice. Assuming that the viscosity of this ice is primarily dependent on stress, the relationship between inferred stress and measurements of strain-rate above similar to 115 m depth suggest a constitutive relationship with a stress exponent n similar to 1. Deformation below 115 m is described by a non-linear flow law with a power exponent of approximately 3-4. A sharp transition between the two flow regimes is likely caused by a change in the dominant …
High Altitude Himalayan Climate Inferred From Glacial Ice Flux, J. T. Harper, Neil Humphrey
High Altitude Himalayan Climate Inferred From Glacial Ice Flux, J. T. Harper, Neil Humphrey
Neil Humphrey
[1] Glaciological processes are modeled to investigate precipitation patterns and the resulting mass flux of snow and ice across Himalayan topography. Our model tracks the accumulation and ablation of snow and ice and the transport of snow and ice across the topography by glacier motion. We investigate high elevation precipitation on the Annapurna Massif by comparing the existing ice cover with model-simulated glaciers produced by a suite of different precipitation scenarios. Our results suggest that precipitation reaches a maximum level well below the elevation of the highest peaks. Further, essentially no snow accumulates on the topography above an elevation of …
Thermal Tracking Of Meltwater Retention In Greenland's Accumulation Area, Neil Humphrey, J. T. Harper, W. T. Pfeffer
Thermal Tracking Of Meltwater Retention In Greenland's Accumulation Area, Neil Humphrey, J. T. Harper, W. T. Pfeffer
Neil Humphrey
Poorly understood processes controlling retention of meltwater in snow and firn have important implications for Greenland Ice Sheet's mass balance and flow dynamics. Here we present results from a 3 year (2007-2009) field campaign studying firn thermal profiles and density structure along an 85 km transect of the percolation zone of west Greenland. We installed one or two thermistor strings at 14 study sites, each string having 32 sensors spaced between 0 and 10 m depth. Data from our network of over 500 sensors were collected at 15-60 min intervals for 1-2 years, thereby recording the thermal signature of meltwater …
Air Compression As A Mechanism For The Underdamped Slug Test Response In Fractured Glacier Ice, Toby W. Meierbachtol, Joel T. Harper, Neil F. Humphrey, Jeremy Shaha, John H. Bradford
Air Compression As A Mechanism For The Underdamped Slug Test Response In Fractured Glacier Ice, Toby W. Meierbachtol, Joel T. Harper, Neil F. Humphrey, Jeremy Shaha, John H. Bradford
Neil Humphrey
Artificial perturbations of borehole water levels, known as slug tests, are a useful means of characterizing the glacier hydrologic system. Slug tests were performed on Bench Glacier, Alaska, in 21 boreholes over three field seasons during the transition from a winter to a summer drainage mode. Fifty-four slug tests were conducted, with water level monitoring in up to five boreholes adjacent to the slugged borehole. Seven of the slug tests were performed in conjunction with dye dispersion tests to identify water pathways within the slugged borehole following perturbation. Nearly 60% of monitored adjacent boreholes showed a hydraulic connection to the …