USAP-DC

{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "Surface Meltwater"}

[{"awards": "1841607 Banwell, Alison; 1841467 MacAyeal, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-68.28 -71.1,-68.202 -71.1,-68.124 -71.1,-68.046 -71.1,-67.968 -71.1,-67.89 -71.1,-67.812 -71.1,-67.734 -71.1,-67.656 -71.1,-67.578 -71.1,-67.5 -71.1,-67.5 -71.14999999999999,-67.5 -71.19999999999999,-67.5 -71.25,-67.5 -71.3,-67.5 -71.35,-67.5 -71.39999999999999,-67.5 -71.44999999999999,-67.5 -71.5,-67.5 -71.55,-67.5 -71.6,-67.578 -71.6,-67.656 -71.6,-67.734 -71.6,-67.812 -71.6,-67.89 -71.6,-67.968 -71.6,-68.046 -71.6,-68.124 -71.6,-68.202 -71.6,-68.28 -71.6,-68.28 -71.55,-68.28 -71.5,-68.28 -71.44999999999999,-68.28 -71.39999999999999,-68.28 -71.35,-68.28 -71.3,-68.28 -71.25,-68.28 -71.19999999999999,-68.28 -71.14999999999999,-68.28 -71.1))", "dataset_titles": "Dataset for: Banwell et al. 2024, \u0027Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica\u0027, Journal of Glaciology.", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601771", "doi": "10.15784/601771", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; AWS; Cryosphere; GNSS; GPS Data; Ice-Shelf Flexure; Ice Shelf Fracture; Ice-Shelf Melt; Timelaps Images", "people": "Stevens, Laura; Banwell, Alison; Willis, Ian; Dell, Rebecca; MacAyeal, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Dataset for: Banwell et al. 2024, \u0027Observed meltwater-induced flexure and fracture at a doline on George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica\u0027, Journal of Glaciology.", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601771"}], "date_created": "Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The evolution of surface and shallow subsurface meltwater across Antarctic ice shelves has important implications for their (in)stability, as demonstrated by the 2002 rapid collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf. It is vital to understand the causes of ice-shelf (in)stability because ice shelves buttress against the discharge of inland ice and therefore influence ice-sheet contributions to sea-level rise. Ice-shelf break-up may be triggered by stress variations associated with surface meltwater movement, ponding, and drainage. These variations may cause an ice shelf to flex and fracture. This four-year project will provide key geophysical observations to improve understanding of ice-shelf meltwater and its effects on (in)stability. The work will be conducted on the George VI Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula, where hundreds of surface lakes form each summer. Over a 27-month period, global positioning systems, seismometers, water pressure transducers, automatic weather stations, and in-ice thermistor strings will be deployed to record ice shelf flexure, fracture seismicity, water depths, and surface and subsurface melting, respectively, in and around several surface lakes on the George VI Ice Shelf, within roughly 20 km of the British Antarctic Survey\u0027s Fossil Bluff Station. Field data will be used to validate and extend the team\u0027s approach to modelling ice-shelf flexure and stress, and possible \"Larsen-B style\" ice-shelf instability and break-up. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -67.5, "geometry": "POINT(-67.89 -71.35)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Antarctica; ICE MOTION; Ice-Shelf Flexure; GPS Data", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -71.1, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology; Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Banwell, Alison; Macayeal, Douglas", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -71.6, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC: Ice-shelf Instability Caused by Active Surface Meltwater Production, Movement, Ponding and Hydrofracture", "uid": "p0010449", "west": -68.28}, {"awards": "2053169 Kingslake, Jonathan", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Fri, 15 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "When ice sheets and glaciers lose ice faster than it accumulates from snowfall, they shrink and contribute to sea-level rise. This has consequences for coastal communities around the globe by, for example, increasing the frequency of damaging storm surges. Sea-level rise is already underway and a major challenge for the geoscience community is improving predictions of how this will evolve. The Antarctic Ice Sheet is the largest potential contributor to sea-level rise and its future is highly uncertain. It loses ice through two main mechanisms: the formation of icebergs and melting at the base of floating ice shelves on its periphery. Ice flows under gravity towards the ocean and the rate of ice flow controls how fast ice sheets and glaciers shrink. In Greenland and Antarctica, ice flow is focused into outlet glaciers and ice streams, which flow much faster than surrounding areas. Moreover, parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet speed up and slow down substantially on hourly to seasonal time scales, particularly where meltwater from the surface reaches the base of the ice. Meltwater reaching the base changes ice flow by altering basal water pressure and consequently the friction exerted on the ice by the rock and sediment beneath. This phenomenon has been observed frequently in Greenland but not in Antarctica. Recent satellite observations suggest this phenomenon also occurs on outlet glaciers in the Antarctic Peninsula. Meltwater reaching the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet is likely to become more common as air temperature and surface melting are predicted to increase around Antarctica this century. This project aims to confirm the recent satellite observations, establish a baseline against which to compare future changes, and improve understanding of the direct influence of meltwater on Antarctic Ice Sheet dynamics. This is a project jointly funded by the National Science Foundation\u2019s Directorate for Geosciences (NSF/GEO) and the National Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom (UK) via the NSF/GEO-NERC Lead Agency Agreement. This Agreement allows a single joint US/UK proposal to be submitted and peer-reviewed by the Agency whose investigator has the largest proportion of the budget. Upon successful joint determination of an award recommendation, each Agency funds the proportion of the budget that supports scientists at institutions in their respective countries. This project will include a field campaign on Flask Glacier, an Antarctic Peninsula outlet glacier, and a continent-wide remote sensing survey. These activities will allow the team to test three hypotheses related to the Antarctic Ice Sheet\u2019s dynamic response to surface meltwater: (1) short-term changes in ice velocity indicated by satellite data result from surface meltwater reaching the bed, (2) this is widespread in Antarctica today, and (3) this results in a measurable increase in mean annual ice discharge. The project is a collaboration between US- and UK-based researchers and will be supported logistically by the British Antarctic Survey. The project aims to provide insights into both the drivers and implications of short-term changes in ice flow velocity caused by surface melting. For example, showing conclusively that meltwater directly influences Antarctic ice dynamics would have significant implications for understanding the response of Antarctica to atmospheric warming, as it did in Greenland when the phenomenon was first detected there twenty years ago. This work will also potentially influence other fields, as surface meltwater reaching the bed of the Antarctic Ice Sheet may affect ice rheology, subglacial hydrology, submarine melting, calving, ocean circulation, and ocean biogeochemistry. The project aims to have broader impacts on science and society by supporting early-career scientists, UK-US collaboration, education and outreach, and adoption of open data science approaches within the glaciological community. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; GLACIER MOTION/ICE SHEET MOTION; Antarctic Peninsula; BASAL SHEAR STRESS", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kingslake, Jonathan; Sole, Andrew; Livingstone, Stephen; Winter, Kate; Ely, Jeremy", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC: Investigating the Direct Influence of Meltwater on Antarctic Ice Sheet Dynamics", "uid": "p0010436", "west": null}, {"awards": "2021699 Trusel, Luke", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Antarctic ice sheet daily surface melt detection from ASCAT (2007-2022); ASCAT-ERA5 Antarctic Peninsula Daily Surface Meltwater Production (2007-2022); Trusel et al 2022, Geophysical Research Letters: Publication data and code", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "200362", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.7995543", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Zenodo", "science_program": null, "title": "ASCAT-ERA5 Antarctic Peninsula Daily Surface Meltwater Production (2007-2022)", "url": "https://zenodo.org/record/7995543"}, {"dataset_uid": "200364", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.7995998", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Zenodo", "science_program": null, "title": "Antarctic ice sheet daily surface melt detection from ASCAT (2007-2022)", "url": "https://zenodo.org/record/7995998"}, {"dataset_uid": "200363", "doi": "10.5281/zenodo.6374343", "keywords": null, "people": null, "repository": "Zenodo", "science_program": null, "title": "Trusel et al 2022, Geophysical Research Letters: Publication data and code", "url": "https://zenodo.org/record/6374343"}], "date_created": "Fri, 02 Jun 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Melting of snow and ice at the surface of the Antarctic ice sheet can lead to the formation of meltwater lakes, an important precursor to ice-shelf collapse and accelerated ice-sheet mass loss. Understanding the present state of Antarctic surface melt provides a baseline to gauge how quickly melt impacts could evolve in the future and to reduce uncertainties in estimates of future sea-level rise. This project will use a suite of complimentary measurements from Earth-observing satellites, ground observations, and numerical climate and ice-shelf models to enhance understanding of surface melt and lakes, as well as the processes linking these systems. The project directly supports the scientific training of a postdoctoral associate and several undergraduate researchers. In addition, it will promote public scientific literacy and the broadening of quantitative skills for high-school students through the development and implementation of an educational unit in a partnership with an education and outreach expert and two high school teachers. Accurate prediction of sea-level contributions from Antarctica critically requires understanding current melting and supraglacial lake conditions. This project will quantify Antarctic surface melt and supraglacial lakes, and the linkages between the two phenomena. Scatterometer data will enable generation of a 19-year multi-sensor melt time series. Synthetic aperture radar data will document melt conditions across all Antarctic ice shelves at the highest spatial resolution to date (40 m). Multispectral satellite imagery will be used to delineate and measure the depth of supraglacial lakes--for the first time studying the spatial and temporal variations of Antarctic supraglacial lakes. Melt and lake observations will be compared to identify agreement and disagreement. Melt observations will be used to evaluate biases in a widely used, reanalysis-driven, regional climate model. This model will then be used to examine climatic and glaciological variables associated with supraglacial lakes. Finally, in situ observations and climate model output will drive a numerical model that simulates the entire lifecycle of surface melt and possible subsequent lake formation.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ICE SHEETS; Antarctica; Surface Hydrology", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Trusel, Luke; Moussavi, Mahsa", "platforms": null, "repo": "Zenodo", "repositories": "Zenodo", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Water on the Antarctic Ice Sheet: Quantifying Surface Melt and Mapping Supraglacial Lakes", "uid": "p0010422", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1743310 Kingslake, Jonathan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": "Vulnerability of Antarctica\u2019s ice shelves to meltwater-driven fracture", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601395", "doi": "10.15784/601395", "keywords": "Antarctica; Computer Model; Fractures; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Meltwater; Model Data", "people": "Lai, Ching-Yao", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Vulnerability of Antarctica\u2019s ice shelves to meltwater-driven fracture", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601395"}], "date_created": "Wed, 02 Jun 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Ice shelves slow the movement of the grounded ice sheets that feed them. This reduces the rate at which ice sheets lose mass to the oceans and contribute to sea-level rise. But ice shelves can be susceptible to collapse, particularly when surface meltwater accumulates in vulnerable areas. Meltwater lakes can create and enlarge fractures within the ice shelves, thereby triggering or hastening ice-shelf collapse. Also, water refreezing within ice shelves warms the ice and could affect the flow of the ice by changing its viscosity, which depends on temperature. The drainage of water across the surface of Antarctica and where it accumulates has received little attention. This drainage was assumed to be insignificant, but recent work shows that meltwater can drain for tens of kilometers across ice-shelf surfaces and access areas that would otherwise not accumulate meltwater. Surface meltwater drainage could play a major role in the future stability of ice sheets. This drainage is the focus of this project. The team will develop and test physics-based mathematical models of water flow and ice-shelf flow, closely informed by remote sensing observations, to ask (1) how drainage systems will grow in response to the increased melt rates that are predicted for this century, (2) how this drainage is influenced by ice dynamics and (3) whether enlarged drainage systems could deliver meltwater to areas of ice shelves that are vulnerable to water-driven collapse. The team hypothesizes that refreezing of meltwater in snow and firn will prove important for hydrology by impacting the permeability of the snow/firn and for ice-shelf dynamics by releasing latent heat within the ice and lowering ice viscosity. The project will examine these issues by (1) conducting a remote sensing survey of the structure and temporal evolution of meltwater systems around Antarctica, (2) developing and analyzing mathematical models of water flow across ice shelves, and (3) examining idealized and realistic models of ice-shelf flow. This project will support a first-time NSF PI, a post-doctoral researcher and a graduate student. An outreach activity will make use of the emerging technology of Augmented Reality to visualize the dynamics of ice sheets in three dimensions to excite the public about glaciology at outreach events around New York City. This approach will be made publicly available for wider use as Augmented Reality continues to grow in popularity. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USA/NSF; AMD; USAP-DC; Antarctica; ICE SHEETS; Amd/Us; Ice Shelf; COMPUTERS; Surface Meltwater", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kingslake, Jonathan", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e MODELS \u003e COMPUTERS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "Satellite observations and modelling of surface meltwater flow and its impact on ice shelves", "uid": "p0010184", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1745116 Scambos, Ted", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-75 -69,-74 -69,-73 -69,-72 -69,-71 -69,-70 -69,-69 -69,-68 -69,-67 -69,-66 -69,-65 -69,-65 -69.5,-65 -70,-65 -70.5,-65 -71,-65 -71.5,-65 -72,-65 -72.5,-65 -73,-65 -73.5,-65 -74,-66 -74,-67 -74,-68 -74,-69 -74,-70 -74,-71 -74,-72 -74,-73 -74,-74 -74,-75 -74,-75 -73.5,-75 -73,-75 -72.5,-75 -72,-75 -71.5,-75 -71,-75 -70.5,-75 -70,-75 -69.5,-75 -69))", "dataset_titles": "Density, hydrology and geophysical measurements from the Wilkins Ice Shelf firn aquifer; Weather, Firn Core, and Ground-penetrating radar data from southern Wilkins and George VI ice shelves, 2018-2019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601905", "doi": "10.15784/601905", "keywords": "AMIGOS; Antarctica; Cryosphere; George VI Ice Shelf; Glaciology; Ground Penetrating Radar; Ice Core Data; Ice Shelf; Wilkins Ice Shelf", "people": "Scambos, Ted; Miller, Julie; Miege, Clement; Montgomery, Lynn; Wallin, Bruce", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Weather, Firn Core, and Ground-penetrating radar data from southern Wilkins and George VI ice shelves, 2018-2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601905"}, {"dataset_uid": "601390", "doi": "10.15784/601390", "keywords": "Airborne Radar; Antarctica; Antarctic Peninsula; Firn; Firn Aquifer; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPR; Hydrology; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Wilkins Ice Shelf", "people": "Forster, Richard; Solomon, Kip; Miller, Olivia; Miller, Julie; Scambos, Ted; Mi\u00e8ge, Cl\u00e9ment; Montgomery, Lynn; Wallin, Bruce; Koenig, Lora", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Density, hydrology and geophysical measurements from the Wilkins Ice Shelf firn aquifer", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601390"}], "date_created": "Tue, 08 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Snow or firn aquifers are areas of subsurface meltwater storage that form in glaciated regions experiencing intense summer surface melting and high snowfall. Aquifers can induce hydrofracturing, and thereby accelerate flow or trigger ice-shelf instability leading to increased ice-sheet mass loss. Widespread aquifers have recently been discovered in Greenland. These have been modelled and mapped using new satellite and airborne remote-sensing techniques. In Antarctica, a series of catastrophic break-ups at the Wilkins Ice Shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula that was previously attributed to effects of surface melting and brine infiltration is now recognized as being consistent with a firn aquifer--possibly stimulated by long-period ocean swell--that enhanced ice-shelf hydrofracture. This project will verify inferences (from the same mapping approach used in Greenland) that such aquifers are indeed present in Antarctica. The team will survey two high-probability sites: the Wilkins Ice Shelf, and the southern George VI Ice Shelf. This two-year study will characterize the firn at the two field sites, drill shallow (~60 m maximum) ice cores, examine snow pits (~2 m), and install two AMIGOS (Automated Met-Ice-Geophysics Observing System) stations that include weather, GPS, and firn temperature sensors that will collect and transmit measurements for at least a year before retrieval. Ground-penetrating radar survey in areas surrounding the field sites will track aquifer extent and depth variations. Ice and microwave model studies will be combined with the field-observed properties to further explore the range of firn aquifers and related upper-snow-layer conditions. This study will provide valuable experience for three early-career scientists. An outreach effort through field blogging, social media posts, K-12 presentations, and public lectures is planned to engage the public in the team?s Antarctic scientific exploration and discovery. This award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -65.0, "geometry": "POINT(-70 -71.5)", "instruments": "EARTH REMOTE SENSING INSTRUMENTS \u003e ACTIVE REMOTE SENSING \u003e PROFILERS/SOUNDERS \u003e RADAR SOUNDERS \u003e GPR", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; Firn Aquifer; USA/NSF; FIELD INVESTIGATION; AMD; GLACIERS/ICE SHEETS; Wilkens Ice Shelf; Antarctic Peninsula; Amd/Us", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula; Wilkens Ice Shelf", "north": -69.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Scambos, Ted", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD INVESTIGATION", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -74.0, "title": "Antarctic Firn Aquifers: Extent, Characteristics, and Comparison with Greenland Occurrences", "uid": "p0010126", "west": -75.0}, {"awards": "1743326 Kingslake, Jonathan", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": "Report on Antarctic surface hydrology workshop, LDEO, 2018 ", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601170", "doi": "10.15784/601170", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Hydrology; Ice Sheet Stability; Ice Shelf; Report; Workshop", "people": "Banwell, Alison; Bell, Robin; Das, Indrani; DeConto, Robert; Tedesco, Marco; Lenaerts, Jan; Schoof, Christian; Kingslake, Jonathan; Trusel, Luke", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Report on Antarctic surface hydrology workshop, LDEO, 2018 ", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601170"}], "date_created": "Tue, 26 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Ice shelves are the floating portions of glaciers that terminate in the ocean. They are common around the periphery of Antarctica. The accumulation of surface meltwater on or near the surface of ice shelves can play a role in ice-shelf collapse, which leads to accelerated loss of grounded ice and sea-level rise. Recent studies have showed that present-day meltwater generation and movement across the surface of Antarctica is more widespread than previously thought and is expected to increase. Consequently, there is a growing need to address the role of surface water in forecasts of ice-shelf behavior. While much progress has been made, understanding of the role of water in ice-shelf collapse is still in its infancy. This award supports a workshop that will bring together experts from multiple disciplines that, together, can advance understanding of Antarctic surface hydrology and its role in the future stability of ice shelves. This workshop will bring together U.S. and international scientists with expertise in ice-sheet dynamics, glacial hydrology, climatology, and other disciplines to identify critical knowledge gaps and move the community towards answering fundamental questions such as: What climate dynamics are responsible for surface meltwater generation in Antarctica? What controls the spatiotemporal distribution of meltwater ponds on Antarctic ice shelves? Where is meltwater generated, where does it pond today, and how will this change this century? How will meltwater impact ice shelves? How will surface hydrology impact sea-level this century? The deliberations will be captured in a workshop report and review paper that will be broadly distributed.", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": "NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "NOT APPLICABLE; ICE SHEETS; North America; USAP-DC", "locations": "North America", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kingslake, Jonathan; Tedesco, Marco; Trusel, Luke", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Workshop on Antarctic Surface Hydrology and Future Ice-shelf Stability", "uid": "p0010021", "west": null}, {"awards": "1443126 MacAyeal, Douglas", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((166.1631 -77.9007,166.19736 -77.9007,166.23162 -77.9007,166.26588 -77.9007,166.30014 -77.9007,166.3344 -77.9007,166.36866 -77.9007,166.40292 -77.9007,166.43718 -77.9007,166.47144 -77.9007,166.5057 -77.9007,166.5057 -77.90423,166.5057 -77.90776,166.5057 -77.91129,166.5057 -77.91482,166.5057 -77.91835,166.5057 -77.92188,166.5057 -77.92541,166.5057 -77.92894,166.5057 -77.93247,166.5057 -77.936,166.47144 -77.936,166.43718 -77.936,166.40292 -77.936,166.36866 -77.936,166.3344 -77.936,166.30014 -77.936,166.26588 -77.936,166.23162 -77.936,166.19736 -77.936,166.1631 -77.936,166.1631 -77.93247,166.1631 -77.92894,166.1631 -77.92541,166.1631 -77.92188,166.1631 -77.91835,166.1631 -77.91482,166.1631 -77.91129,166.1631 -77.90776,166.1631 -77.90423,166.1631 -77.9007))", "dataset_titles": "McMurdo Ice Shelf AWS data; McMurdo Ice Shelf GPS survey of vertical motion; Supraglacial Lake Depths on McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica; Time-lapse video of McMurdo Ice Shelf surface melting and hydrology", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601107", "doi": "10.15784/601107", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; GPS; Ice Flow Velocity; Ice Shelf; Ice-Shelf Flexure; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Surface Melt", "people": "MacAyeal, Douglas; Banwell, Alison", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "McMurdo Ice Shelf GPS survey of vertical motion", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601107"}, {"dataset_uid": "601116", "doi": "10.15784/601116", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Shelf; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Subglacial And Supraglacial Water Depth; Supraglacial Lake; Supraglacial Meltwater; Water Depth", "people": "MacAyeal, Douglas; Banwell, Alison", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Supraglacial Lake Depths on McMurdo Ice Shelf, Antarctica", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601116"}, {"dataset_uid": "601106", "doi": "10.15784/601106", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Hydrology; Ice Shelf; Snow/ice; Snow/Ice; Surface Hydrology; Surface Mass Balance; Weather Station Data", "people": "MacAyeal, Douglas; Banwell, Alison", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "McMurdo Ice Shelf AWS data", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601106"}, {"dataset_uid": "601113", "doi": "10.15784/601113", "keywords": "Antarctica; Glaciers/ice Sheet; Glaciers/Ice Sheet; Glaciology; Ice Shelf; Photo/video; Photo/Video; Supraglacial Meltwater", "people": "Banwell, Alison; MacAyeal, Douglas", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Time-lapse video of McMurdo Ice Shelf surface melting and hydrology", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601113"}], "date_created": "Tue, 24 Jul 2018 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Meltwater lakes that sit on top of Antarctica\u0027s floating ice shelves have likely contributed to the dramatic changes seen in Antarctica\u0027s glacial ice cover over the past two decades. In 2002, the 1,600-square-kilometer Larsen B Ice Shelf located on the Eastern side of the Antarctic Peninsula, for example, broke into thousands of small icebergs, which subsequently floated away as a result of the formation of more than 2,000 meltwater lakes on its surface over the prior decade. Our research project addresses the reasons why surface lakes form on Antarctic ice shelves and how these surface lakes subsequently contribute to the forces that may contribute to ice-shelf breakup like that of the Larsen B. Our project focuses primarily on making precise global positioning system (GPS) measurements of ice-shelf bending in response to the filling and draining of a surface lake on the McMurdo Ice Shelf. The observed vertical displacements (on the order of tens of centimeters) in response to lake filling will be used to calibrate and test computer simulation models that predict the response of ice shelves to surface lakes more generally and in a variety of future climate conditions. Our project will make hourly measurements of both vertical ice-shelf movements (using GPS surveying instruments) and of temperature and sunlight conditions (that drive melting) around a surface lake located close to the McMurdo Station airfield. Following this initial data-gathering effort, computer simulations and other more theoretical analysis will be undertaken to determine the suitability of the chosen McMurdo Ice Shelf surface lake as a field-laboratory for continued study. Ultimately, the research will contribute to understanding of the glaciological processes that link climate change to rising sea level. A successful outcome of the research will allow glaciologists to better assess the processes that promote or erode the influence Antarctic ice shelves have in controlling the transfer of ice from the interior of Antarctica into the ocean. The project will undertake two outreach activities: (1) web-posting of a field-activity journal and (2) establishing an open-access glaciological teaching and outreach web-sharing site for the International Glaciological Society. The proposed project seeks to experimentally verify a theory of ice-shelf instability proposed to explain the explosive break-up of Larsen B Ice Shelf in 2002. This theory holds that the filling and draining of supraglacial lakes on floating ice shelves induces sufficient flexure stress within the ice to (a) induce upward/downward propagating fractures originating at the base/surface of the ice shelf that (b) dissect the ice shelf into fragments that tend to have widths less than about half the ice thickness. The significance of narrow widths is that they promote capsize of the ice-shelf fragments during the break-up process. This capsize releases large amounts of gravitational potential energy (comparable to thousands of kilotons of TNT for the Larsen B Ice Shelf) thereby promoting explosiveness of the Larsen B event. The observational motivation for experimentally verifying the surface-lake mechanism for ice-shelf breakup is based on the fact that \u003e2,000 surface lakes developed on the Larsen B Ice Shelf in the decade prior to its break up, and that these lakes were observed (via satellite imagery) to drain in a coordinated fashion during the day prior to the initiation of the break up. The field-observation component of the project will focus on a supraglacial lake on the McMurdo Ice Shelf where there is persistent summer season surface melting. The lake will be studied during a single provisional field season to determine whether grooming of surrounding surface streams and shorelines with heavy construction equipment will allow surface water to be manually encouraged to fill the lake. If successfully encouraged to develop, the McMurdo Ice Shelf surface lake will allow measurements of key ice-shelf flexure and stress variables needed to develop the theory of ice-shelf surface lakes without having to access the much more logistically demanding surface lakes of ice-shelves located elsewhere in Antarctica. Data to be gathered during the 6-week provisional field season include: energy- and water-balance parameters determining how the surface lake grows and fills, and various global positioning system measurements of the vertical bending of the ice sheet in response to the changing meltwater load contained within the surface lake. These data will be used to (1) constrain a computer model of viscoelastic flexure and possible fracture of the ice shelf in response to the increasing load of meltwater in the lake, and (2) determine whether continued study of the incipient surface-meltwater lake features on the McMurdo Ice Shelf provides a promising avenue for constraining the more-general behavior of surface meltwater lakes on other ice shelves located in warmer parts of Antarctica. Computer models constrained by the observational data obtained from the field project will inform energy- and water-balance models of ice shelves in general, and allow more accurate forecasts of changing ice-shelf conditions surrounding the inland ice of Antarctica. The project will create the first-ever ground-based observations useful for spawning the development of models capable of predicting viscoelastic and fracture behavior of ice shelves in response to supraglacial lake evolution, including slow changes due to energy balance effects, as well as fast changes due to filling and draining.", "east": 166.5057, "geometry": "POINT(166.3344 -77.91835)", "instruments": "IN SITU/LABORATORY INSTRUMENTS \u003e RECORDERS/LOGGERS \u003e AWS", "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; AWOS", "locations": null, "north": -77.9007, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Glaciology", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "MacAyeal, Douglas", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e PERMANENT LAND SITES \u003e AWOS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -77.936, "title": "Impact of Supraglacial Lakes on Ice-Shelf Stability", "uid": "p0000138", "west": 166.1631}]

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