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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Understanding Greenland Ice Sheet Hydrology Using An Integrated Multi-Scale Approach, A. K. Rennermalm, S. E. Moustafa, J. Mioduszewski, V. W. Chu, R. R. Forster, B. Hagedorn, Joel T. Harper, T. L. Mote, D. A. Robinson, C. A. Shuman, L. C. Smith, M. Tedesco Feb 2013

Understanding Greenland Ice Sheet Hydrology Using An Integrated Multi-Scale Approach, A. K. Rennermalm, S. E. Moustafa, J. Mioduszewski, V. W. Chu, R. R. Forster, B. Hagedorn, Joel T. Harper, T. L. Mote, D. A. Robinson, C. A. Shuman, L. C. Smith, M. Tedesco

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Improved understanding of Greenland ice sheet hydrology is critically important for assessing its impact on current and future ice sheet dynamics and global sea level rise. This has motivated the collection and integration of in situ observations, model development, and remote sensing efforts to quantify meltwater production, as well as its phase changes, transport, and export. Particularly urgent is a better understanding of albedo feedbacks leading to enhanced surface melt, potential positive feedbacks between ice sheet hydrology and dynamics, and meltwater retention in firn. These processes are not isolated, but must be understood as part of a continuum of processes …


Dynamically Downscaled Winter Precipitation Over Complex Terrain Of The Central Rockies Of Western Montana, Usa, Nicholas Loren Silverman, Marco P. Maneta, S.-H. Chen, Joel T. Harper Jan 2013

Dynamically Downscaled Winter Precipitation Over Complex Terrain Of The Central Rockies Of Western Montana, Usa, Nicholas Loren Silverman, Marco P. Maneta, S.-H. Chen, Joel T. Harper

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We evaluate the results of dynamically downscaled winter precipitation over Western Montana using the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model through comparison with estimates from the observationally based parameter-elevation regressions on independent slopes model (PRISM). Seven years (six winters) from 2000 to 2006 are simulated at 4 km resolution to assess the similarities and differences between the two models as well as the implications for hydrologic modeling. Inherent biases in both approaches are apparent, highlighting the difficulty in climate model validation. Results show general agreement between the two models in the spatial distribution of winter precipitation. A principal component analysis …


Compressional And Em Wave Velocity Anisotropy In A Temperate Glacier Due To Basal Crevasses, And Implications For Water Content Estimation, John Bradford, Joshua Nichols, Joel T. Harper, Toby W. Meierbachtol Jan 2013

Compressional And Em Wave Velocity Anisotropy In A Temperate Glacier Due To Basal Crevasses, And Implications For Water Content Estimation, John Bradford, Joshua Nichols, Joel T. Harper, Toby W. Meierbachtol

Geosciences Faculty Publications

We have conducted a series of experiments designed to investigate elastic and electromagnetic (EM) velocity anisotropy associated with a preferentially aligned fracture system on a temperate valley glacier in south-central Alaska, USA. Measurements include a three-dimensional compressional wave (P-wave) seismic reflection survey conducted over a 300 m x 300 m survey patch, with uniform source grid and static checkerboard receiver pattern. Additionally, we acquired a multiazimuth, multi-offset, polarimetric groundpenetrating radar (GPR) reflection experiment in a wagon-wheel geometry with 94 degrees of azimuthal coverage. Results show azimuthal variation in the P-wave normal-moveout velocity of less than 3% (3765 and 3630 ms …


Influences Of Lithology On Water Quality: A Study Of The Ngam And Mou Watersheds In West Cameroon (Central Africa), E. Kemayou Tchamako, Rv Tsinkou Fotsing, Jp Tchouankoue, Jr Ndam Ngoupayou, B Ngounou Ngatcha, Nancy W. Hinman Jan 2013

Influences Of Lithology On Water Quality: A Study Of The Ngam And Mou Watersheds In West Cameroon (Central Africa), E. Kemayou Tchamako, Rv Tsinkou Fotsing, Jp Tchouankoue, Jr Ndam Ngoupayou, B Ngounou Ngatcha, Nancy W. Hinman

Geosciences Faculty Publications

The Ngam and Mou Rivers belong to the river system of the central part of the Cameroon Volcanic Line. The Ngam River watershed comprises 51 Ma old basalts, while the Mou River watershed comprises younger, < 5 Ma pyroclastic basalts. The physico-chemical characteristics of water samples from both watersheds indicated pH between 4.2 and 8.2, and 4.2 to 7.5, and very low mineralization between 11 and 246 μS/cm and 45 to 165 μS/cm, respectively, for the Ngam River and the Mou River. Chemical data showed that waters from old, highly weathered plateau basalts (Ngam River watershed) were dominated by calcium and sodium (signatures of feldpars from syenites and orthogneisses), while waters in the Mou River watershed were dominated by magnesium (signature of olivines and pyroxenes from basalts). Mineralizations in the two watersheds are thus primarily controlled by lithology rather than anthropic activities. These results are promising for identifying potential potable water resources in these areas.


Aluminum In Silica Phases Formed In Hot Springs, Nancy W. Hinman, J. Michelle Kotler Jan 2013

Aluminum In Silica Phases Formed In Hot Springs, Nancy W. Hinman, J. Michelle Kotler

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Sinters are difficult to characterize with traditional methods and are often described by their chemical composition alone. Yet information about the depositional environment and possible diagenetic processes is available in atomic structure. This study probes the atomic structure of siliceous sinters from two geothermal areas using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques. Specifically, this study demonstrated that Al is present in tetrahedral coordination with or without octahedral coordination in geyserites from Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA and Geyser Valley, Kamchatka, Russia.


Water-Rock Interaction And Life, Nancy W. Hinman Jan 2013

Water-Rock Interaction And Life, Nancy W. Hinman

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Water-rock interactions play a critical role in the origin, existence, and prospects of life. Minerals are sources of energy and nutrients. Life uses aqueous chemical gradients to access and use minerals. Chemical disequilibrium, therefore, represents one type of biotic signature. Life also controls other types of disequilibrium, including isotopic disequilibrium and morphology. Water is a fundamental contributor to all of these biosignatures, acting as a medium for mass transfer and a reservoir for components. Distinguishing biosignatures from abiotic signatures challenges instrumental capabilities. Finally, the ubiquity and heterogenous distribution of life on Earth challenges the ability to interpret different types of …