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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Wave Field Migration As A Tool For Estimating Spatially Continuous Radar Velocity And Water Content In Glaciers, John H. Bradford, Joel T. Harper Apr 2005

Wave Field Migration As A Tool For Estimating Spatially Continuous Radar Velocity And Water Content In Glaciers, John H. Bradford, Joel T. Harper

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Normal-moveout velocity analysis can lead to significant overestimates of the velocity structure of temperate glaciers since most englacial reflectors approximate point scatters and violate the assumption of planar flat lying reflectors. Migration velocity analysis (MVA) is a tool that does not depend on the assumption of flat lying reflectors. MVA can provide laterally and vertically continuous velocity estimates from conventional common-offset radar sections. In a study of temperate Bench Glacier, Alaska, we used MVA coupled with dielectric modeling to estimate the distribution of water content along a cross-section of the glacier. We found the glacier has two layers, an upper …


Diurnal Water-Pressure Fluctuations: Timing And Pattern Of Termination Below Bench Glacier, Alaska, Usa, T. J. Fudge, Joel T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. Tad Pfeffer Jan 2005

Diurnal Water-Pressure Fluctuations: Timing And Pattern Of Termination Below Bench Glacier, Alaska, Usa, T. J. Fudge, Joel T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. Tad Pfeffer

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Observations from basal water-pressure sensors along the length of Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA, show that diurnal fluctuations of water pressure are seasonal and restricted to summer. Most notable about these fluctuations is their disappearance in the late summer and early autumn, long before the seasonal end of diurnal meltwater input. Here we present data documenting the end of diurnal water-pressure fluctuations during the 2002 and 2003 melt seasons. The end of diurnal fluctuations occurred abruptly in multiple boreholes spaced meters to kilometers apart. There was no obvious spatial progression of termination events, and a clear correlation with meteorological forcing or …


Evolution Of Subglacial Water Pressure Along A Glacier’S Length, Joel T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. Tad Pfeffer, T. J. Fudge, Shad O'Neel Jan 2005

Evolution Of Subglacial Water Pressure Along A Glacier’S Length, Joel T. Harper, Neil Humphrey, W. Tad Pfeffer, T. J. Fudge, Shad O'Neel

Geosciences Faculty Publications

Observations from along the length of Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA, show that the subglacial water-pressure field undergoes a multiphase transition from a winter mode to a summer mode. Data were collected at the glacier surface, the outlet stream, and in a network of 47 boreholes spanning the length of the 7 km long glacier. The winter pressure field was near overburden, with low-magnitude (centimeter to meter scale) and long-period (days to weeks) variations. During a spring speed-up event, boreholes showed synchronous variations and a slight pressure drop from prior winter values. Diurnal pressure variations followed the speed-up, with their onset …