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Full-Text Articles in Glaciology

How’S It Growing? Tools For Observing Snow And Sea Ice In A Changing Arctic Ocean, Ian Alexander Raphael Jun 2025

How’S It Growing? Tools For Observing Snow And Sea Ice In A Changing Arctic Ocean, Ian Alexander Raphael

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

September Arctic sea ice extent has diminished by roughly 50% in the 45 years since satellite observations began. The Arctic Ocean may experience ice-free summers within the next decade, with implications for habitat, resource extraction, geopolitics, and local and global climate change. To predict how Arctic sea ice will change in the future, we need to understand its behavior in the present. In situ sea ice mass balance measurements (snow accumulation, ice growth, snow and ice surface melt, and bottom melt) are essential for studying the processes driving rapid changes in the ice pack, and for validating remote sensing measurements …


Reducing Uncertainty In Sea-Level Rise Prediction: A Spatial-Variability-Aware Approach, Subhankar Ghosh, Shuai An, Arun Sharma, Jayant Gupta, Shashi Shekhar, Aneesh Subramanian Oct 2023

Reducing Uncertainty In Sea-Level Rise Prediction: A Spatial-Variability-Aware Approach, Subhankar Ghosh, Shuai An, Arun Sharma, Jayant Gupta, Shashi Shekhar, Aneesh Subramanian

I-GUIDE Forum

Given multi-model ensemble climate projections, the goal is to accurately and reliably predict future sea-level rise while lowering the uncertainty. This problem is important because sea-level rise affects millions of people in coastal communities and beyond due to climate change's impacts on polar ice sheets and the ocean. This problem is challenging due to spatial variability and unknowns such as possible tipping points (e.g., collapse of Greenland or West Antarctic ice-shelf), climate feedback loops (e.g., clouds, permafrost thawing), future policy decisions, and human actions. Most existing climate modeling approaches use the same set of weights globally, during either regression or …


Analysis Of Fossil Pollen From A Pleistocene Cypress Forest Preserved On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Continental Shelf, Kathryn Joyce Garretson May 2022

Analysis Of Fossil Pollen From A Pleistocene Cypress Forest Preserved On The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Continental Shelf, Kathryn Joyce Garretson

Master's Theses

This study presents the findings of fossil pollen analysis performed on terrestrial sediments preserved on the northern Gulf of Mexico continental shelf (site hereafter known as the Underwater Forest or DF). This research aims to establish vegetation composition on a continental shelf glacial refuge and provide a better understanding of vegetation response to sea-level rise. Two cores (15DF1 and 15DF3B) located at different locations within the forest were recovered and analyzed. Pollen results from both cores were similar, with high percentages of Taxodium and Nyssa pollen in the lowermost sections reflecting an assemblage typical of contemporary baldcypress swamps. Pollen assemblages …


Seasonal Dynamics Of Dissolved Iron On The Antarctic Continental Shelf: Late-Fall Observations From The Terra Nova Bay And Ross Ice Shelf Polynyas, P. N. Sedwick, B. M. Sohst, C. O'Hara, S. E. Stammerjohn, B. Loose, M. S. Dinniman, N. J. Buck, J. A. Resing, S. F. Ackley Jan 2022

Seasonal Dynamics Of Dissolved Iron On The Antarctic Continental Shelf: Late-Fall Observations From The Terra Nova Bay And Ross Ice Shelf Polynyas, P. N. Sedwick, B. M. Sohst, C. O'Hara, S. E. Stammerjohn, B. Loose, M. S. Dinniman, N. J. Buck, J. A. Resing, S. F. Ackley

OES Faculty Publications

Over the Ross Sea shelf, annual primary production is limited by dissolved iron (DFe) supply. Here, a major source of DFe to surface waters is thought to be vertical resupply from the benthos, which is assumed most prevalent during winter months when katabatic winds drive sea ice formation and convective overturn in coastal polynyas, although the impact of these processes on water-column DFe distributions has not been previously documented. We collected hydrographic data and water-column samples for trace metals analysis in the Terra Nova Bay and Ross Ice Shelf polynyas during April-May 2017 (late austral fall). In the Terra Nova …


Trace Metals And The Environment: Studying The Behaviour Of Iceland’S Glacially Sourced Trace Metals, Owen Bailey Oct 2020

Trace Metals And The Environment: Studying The Behaviour Of Iceland’S Glacially Sourced Trace Metals, Owen Bailey

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Trace metal contamination in marine ecosystems is a problem for every trophic level, from zooplankton up to humans. The mobility and uptake availability of these metals depend on such environmental parameters as salinity, temperature, and pH, among others. To explore the effects of varying parameters on dissolved metal behaviour, I studied the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon, into which the Breidamerkurjökull glacier deposits trace metals from volcanic ash through glacial melt. In this study I develop and follow a sampling procedure to analyze trace metal concentrations in the lagoon, while additionally discussing the behaviour and impact of trace metals, focusing on cadmium, …


Sea-Ice Production And Air/Ice/Ocean/Biogeochemistry Interactions In The Ross Sea During The Pipers 2017 Autumn Field Campaign, S. F. Ackley, S. Stammerjohn, T. Maksym, M. Smith, J. Cassano, P. Guest, J.-L. Tison, B. Delille, B. Loose, Peter N. Sedwick, L. Depace, L. Roach, J. Parno Sep 2020

Sea-Ice Production And Air/Ice/Ocean/Biogeochemistry Interactions In The Ross Sea During The Pipers 2017 Autumn Field Campaign, S. F. Ackley, S. Stammerjohn, T. Maksym, M. Smith, J. Cassano, P. Guest, J.-L. Tison, B. Delille, B. Loose, Peter N. Sedwick, L. Depace, L. Roach, J. Parno

OES Faculty Publications

The Ross Sea is known for showing the greatest sea-ice increase, as observed globally, particularly from 1979 to 2015. However, corresponding changes in sea-ice thickness and production in the Ross Sea are not known, nor how these changes have impacted water masses, carbon fluxes, biogeochemical processes and availability of micronutrients. The PIPERS project sought to address these questions during an autumn ship campaign in 2017 and two spring airborne campaigns in 2016 and 2017. PIPERS used a multidisciplinary approach of manned and autonomous platforms to study the coupled air/ice/ocean/biogeochemical interactions during autumn and related those to spring conditions. Unexpectedly, the …


Modelling The Response Of Ice Shelf Basal Melting To Different Ocean Cavity Environmental Regimes, David E. Gwyther, Eva A. Cougnon, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Jason L. Roberts, John R. Hunter, Michael S. Dinniman Jan 2016

Modelling The Response Of Ice Shelf Basal Melting To Different Ocean Cavity Environmental Regimes, David E. Gwyther, Eva A. Cougnon, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Jason L. Roberts, John R. Hunter, Michael S. Dinniman

CCPO Publications

We present simulation results from a version of the Regional Ocean Modeling System modified for ice shelf/ocean interaction, including the parameterisation of basal melting by molecular diffusion alone. Simulations investigate the differences in melting for an idealised ice shelf experiencing a range of cold to hot ocean cavity conditions. Both the pattern of melt and the location of maximum melt shift due to changes in the buoyancy-driven circulation, in a different way to previous studies. Tidal forcing increases both the circulation strength and melting, with the strongest impact on the cold cavity case. Our results highlight the importance of including …


Mechanism Of Seasonal Arctic Sea Ice Evolution And Arctic Amplification, Kwang-Yul Kim, Benjamin D. Hamlington, Hanna Na, Jinju Kim Jan 2016

Mechanism Of Seasonal Arctic Sea Ice Evolution And Arctic Amplification, Kwang-Yul Kim, Benjamin D. Hamlington, Hanna Na, Jinju Kim

CCPO Publications

Sea ice loss is proposed as a primary reason for the Arctic amplification, although the physical mechanism of the Arctic amplification and its connection with sea ice melting is still in debate. In the present study, monthly ERA-Interim reanalysis data are analyzed via cyclostationary empirical orthogonal function analysis to understand the seasonal mechanism of sea ice loss in the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic amplification. While sea ice loss is widespread over much of the perimeter of the Arctic Ocean in summer, sea ice remains thin in winter only in the Barents-Kara seas. Excessive turbulent heat flux through the sea …


Weekly Gridded Aquarius L-Band Radiometer/Scatterometer Observations And Salinity Retrievals Over The Polar Regions - Part 1: Product Description, L. Brucker, Emmanuel P. Dinnat, L. S. Koenig Jan 2014

Weekly Gridded Aquarius L-Band Radiometer/Scatterometer Observations And Salinity Retrievals Over The Polar Regions - Part 1: Product Description, L. Brucker, Emmanuel P. Dinnat, L. S. Koenig

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Passive and active observations at L band (frequency similar to 1.4 GHz) from the Aquarius/SAC-D mission offer new capabilities to study the polar regions. Due to the lack of polar-gridded products, however, applications over the cryosphere have been limited. We present three weekly polar-gridded products of Aquarius data to improve our understanding of L-band observations of ice sheets, sea ice, permafrost, and the polar oceans. Additionally, these products intend to facilitate access to L-band data, and can be used to assist in algorithm developments. Aquarius data at latitudes higher than 50 degrees are averaged and gridded into weekly products of …


Weekly Gridded Aquarius L-Band Radiometer/Scatterometer Observations And Salinity Retrievals Over The Polar Regions - Part 2: Initial Product Analysis, L. Brucker, Emmanuel P. Dinnat, L. S. Koenig Jan 2014

Weekly Gridded Aquarius L-Band Radiometer/Scatterometer Observations And Salinity Retrievals Over The Polar Regions - Part 2: Initial Product Analysis, L. Brucker, Emmanuel P. Dinnat, L. S. Koenig

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Following the development and availability of Aquarius weekly polar-gridded products, this study presents the spatial and temporal radiometer and scatterometer observations at L band (frequency similar to 1.4 GHz) over the cryosphere including the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, sea ice in both hemispheres, and over sub-Arctic land for monitoring the soil freeze/thaw state. We provide multiple examples of scientific applications for the L-band data over the cryosphere. For example, we show that over the Greenland Ice Sheet, the unusual 2012 melt event lead to an L-band brightness temperature (TB) sustained decrease of similar to 5K at horizontal polarization. Over …


Glacial Shortcut Of Arctic Sea-Ice Transport, Michael Stärz, Xun Gong, Rüdiger Stein, Dennis A. Darby, Frank Kauker, Gerrit Lohmann Dec 2012

Glacial Shortcut Of Arctic Sea-Ice Transport, Michael Stärz, Xun Gong, Rüdiger Stein, Dennis A. Darby, Frank Kauker, Gerrit Lohmann

OES Faculty Publications

Due to the lack of data, the extent, thickness and drift patterns of sea ice and icebergs in the glacial Arctic remains poorly constrained. Earlier studies are contradictory proposing either a cessation of the marine cryosphere or an ice drift system operating like present-day. Here we examine the marine Arctic cryosphere during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) using a high-resolution, regional ocean-sea ice model. Whereas modern sea ice in the western Arctic Basin can circulate in the Beaufort Gyre for decades, our model studies present an extreme shortcut of glacial ice drift. In more detail, our results show a clockwise …


Past Glacial And Interglacial Conditions In The Arctic Ocean And Marginal Seas - A Review, Dennis A. Darby, Leonid Polyak, Henning A. Bauch Jan 2006

Past Glacial And Interglacial Conditions In The Arctic Ocean And Marginal Seas - A Review, Dennis A. Darby, Leonid Polyak, Henning A. Bauch

OES Faculty Publications

Past changes in the Arctic Ocean and its marginal seas have been profound, even during the last 10,000 years. Understanding these changes, such as those occurring during the transition from glacial to interglacial climates, are important for research on modern processes, because this knowledge provides a framework and unique perspective in which to view the modern physical and biological processes. This paper discusses our current understanding of past environmental change and processes relative to those currently in progress. Special emphasis is placed on the most recent transition from a glacial state to the modern interglacial conditions.


Iron In Ice Cores From Law Dome: A Record Of Atmospheric Iron Deposition For Maritime East Antarctica During The Holocene And Last Glacial Maximum, Ross Edwards, Peter N. Sedwick, Vin Morgan, Claude Boutron Jan 2006

Iron In Ice Cores From Law Dome: A Record Of Atmospheric Iron Deposition For Maritime East Antarctica During The Holocene And Last Glacial Maximum, Ross Edwards, Peter N. Sedwick, Vin Morgan, Claude Boutron

OES Faculty Publications

Total dissolvable iron (TDFe) was measured in sections of ice cores recovered from Law Dome on the coast of Wilkes Land, East Antarctica. These samples include ice dating from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the Last Deglaciation, and the early and mid Holocene as well as samples from the Anthropocene that have been dated with seasonal to annual resolution. Combining our TDFe concentration data with estimates of the ice accumulation rate, we estimate the atmospheric iron deposition for Law Dome and the adjacent Southern Ocean during these periods. Our results indicate that the atmospheric iron deposition flux to this region …


Lead Isotopes And Selected Metals In Ice From Law Dome, Antarctica, K. J. R. Rosman, W. Chisholm, C. F. Boutron, S. Hong, R. Edwards, Vin Morgan, Peter N. Sedwick Jan 1998

Lead Isotopes And Selected Metals In Ice From Law Dome, Antarctica, K. J. R. Rosman, W. Chisholm, C. F. Boutron, S. Hong, R. Edwards, Vin Morgan, Peter N. Sedwick

OES Faculty Publications

The isotopic composition. of Pb and the concentrations of Pb, Ba and Bi were measured in selected ice-core samples from Law Dome, East Antarctica, to a depth of 1196 m. The range of concentrations found in decontaminated ice was 0.03-1.5 pg g-1 for Pb, 0.9-6.1 pg g-1 for Ba and 0.4-17 fg g-1 for Bi, excluding the deepest sample which contained ∼1 ppm of rock dust. The abundances of all four stable lead isotopes were measured and gave 206Pb/207Pb ratios ≤ ∼1.23. A value of 208Pb/207Pb = 2.78 was measured in …


Deep Flow Variability In Central Drake Passage, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann Jan 1986

Deep Flow Variability In Central Drake Passage, John M. Klinck, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

A rotary empirical orthogonal function analysis of the currents measured in central Drake Passage during DRAKE 79 shows that the deep (2500 m) flow has the same spatial and temporal structure as the flow at 500 m, suggesting that current variability in this region penetrates to the bottom. However, comparison of the time amplitude of the corresponding modes indicates that the variability of the 2500 m flow resulting from north to south shifts in the location of the Polar Front lags that at 500 m by one to three days. This implies that the Polar Front slopes to the east …


Analysis Of Heavy Minerals In Arenaceous Lutites From The Northern Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean, Kim Zauderer Oct 1982

Analysis Of Heavy Minerals In Arenaceous Lutites From The Northern Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean, Kim Zauderer

OES Theses and Dissertations

Heavy minerals from arenaceous lutites in three widely spaced cores from the northern Canada Basin were analyzed for the first time to determine the provenance of these sediments. The abundant minerals (sp. gr. == 2.70) in decreasing order for most samples were detrital carbonate, micas, clinoamphibole, clinopyroxene, garnet, epidote, tourmaline, and chlorite. The majority of pyroxene grains were etched. Sedimentary sources dominated and metamorphic and igneous sources were important but secondary. The northern Canada Arctic Archipelago and northern Greenland is proposed as the provenance for the heavy minerals in the arenaceous lutites for at least the past three million years. …