Western Michigan University
Colorado State University - Fort Collins
Texas A & M University - College Station
Principal Investigator; University of Maine, Orono
University of Southern Maine
University of Montana - Missoula
Esd Ideas: Why Are Glaciations Slower Than Deglaciations?,
2020
CUNY Graduate Center
Esd Ideas: Why Are Glaciations Slower Than Deglaciations?, Christine J. Ramadhin, Chuixiang Yi
Publications and Research
The Earth’s climate during the Quaternary is dominated by short warm interglacials and longer cold glaciations paced by external forcings such as changes in insolation. Although not observed in the solar radiation changes, the time series of the cycles display asymmetry since transitions to full glacial conditions are slower than the termination of glaciations. Here an idea is proposed for the slower transition by identifying and describing two negative sea ice feedbacks dominant during the glaciation process that could serve as a control on the intermediate stage and decrease the pace of the process.
The Seasonal Evolution Of Albedo Across Glaciers And The Surrounding Landscape Of Taylor Valley, Antarctica,
2020
University of Colorado, Boulder
The Seasonal Evolution Of Albedo Across Glaciers And The Surrounding Landscape Of Taylor Valley, Antarctica, Anna Bergstrom, Michael N. Gooseff, Peter T. Doran, Julian M. Cross
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
The McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs) of Antarctica are a polar desert ecosystem consisting of alpine glaciers, ice-covered lakes, streams, and expanses of vegetation-free rocky soil. Because average summer temperatures are close to 0 Cel., the MDV ecosystem in general, and glacier melt dynamics in particular, are both closely linked to the energy balance. A slight increase in incoming radiation or change in albedo can have large effects on the timing and volume of meltwater. However, the seasonal evolution or spatial variability of albedo in the valleys has yet to fully characterized. In this study, we aim to understand the drivers ...
Improving Aquifer Characterization Through Integration Of Airborne Electromagnetics (Aem) And Well Hydrographs,
2019
University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Improving Aquifer Characterization Through Integration Of Airborne Electromagnetics (Aem) And Well Hydrographs, Jacqueline Polashek
Dissertations & Theses in Natural Resources
The objective of this study is to evaluate methods of hydrostratigraphic modeling using geophysics and well hydrographs at the eastern edge of the High Plains aquifer (HPA) in Platte and Colfax counties within Nebraska, USA. The HPA is very heterogeneous in the study area, being hosted by architecturally complex glacial sediments and having many irregular hydraulic boundaries. Further, the HPA exhibits local variations between unconfined and confined conditions. Pumping in such bounded aquifers can be unsustainable because of cost increases and lost agricultural productivity. Moreover, the large drawdowns typical of confined aquifers can contribute to well interference during heavy pumping ...
Mechanisms Of Ice Core Stable Isotope Variability In The Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek Region, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada,
2019
University of Maine
Mechanisms Of Ice Core Stable Isotope Variability In The Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek Region, St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada, Erin A. Mcconnell
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
I use instrumental and ice core records to examine drivers of observed isotope variability in the Upper Kaskawulsh-Donjek (UKD) region of the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon, Canada over the time frame of instrument-proxy overlap (mid-1900s to present). One of the drivers of post-depositional isotope signal alteration is the vertical percolation of meltwater from the glacier surface through shallow layers of snow, which causes a reduction in the amplitude of the isotope signal recorded in ice cores. I examine isotope signal preservation in two sites in the St. Elias Mountains: Eclipse Icefield and Icefield Divide. These sites are relatively close (~30 ...
Interglacial Expansion Of Alpine Glaciers In Garwood Valley, Antarctica,
2019
University of Maine
Interglacial Expansion Of Alpine Glaciers In Garwood Valley, Antarctica, Laura Mattas
Honors College
It is important to understand the response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) to ongoing global atmospheric and oceanic warming to anticipate future sea-level change. There are several contrasting views in this regard. Harig and Simons (2015) concur with the IPCC (2013) conclusion that, in recent decades, outflow across the peripheral grounding lines of the ice sheet has exceeded increased accumulation on the interior surface of the ice sheet. In contrast, Zwally et al. (2015) suggest that recent surface accumulation in the interior East and West Antarctica has outpaced peripheral losses. They further suggest that this recent positive imbalance adds ...
Determining The Influence Of Lateral Margin Mechanical Properties On Glacial Flow,
2019
University of Maine
Determining The Influence Of Lateral Margin Mechanical Properties On Glacial Flow, Kate Hruby
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The lateral margins of glaciers and ice streams play a significant role in glacial flow. Depending on their properties, like temperature and ice crystal orientation, they can cause a resistance to flow or enhance it. In combination with our current changing climate, flow patterns can dictate the mass balance of an ice body. It is therefore more important than ever to understand the impact that variations at the margins can have on flow. However, the lateral margins of glaciers and ice streams are an often-neglected part of ice dynamics; they are harder to sample than the center of a glacier ...
Debris Properties And Mass-Balance Impacts On Adjacent Debris-Covered Glaciers, Mount Rainier, Usa,
2019
Iowa State University
Debris Properties And Mass-Balance Impacts On Adjacent Debris-Covered Glaciers, Mount Rainier, Usa, Peter L. Moore, Leah I. Nelson, Theresa M. D. Groth
Natural Resource Ecology and Management Publications
The north and east slopes of Mount Rainier, Washington, are host to three of the largest glaciers in the contiguous United States: Carbon Glacier, Winthrop Glacier, and Emmons Glacier. Each has an extensive blanket of supraglacial debris on its terminus, but recent work indicates that each has responded to late twentieth- and early twenty-first-century climate changes in a different way. While Carbon Glacier has thinned and retreated since 1970, Winthrop Glacier has remained steady and Emmons Glacier has thickened and advanced. There are several possible climatic and dynamic factors that can account for some of these disparities, but differences in ...
Effectiveness Of Four Water-Bearing Zones Of The Glacierized Basin In Meltwater Runoff Modeling,
2019
University of Dayton
Effectiveness Of Four Water-Bearing Zones Of The Glacierized Basin In Meltwater Runoff Modeling, Umesh K. Haritashya
Umesh K. Haritashya
Meltwater runoff modeling from glacierized basins needs several input data, including total meltwater contributing area. This study utilizes optical remote sensing data to assess glacierized basins in the central Himalayas where snow and glaciers contribute substantially to the water resources. Result shows that there are four main water-bearing zones in the basin: (a) dry snow, (b) wet snow, (c) exposed glacial ice, and (d) debris-covered glacial ice, and it is possible to differentiate and map these zones and their spatio-temporal variations from satellite sensor data. These zones can then be incorporated in meltwater runoff modeling as separate entities because they ...
Engaging The Greater Lafayette Community In A Journey Through The Earth Sciences: Purdue’S Eaps Earth Science Passport Day Event,
2019
Purdue University
Engaging The Greater Lafayette Community In A Journey Through The Earth Sciences: Purdue’S Eaps Earth Science Passport Day Event, Dara Laczniak, Bradley Garczynski
Engagement & Service-Learning Summit
No abstract provided.
Comparison Of Microbial Communities In The Sediments And Water Columns Of Frozen Cryoconite Holes In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica,
2019
University of Colorado Boulder
Comparison Of Microbial Communities In The Sediments And Water Columns Of Frozen Cryoconite Holes In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Pacifica Sommers, John L. Darcy, Dorota L. Porazinska, Eli M. S. Gendron, Andrew G. Fountain, Felix Jacob Zamora, Kim Vincent, Kaelin M. Cawley, Adam J. Solon, Lara Vimercati, Jenna Ryder, Steven K. Schmidt
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Although cryoconite holes, sediment-filled melt holes on glacier surfaces, appear small and homogenous, their microbial inhabitants may be spatially partitioned. This partitioning could be particularly important for maintaining biodiversity in holes that remain isolated for many years, such as in Antarctica. We hypothesized that cryoconite holes with greater species richness and biomass should exhibit greater partitioning between the sediments and water, promoting greater biodiversity through spatial niche partitioning. We tested this hypothesis by sampling frozen cryoconite holes along a gradient of biomass and biodiversity in the Taylor Valley, Antarctica, where ice-lidded cryoconite holes are a ubiquitous feature of glaciers. We ...
Late Pleistocene Glaciation In The Mosquito Range, Colorado, U.S.A.: Chronology And Climate,
2019
University of Minnesota, Morris
Late Pleistocene Glaciation In The Mosquito Range, Colorado, U.S.A.: Chronology And Climate, Keith A. Brugger, Benjamin J.C. Laabs, Alexander Reimers, Noah Bensen
Geology Publications
New cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure ages from seventeen moraine boulders in the Mosquito Range suggest that glaciers were at their late Pleistocene (Pinedale) maximum extent at ~21–20 ka, and that ice recession commenced prior to ~17 ka. These age limits suggest that the Pinedale Glaciation was synchronous within the Colorado Rocky Mountain region. Locally, the previous (Bull Lake) glaciation appears to have occurred no later than 117 ka, possibly ~130 ka allowing for reasonable rock weathering rates. Temperature-index modeling is used to determine the magnitude of temperature depression required to maintain steady-state mass balances of seven reconstructed glaciers ...
Analysis Of A Paleoglacier Reconstruction Model For Valley Glaciers Of The Wind River Range, Wyoming,
2019
University of Northern Iowa
Analysis Of A Paleoglacier Reconstruction Model For Valley Glaciers Of The Wind River Range, Wyoming, Taylor Rae Garton
Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Various approaches, ranging from in-field morphological reconstructions to more technology-based modelling practices allow us to reconstruct and understand the long-term geomorphic evolution of landscapes. The study of paleo-environments by reconstruction can also give us profound insight into paleo-climate. A new model, GlaRe (Glacial Reconstruction), has been introduced into the alpine glacier modeling community to facilitate glacier reconstruction. In this research the mathematical equations representing the basal shear stress parameter are tested to determine the applicability of the GlaRe model to alpine glaciers in the American West. Known ages and extents of past glacier advances were used to test the reconstructions ...
Reanalysis Of The Us Geological Survey Benchmark Glaciers: Long-Term Insight Into Climate Forcing Of Glacier Mass Balance,
2019
U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center
Reanalysis Of The Us Geological Survey Benchmark Glaciers: Long-Term Insight Into Climate Forcing Of Glacier Mass Balance, Shad O’Neel, Christopher Mcneil, Louis Sass, Caitlyn Florentine, Emily Baker, Andrew G. . Fountain, Multiple Additional Authors
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Mountain glaciers integrate climate processes to provide an unmatched signal of regional climate forcing. However, extracting the climate signal via intercomparison of regional glacier mass-balance records can be problematic when methods for extrapolating and calibrating direct glaciological measurements are mixed or inconsistent. To address this problem, we reanalyzed and compared long-term mass-balance records from the US Geological Survey Benchmark Glaciers. These five glaciers span maritime and continental climate regimes of the western United States and Alaska. Each glacier exhibits cumulative mass loss since the mid-20th century, with average rates ranging from −0.58 to −0.30 m w.e. a ...
Ice Flow Impacts The Firn Structure Of Greenland's Percolation Zone,
2019
University of Montana, Missoula
Ice Flow Impacts The Firn Structure Of Greenland's Percolation Zone, Rosemary C. Leone
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
One dimensional simulations of firn evolution neglect horizontal transport as the firn column moves down slope during burial. This approach is justifiable near Greenland's ice divide, where ice flow is near vertical, but fidelity is lost in the percolation zone where horizontal ice flow advects the firn column through climate gradients. We simulate firn evolution processes under advection conditions using a transient, thermo-mechanically coupled model for firn densification and heat transfer with various schemes for meltwater penetration and refreezing. The simulations isolate processes in synthetic runs and investigate an ice core site and four transects of Greenland’s percolation ...
Accessible Science: The Natural History Of The Connecticut River Valley,
2019
Amherst College
Accessible Science: The Natural History Of The Connecticut River Valley, Fred Venne
Science and Engineering Saturday Seminars
Many students take an Earth science or geology course to fulfill a requirement, knowing little to nothing about the field. Like all sciences, geology can appear to have ready answers unconnected to other areas of human endeavor, such as art, religion or philosophy. An interdisciplinary approach to teaching can ameliorate this perception for students who are intimidated by the subject and deepen understanding for those who are already excited about geology. We will examine two strategies designed to support the nature of science while scaffolding student learning in geology: research based digital resources use and museum of natural history visits ...
Remote Sensing Of Icebergs In Greenland's Fjords And Coastal Waters,
2018
University of Maine
Remote Sensing Of Icebergs In Greenland's Fjords And Coastal Waters, Jessica Scheick
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Increases in ocean water temperature are implicated in driving recent accelerated rates of mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Icebergs provide a key tool for gaining insight into ice-ocean interactions and until recently have been relatively understudied. Here we develop several methods that exploit icebergs visible in optical satellite imagery to provide insight on the ice--ocean environment and explore how iceberg datasets can be used to examine the physics of iceberg decay and parent glacier properties. First, a semi-automated algorithm, which includes a machine learning-based cloud mask, is applied to six years (2000-2002 and 2013-2015) of the Landsat archive ...
Alpine Ice Evidence Of A Three-Fold Increase In Atmospheric Iodine Deposition Since 1950 In Europe Due To Increasing Oceanic Emissions,
2018
Université Grenoble Alpes-CNRS
Alpine Ice Evidence Of A Three-Fold Increase In Atmospheric Iodine Deposition Since 1950 In Europe Due To Increasing Oceanic Emissions, Michel Legranda, Joseph R. Mcconnell, Susanne Preunkert, Monica M. Arienzo, Nathan Chellman, Kelly E. Gleason, Tomás Sherwen, Mat J. Evans, Lucy J. Carpenter
Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations
Iodine is an important nutrient and a significant sink of tropospheric ozone, a climate-forcing gas and air pollutant. Ozone interacts with seawater iodide, leading to volatile inorganic iodine release that likely represents the largest source of atmospheric iodine. Increasing ozone concentrations since the preindustrial period imply that iodine chemistry and its associated ozone destruction is now substantially more active. However, the lack of historical observations of ozone and iodine means that such estimates rely primarily on model calculations. Here we use seasonally resolved records from an Alpine ice core to investigate 20th century changes in atmospheric iodine. After carefully considering ...
A Sub-Millennial Sediment Record Of Ice-Stream Retreat And Meltwater Storage In The Baltic Ice Lake During The Bølling-Allerød Interstadial,
2018
Montclair State University
A Sub-Millennial Sediment Record Of Ice-Stream Retreat And Meltwater Storage In The Baltic Ice Lake During The Bølling-Allerød Interstadial, April Lynn Kelly, Sandra Passchier
Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works
The rapid retreat of the Baltic Ice Stream and the development of the Baltic Ice Lake is assessed using data from sediment cores retrieved from three sub-basins in the southern Baltic Sea. Hydraulic piston coring by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) recovered for the first time intact glacial lake sequences overlying diamictons and other ice-contact deposits at Sites M0063, M0064 and M0065. Based on the particle size and bulk sediment chemical composition the glacial lake sediments were subdivided into a proximal and a distal varve sequence. The origin of a dark, lithologically distinct horizon between the proximal and distal ...
Decadal Topographic Change In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys Of Antarctica: Thermokarst Subsidence, Glacier Thinning, And Transfer Of Water Storage From The Cryosphere To The Hydrosphere,
2018
Colgate University
Decadal Topographic Change In The Mcmurdo Dry Valleys Of Antarctica: Thermokarst Subsidence, Glacier Thinning, And Transfer Of Water Storage From The Cryosphere To The Hydrosphere, J. S. Levy, Andrew G. Fountain, M. K. Obryk, J. Telling, Craig Glennie, M. Gooseff, David J. Van Horn
Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Recent local-scale observations of glaciers, streams, and soil surfaces in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica (MDV) have documented evidence for rapid ice loss, glacial thinning, and ground surface subsidence associated with melting of ground ice. To evaluate the extent,magnitude, and location of decadal-scale landscape change in the MDV, we collected airborne lidar elevation data in 2014–2015 and compared these data to a 2001–2002 airborne lidar campaign. This regional assessment of elevation change spans the recent acceleration of warming and melting observed by long-term meteorological and ecosystem response experiments, allowing us to assess the response of MDV ...
Quantifying The Effects Of Wind Regimes And Temperature On Surface Melt Over The Antarctic Peninsula (1982–2017) Through Modeling, Remote Sensing And In-Situ Data,
2018
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
Quantifying The Effects Of Wind Regimes And Temperature On Surface Melt Over The Antarctic Peninsula (1982–2017) Through Modeling, Remote Sensing And In-Situ Data, Rajashree Datta
All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Surface melting over the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) plays a crucial role for the stability of ice shelves and dynamics of grounded ice, hence modulating the mass balance in a region of the world which is particularly sensitive to increasing surface temperatures. Understanding the processes that drive melting using surface energy and mass balance models is fundamental to improving estimates of current and future surface melting and associated sea level rise through ice-shelf collapse. This is even more important in view of the specific challenges presented by how circulation patterns over the topographically-complex Antarctic Peninsula, especially foehn winds, impact surface melt ...
