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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Accelerated Thermokarst Formation In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Joseph S. Levy, Andrew G. Fountain, James L. Dickson, James W. Head, Marianne Okal, David R. Marchant, Jaclyn Watters
Accelerated Thermokarst Formation In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Joseph S. Levy, Andrew G. Fountain, James L. Dickson, James W. Head, Marianne Okal, David R. Marchant, Jaclyn Watters
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Thermokarst is a land surface lowered and disrupted by melting ground ice. Thermokarst is a major driver of landscape change in the Arctic, but has been considered to be a minor process in Antarctica. Here, we use ground-based and airborne LiDAR coupled with timelapse imaging and meteorological data to show that 1) thermokarst formation has accelerated in Garwood Valley, Antarctica; 2) the rate of thermokarst erosion is presently,10 times the average Holocene rate; and 3) the increased rate of thermokarst formation is driven most strongly by increasing insolation and sediment/albedo feedbacks. This suggests that sediment enhancement of insolation-driven melting may …
Introduction To Special Section On Microcosms In Ice: The Biogeochemistry Of Cryoconite Holes, Andrew G. Fountain, Martyn Tranter
Introduction To Special Section On Microcosms In Ice: The Biogeochemistry Of Cryoconite Holes, Andrew G. Fountain, Martyn Tranter
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Cryoconite holes are small, water filled, cylindrical melt-holes on glacial ice surface. Cryoconite, 'cold dust,' refers to the thin layer of sediment at the hole bottom. The holes form from surficial sediment patches that absorbs more solar radiation than the surrounding ice and which preferentially melt into the glacier forming a cylindrical water-filled hole. These holes form on the ice-covered, as opposed to snow covered, parts of glaciers world-wide, wherever there is sufficient energy for melting. Biogeochemically, cryoconite holes are interesting because the sediment is inncoculated with biologic material, a fraction of which thrives in the cryoconite environment of near-freezing …