Articles | Volume 12, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-215-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-12-215-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
22 Sep 2023
| 22 Sep 2023
New proglacial meteorology and river stage observations from Inglefield Land and Pituffik, NW Greenland
Sarah E. Esenther
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS), Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), Brown
University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Laurence C. Smith
Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS), Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), Brown
University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Adam LeWinter
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
Lincoln H. Pitcher
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado (CU) Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
Brandon T. Overstreet
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, 1000 E. University Avenue, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
Aaron Kehl
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cold Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
Cuyler Onclin
independent researcher: Saskatoon, SK S7J2S1, Canada
Seth Goldstein
Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES), Brown
University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Jonathan C. Ryan
Department of Geography, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97401,
USA
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Michela Savignano, Alison F. Banwell, Waleed Abdalati, Robin E. Bell, Alexandra Boghosian, W. Roger Buck, Sarah E. Esenther, Emily Glazer, Adam L. LeWinter, Laurence C. Smith, and Leigh A. Stearns
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Supraglacial rivers carry meltwater across ice shelves, limiting ponding. However, if a river channel deepens below sea level, ocean water can flow back into it and form an ice-shelf estuary, trapping water on the ice shelf and increasing stresses that may weaken the ice. Using high-resolution satellite imagery and elevation data, we develop a new way to measure how quickly these rivers deepen, which we use to show that estuaries form seasonally, changing how meltwater drains from the ice shelf.
Michela Savignano, Alison F. Banwell, Waleed Abdalati, Robin E. Bell, Alexandra Boghosian, W. Roger Buck, Sarah E. Esenther, Emily Glazer, Adam L. LeWinter, Laurence C. Smith, and Leigh A. Stearns
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Supraglacial rivers carry meltwater across ice shelves, limiting ponding. However, if a river channel deepens below sea level, ocean water can flow back into it and form an ice-shelf estuary, trapping water on the ice shelf and increasing stresses that may weaken the ice. Using high-resolution satellite imagery and elevation data, we develop a new way to measure how quickly these rivers deepen, which we use to show that estuaries form seasonally, changing how meltwater drains from the ice shelf.
Derek J. Pickell, Robert L. Hawley, and Adam LeWinter
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We use a low-cost, low-power GNSS network to measure surface accumulation in Greenland's interior using the interferometric reflectometry technique. Additionally, we extend this method to also estimate centimeter- to meter-scale surface roughness. Our results closely align with a validation record and highlight a period of unusually high accumulation from late 2022 to 2023, along with seasonal variations in surface roughness.
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As the climate warms, glaciers in the Himalayas are melting and retreating, creating new lakes that are often held back by ice or loose rock. These lakes can suddenly burst, causing devastating floods. On August 16, 2024, such a flood occurred unexpectedly in Nepal's Bhotekoshi River Valley, near Mount Everest. We highlight how modern technologies can play a crucial role in detecting potential dangers and helping communities prepare for risks in a changing climate.
Rohi Muthyala, Åsa K. Rennermalm, Sasha Z. Leidman, Matthew G. Cooper, Sarah W. Cooley, Laurence C. Smith, and Dirk van As
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In situ measurements of meltwater discharge through supraglacial stream networks are rare. The unprecedentedly long record of discharge captures diurnal and seasonal variability. Two major findings are (1) a change in the timing of peak discharge through the melt season that could impact meltwater delivery in the subglacial system and (2) though the primary driver of stream discharge is shortwave radiation, longwave radiation and turbulent heat fluxes play a major role during high-melt episodes.
Edward H. Bair, Jeff Dozier, Charles Stern, Adam LeWinter, Karl Rittger, Alexandria Savagian, Timbo Stillinger, and Robert E. Davis
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Understanding how snow and ice reflect solar radiation (albedo) is important for global climate. Using high-resolution topography, darkening from surface roughness (apparent albedo) is separated from darkening by the composition of the snow (intrinsic albedo). Intrinsic albedo is usually greater than apparent albedo, especially during melt. Such high-resolution topography is often not available; thus the use of a shade component when modeling mixtures is advised.
Colin J. Gleason, Kang Yang, Dongmei Feng, Laurence C. Smith, Kai Liu, Lincoln H. Pitcher, Vena W. Chu, Matthew G. Cooper, Brandon T. Overstreet, Asa K. Rennermalm, and Jonathan C. Ryan
The Cryosphere, 15, 2315–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021, 2021
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We apply first-principle hydrology models designed for global river routing to route flows hourly through 10 000 individual supraglacial channels in Greenland. Our results uniquely show the role of process controls (network density, hillslope flow, channel friction) on routed meltwater. We also confirm earlier suggestions that large channels do not dewater overnight despite the shutdown of runoff and surface mass balance runoff being mistimed and overproducing runoff, as validated in situ.
Matthew G. Cooper, Laurence C. Smith, Asa K. Rennermalm, Marco Tedesco, Rohi Muthyala, Sasha Z. Leidman, Samiah E. Moustafa, and Jessica V. Fayne
The Cryosphere, 15, 1931–1953, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1931-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1931-2021, 2021
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We measured sunlight transmitted into glacier ice to improve models of glacier ice melt and satellite measurements of glacier ice surfaces. We found that very small concentrations of impurities inside the ice increase absorption of sunlight, but the amount was small enough to enable an estimate of ice absorptivity. We confirmed earlier results that the absorption minimum is near 390 nm. We also found that a layer of highly reflective granular "white ice" near the surface reduces transmittance.
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Short summary
Meltwater runoff estimates from the Greenland ice sheet contain uncertainty. To better understand ice sheet hydrology, we installed a weather station and river stage sensors along three proglacial rivers in a cold-bedded area of NW Greenland without firn, crevasse, or moulin influence. The first 3 years (2019–2021) of observations have given us a first look at the seasonal and annual weather and hydrological patterns of this understudied region.
Meltwater runoff estimates from the Greenland ice sheet contain uncertainty. To better...
