Glaciology Commons^™

Toward The Significance Of Crevasse Orientation In Low And High Crevassed Regions On The Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, Usa, Claire A. Sturm

DePaul Discoveries

Supraglacial landforms serve as potential indicators of underlying bedrock morphology and glacier dynamics. The distribution and morphology of crevasses are closely associated with stress fields and ice-flow regimes, representing processes of stable glaciers, in contrast to their reduced occurrence in stagnant or receding ice masses. The orientation and density of crevasses influence a glacier’s ability to absorb solar energy, as they facilitate movement of meltwater down to subglacial rivers. Beyond the meltwater acting as a lubricant for basal sliding, the slope of the bedrock further impacts the local velocity and ice deformation of a glacier. The study of ice-fracturing mechanics …

Glacier Elevation Difference Data For The Conterminous U.S., Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Allen Glenn, Christopher Mcneil, Brian Menounos

Geology Faculty Datasets

Historic and recent elevation data for the glaciers in the conterminous US were differenced to estimate glacier mass and volume change.

Historic glacier elevations were obtained from the USGS National Elevation Dataset (https://doi.org/10.15760/geology-data.04), a digitized product from the USGS 1:24,000 paper topographic maps that included the glacier extent (Gesch, 2007). Recent glacier elevations were derived from aerial lidar and from satellite radar. The lidar data were largely obtained from the USGS 3D Elevation Program (Stoker and Miller, 2022; US Geological Survey, 2024), and filtered by acquisition date using only those data collected between mid-summer and early autumn. The …

Using Grounded Iceberg Wake Patterns To Interpret Catastrophic Flood Events In Southcentral Alaska, Jana K. Macinnis

All Master's Theses

Catastrophic flood events such as landslide tsunamis and jökulhlaups in glaciated areas can transport and strand icebergs, which obstruct the flow of floodwaters and leave a unique and recognizable grounded iceberg wake pattern in the sediment surface. Grounded iceberg wake patterns (GIWs) were identified at the two study areas in Southcentral Alaska; the outwash plain of a 1967 landslide tsunami at the Grewingk Glacier and proglacial lake, and the Matanuska River valley which experienced an unrecorded jökulhlaup in recent geological times. From these sites, 110 GIWs were identified through visual interpretation of lidar imagery and characterized by measuring their geometry, …

Leveraging Weekly Snow Cover Time Series For Improved Glacier Monitoring And Modeling, Rainey Aberle, Ellyn M. Enderlin, David R. Rounce, Shad O'Neel, Brandon Tober, Alexandra Friel

Boise State University Publications and Presentations

Seasonal snow and ice melt strongly influence glacier mass balance, yet sparse sub-annual observations limit our understanding of seasonal dynamics. Here we construct and analyze weekly snow cover time series for 200 glaciers across western North America from 2013 to 2023 using an automated image processing pipeline. Snow cover varied widely across the region: snow minima timing varied with latitude — from August from 62 to 64N to October from 48 to 50N—and accumulation area ratios ranged from near-zero to 0.92 (median of 0.52). A comparison of snowlines from observations and the PyGEM glacier mass balance model revealed seasonally evolving …

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 …

Seismological Applications To Crustal Deformation And Explosion Discrimination, Olumide Adedeji

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

There are many outstanding questions in seismology and plate tectonics that remain unresolved due to the complexity of seismic wave propagation, fault system evolution, and sedimentary-tectonic interactions. In this dissertation, I analyze seismic and acoustic data to improve event discrimination, understand strain partitioning along a transpressive plate boundary, and investigate the influence of tectonic deformation on sedimentary processes. Using seismic arrays, I assess the detectability of Ground Coupled Airwaves (GCA) generated by shallow borehole explosions and earthquakes, demonstrating that GCA detections are highly dependent on source type, environmental conditions and sensor distribution. Along the Queen Charlotte Plate Boundary, I analyze …

Degradation Of Martian Glacier-Like Forms In Relation To The Observed Evolution Of Emmons Glacier On Mount Rainier, Wa, Jose E. Jimenez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study establishes parallels between the observed degradational evolution of debris-covered glaciers on Mount Rainier, WA and select glacier-like forms (GLFs) by studying the time-varying morphologies of the debris cover. Mount Rainier is home to 28 debris-covered valley glaciers, including Emmons Glacier which has a history of orthoimages taken from 1951 to 2023 and high-resolution Digital Elevation Model (DEM) coverage of 2008, 2021 and 2022. We can observe the degradational evolution of Emmons Glacier through orthorectified black and white imagery collected from an airborne platform and the National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) colored satellite images periodically collected over the last …

Glacial Isostatic Adjustments And Their Impact On Sea-Level Predictions, Dayne M. Williams, Jeanne Sumrall

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Relative sea level adjustments and their effects directly contribute to modern day climate change and ocean knowledge. This is shown through Glacial isostatic adjustment models which depend on ice thickness, time period, and core analyzations within a local region. These models demonstrate a direct correlation between RSL, era of retreat, and ice thickness even with comparison of other similar models, with some minor discrepancies. These discoveries led to several new advancements within the field of glaciology regionally and nationally. Generally concluding that the research done isn’t sufficient and more data regionally is needed to study its impacts more detailed.

Wind And Topography Underlie Correlation Between Seasonal Snowpack, Mountain Glaciers, And Late-Summer Streamflow, Elijah N. Boardman, Andrew G. Fountain, Joseph W. Boardman, Thomas H. Painter, Evan W. Burgess, Laura Wilson, Adrian A. Harpold

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

In a warming climate, net mass loss from perennial snow and ice (PSI) contributes a temporary source of unsustainable streamflow. However, the role of topography and wind in mediating the streamflow patterns of deglaciating watersheds is unknown. We conduct lidar surveys of seasonal snow and PSI elevation change for five adjacent watersheds in the Wind River Range, Wyoming (WRR). Between 2019 and 2023, net mass loss from PSI is equivalent to ~10-36% of August-September streamflow. Across 338 manually classified PSI features >0.01 km2, glaciers contribute 68% of the total mass loss, perennial snowfields contribute 8%, rock glaciers contribute 1%, buried …

Glacial Lakes Outburst Susceptibility And Risk In The Eastern Himalayas Using Analytical Hierarchy Process And Backpropagation Neural Network Models, Sandeep Kumar Mondal, Jyotindra Narayan, Chitesh Sharma, Rishikesh Bharti, Santosha Kumar Dwivedy, Pinaki Roy Chowdhury

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The Himalayan cryosphere is dynamic, and changing climate conditions threaten breach of glacial lakes. A number of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) occurred in the Himalayas in the recent past, affecting people and infrastructures. Assessment of high-altitude glacial lakes is required to avoid associated hazards and mitigate the impacts. In this study, we have made an inventory of naturally formed lakes within the Sikkim Himalayas, including Nepal, Bhutan, and China, and discussed the GLOF susceptibility. A total of 399 lakes have been identified, out of which 281 lakes have an areal coverage greater than 0.01 Km2. Monitoring temporal changes shows …

The Geography Of Rock Glaciers In The American West, Allison Reese Trcka, Andrew G. Fountain, Bryce Allen Glenn

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rock glaciers are relatively common in conterminous United States west of the 100° meridian, yet their distribution and number are not well known. Using aerial and satellite imagery, we inventoried the population of rock glaciers, yielding 2,257 rock glaciers totaling 234.28 km² with an area of uncertainty of 7 percent. Of these, 1,561 (155.44 km²) are considered intact (moving) and 696 (76.84 km²) relict. Based on published estimates of ice content, total water-equivalent volume is roughly 2.52 km³. Rock glacier elevations increase from the northwest (Washington) to the southeast (Colorado), following a spatial …

Kinetic Grain Growth In Firn Induced By Meltwater Infiltration On The Greenland Ice Sheet, Kirsten Leigh Gehl

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The microstructure of polar firn governs its porosity, permeability, and compaction rate, and is therefore important to studies of surface elevation change, heat and gas exchange, and meltwater infiltration on ice sheets. Previous work on high-elevation, dry-firn has identified two distinct atmospheric drivers of kinetic grain growth in deposited snow, but both mechanisms result in near-surface mm-scale layers. In this work, we show that meltwater infiltration through surface wetting fronts and deep preferential flow in the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) percolation zone leads to the formation and preservation of centi- to decimeter scale layers of faceted firn, ranging from faceted …

Old, Flat, And Slow: Interior Greenland Snow And Ice Dynamics Revealed With Gnss, Derek James Pickell

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

The interior dry snow zone region of the Greenland Ice Sheet can no longer be confidently considered a reliably melt-free region, yet our ability to investigate and quantify the dynamic nature of this landscape is hindered by its remoteness. To overcome this challenge, this work describes a novel, low-cost, low-power GNSS (positioning) instrument that enables simultaneous measurements of (1) ice accumulation/ablation changes and (2) 3D ice flow. Deployed in a dense array, these GNSS instruments achieve similar performance to scientific-grade, commercial options (cm- to mm- precision), yet operate at < 60% of the power and < 34% of the hardware cost. Over a three year campaign, we analyze spatial and temporal patterns of accumulation in this region, using a technique called GNSS interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR). Observations with this technique show low bias and high precision relative to a validation study (-2.1 ± 2.9 cm), while we also demonstrate for the first time how GNSS-IR can reveal cm- to m- scale surface roughness, a critical yet often neglected measurement due to longstanding observational challenges. Patterns of accumulation show a spatial dependence linked to surface slope (~+0.7 mm w.e. km^-1 westward away from the divide) while surface roughness has a temporal dependence likely driven by wintertime high winds. Next, we combine GNSS-IR surface heights with the geodetic position time series of the antenna to derive surface elevation changes, which are compared to coincident ICESat-2 laser altimetry elevations. Observations of the surface show a millimeter-level relative bias and cm-level precision (-0.9 ± 3.8 cm) compared with the satellite altimeter, demonstrating for the first time that this technique is a viable ground-truthing method, while ICESat-2 performance has continued to exceed mission performance requirements. Finally, we examine station positioning through time to show a sensitivity to dynamic ice thinning and firn densification, two parameters than cannot be finely observed with space-based methods in this region. Together, these results provide the first ground‑based, high‑resolution picture of interior ice‑sheet change—capturing accumulation, roughness, surface elevation, and strain in one unified dataset. Our approach dramatically lowers logistical barriers, opening the interior of Greenland (and other remote regions) to sustained, quantitative monitoring at unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution.

Depth Distribution Of Liquid Water In Greenlands Firn Layer Based On L-Band Radiometry, A Snow Physics Model, And Machine Learning, Taylor D. Moon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The accurate estimation of the amount of meltwater retained by Greenland’s firn layer and its distribution over depth is essential for assessing both the current and future mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet. When meltwater infiltrates the firn, it exists as a quantifiable volume of liquid water, measurable as the one-dimensional liquid water amount, hereafter referred to as LWA. A promising new tool for estimating LWA is L-band passive microwave satellite radiometry, which can provide twice-daily estimates using empirical models of firn microwave emission. However, this method faces two primary limitations. First, retrievals are untested against field observations and …

Horizontal Infiltration Of Water Through Porous Snow As A Gravity Current, Anthony Cheng

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

On the surface of the Greenland ice sheet or around the margins of the Antarctic ice shelf, water infiltrates porous ice. It is important to understand this infiltration process since water populating the pore space of ice directly impacts the density, porosity, and wetness of ice. These properties influence the mechanics and tensile strength of ice, as greater amounts of infiltration result in faster or more widespread deformation events, which may lead to adverse climatic effects such as sea level rise and ocean current disruption. While studies have considered the thermodynamics and fluid mechanics of water vertically percolating through snow …

Provenance Of Clastic Sedimentation In Middle Deadfall Lake And Paleoclimate Modelling Of Glacier Fluctuations At Mount Eddy, Eastern Klamath Mountains, California, Usa, Emily Stebbins

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study reconstructs the timing, extent, and paleoclimate conditions associated with late Pleistocene glaciation in the Mount Eddy region of the eastern Klamath Mountains, northern California and investigates the provenance of clastic sedimentation in Middle Deadfall Lake, just east of Mt Eddy. Using a multi-pronged approach that combines geomorphic mapping, sediment core analysis, X-ray fluorescence (XRF) geochemistry, tephrochronology, and glacier modeling using PalaeoIce 2.0, this research provides new insights into glacial dynamics and climate variability in a region with limited glacially derived paleoclimate datasets, as well as past volcanic eruption deposits.

Field and GIS-based geomorphic mapping identified three generations …

Glacial Erosion Rates From The Last Glacial Maximum To Present In Southern Patagonia (50°S), Anastasia Fedotova

Earth Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, the notion of exogenic processes (e.g. weathering, erosion) contributing to mountain building rather than destruction has become increasingly supported through both direct observations and modeling. As a result, the details of the link between erosion, and therefore climate, and the tectonic evolution of mountain ranges, have progressively become established. One of the key observations emerging from the climate-tectonic debate has been the role of glaciers as powerful landscape sculptors, sensitive to climate signals. The reconstruction of glacial environments evolution and the recovery of patterns of glacial erosion over time have proven key to understanding feedbacks …

On Spatiotemporal Trends In Meter-Scale Gris Surface Roughness And The Development Of An On-Ice Laser Distance Meter, Jamie C. Good

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Surface roughness is a critical component of the energy and mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS). However, roughness is often oversimplified in predictive models due to its inherent scale dependency. Accurate quantification of roughness, including its recent changes and driving factors, is critically important for understanding and predicting GrIS surface dynamics. Using multi- and single-scale methods of roughness analysis, I assess spatiotemporal trends in GrIS meter-scale surface roughness from 2009 to 2019 with Operation IceBridge’s Airborne Topographic Mapper ILATM2 product. Additionally, with data from on-ice automated weather stations, I employ machine learning techniques to identify primary climatic controls …

Challenges Of Using More Precise Temporal And Spatial Resolution Of Remote Sensing Data For Surface Water Quality Monitoring, Ivan Rykin

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Monitoring river suspended sediment concentration (SSC) is critical for environmental challenges such as understanding the fate of thawed permafrost sediment and its impact on global carbon cycling. However, traditional SSC monitoring using Landsat imagery is limited by spatial and temporal constraints, particularly for narrow rivers in cloudy and/or snowy regions.

This study investigates the use of higher spatial (3 m) and temporal (daily) resolution satellite imagery from the PlanetScope constellation to estimate SSC in remote rivers such as those in the Arctic. I compare the performance of PlanetScope’s spectral resolution (4 and 8 bands) with Landsat 7. Merging data from …

The Environment Of Glaciovolcanic Caves And Their Value As Planetary Analogues, Christian Stenner, Lee J. Florea, Linda Sobolewski, Andreas Pflitsch, Morgan Cable, Roberto Anitori, Richard E. Davis, Kathleen Graham, Glyn Williams-Jones

FRONTIERS UNBOUND: Exploring Extreme Environments

No abstract provided.