scholarly journals Using ground-penetrating radar to image previous years’ summer surfaces for mass-balance measurements

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Kohler ◽  
John Moore ◽  
Mike Kennett ◽  
Rune Engeset ◽  
Hallgeir Elvehøy
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Properties ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Winter Snow ◽  
Depth Scale ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Previous Summer

In traditional mass-balance measurements one estimates winter snow accumulation by identifying the depth to the previous summer’s snow or ice surface using a snow probe. This is labor-intensive and unreliable for inhomogeneous summer surfaces. Another method is to image internal reflection horizons using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which has advantages in speed and areal coverage over traditional probing. However, to obtain quantitative mass-balance measurements from GPR images one needs to convert the time scale to a depth scale, not a straightforward problem. We compare a GPR section with dielectric profiles and visual stratigraphy of three snow cores, manual probings, and previous mass-balance measurements. We relate changes in snow-core dielectric properties to changes in density and to the travel times of reflecting horizons in the GPR section, and correlate some of these reflecting horizons with previous summer surfaces. We conclude that GPR can be used as a complementary tool in mass-balance measurements, giving a wide areal survey of winter accumulation and net balance for preceding years. However, proper calibration is essential for identifying specific surfaces in the radar data.

scholarly journals Using ground-penetrating radar to image previous years’ summer surfaces for mass-balance measurements

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 355-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Kohler ◽  
John Moore ◽  
Mike Kennett ◽  
Rune Engeset ◽  
Hallgeir Elvehøy
Keyword(s):  
Dielectric Properties ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Winter Snow ◽  
Depth Scale ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Previous Summer

In traditional mass-balance measurements one estimates winter snow accumulation by identifying the depth to the previous summer’s snow or ice surface using a snow probe. This is labor-intensive and unreliable for inhomogeneous summer surfaces. Another method is to image internal reflection horizons using a ground-penetrating radar (GPR), which has advantages in speed and areal coverage over traditional probing. However, to obtain quantitative mass-balance measurements from GPR images one needs to convert the time scale to a depth scale, not a straightforward problem. We compare a GPR section with dielectric profiles and visual stratigraphy of three snow cores, manual probings, and previous mass-balance measurements. We relate changes in snow-core dielectric properties to changes in density and to the travel times of reflecting horizons in the GPR section, and correlate some of these reflecting horizons with previous summer surfaces. We conclude that GPR can be used as a complementary tool in mass-balance measurements, giving a wide areal survey of winter accumulation and net balance for preceding years. However, proper calibration is essential for identifying specific surfaces in the radar data.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of historical surface mass balance, 1984–2017 from GreenTrACS multi-offset ground-penetrating radar

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Tate G. Meehan ◽  
H. P. Marshall ◽  
John H. Bradford ◽  
Robert L. Hawley ◽  
Thomas B. Overly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
Snow Density ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Age Model ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract We present continuous estimates of snow and firn density, layer depth and accumulation from a multi-channel, multi-offset, ground-penetrating radar traverse. Our method uses the electromagnetic velocity, estimated from waveform travel-times measured at common-midpoints between sources and receivers. Previously, common-midpoint radar experiments on ice sheets have been limited to point observations. We completed radar velocity analysis in the upper ~2 m to estimate the surface and average snow density of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We parameterized the Herron and Langway (1980) firn density and age model using the radar-derived snow density, radar-derived surface mass balance (2015–2017) and reanalysis-derived temperature data. We applied structure-oriented filtering to the radar image along constant age horizons and increased the depth at which horizons could be reliably interpreted. We reconstructed the historical instantaneous surface mass balance, which we averaged into annual and multidecadal products along a 78 km traverse for the period 1984–2017. We found good agreement between our physically constrained parameterization and a firn core collected from the dry snow accumulation zone, and gained insights into the spatial correlation of surface snow density.

scholarly journals Interannual snow accumulation variability on glaciers derived from repeat, spatially extensive ground-penetrating radar surveys

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3617-3633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel McGrath ◽  
Louis Sass ◽  
Shad O'Neel ◽  
Chris McNeil ◽  
Salvatore G. Candela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Average Difference ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Small Component ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract. There is significant uncertainty regarding the spatiotemporal distribution of seasonal snow on glaciers, despite being a fundamental component of glacier mass balance. To address this knowledge gap, we collected repeat, spatially extensive high-frequency ground-penetrating radar (GPR) observations on two glaciers in Alaska during the spring of 5 consecutive years. GPR measurements showed steep snow water equivalent (SWE) elevation gradients at both sites; continental Gulkana Glacier's SWE gradient averaged 115 mm 100 m−1 and maritime Wolverine Glacier's gradient averaged 440 mm 100 m−1 (over > 1000 m). We extrapolated GPR point observations across the glacier surface using terrain parameters derived from digital elevation models as predictor variables in two statistical models (stepwise multivariable linear regression and regression trees). Elevation and proxies for wind redistribution had the greatest explanatory power, and exhibited relatively time-constant coefficients over the study period. Both statistical models yielded comparable estimates of glacier-wide average SWE (1 % average difference at Gulkana, 4 % average difference at Wolverine), although the spatial distributions produced by the models diverged in unsampled regions of the glacier, particularly at Wolverine. In total, six different methods for estimating the glacier-wide winter balance average agreed within ±11 %. We assessed interannual variability in the spatial pattern of snow accumulation predicted by the statistical models using two quantitative metrics. Both glaciers exhibited a high degree of temporal stability, with ∼85 % of the glacier area experiencing less than 25 % normalized absolute variability over this 5-year interval. We found SWE at a sparse network (3 stakes per glacier) of long-term glaciological stake sites to be highly correlated with the GPR-derived glacier-wide average. We estimate that interannual variability in the spatial pattern of winter SWE accumulation is only a small component (4 %–10 % of glacier-wide average) of the total mass balance uncertainty and thus, our findings support the concept that sparse stake networks effectively measure interannual variability in winter balance on glaciers, rather than some temporally varying spatial pattern of snow accumulation.

scholarly journals Interannual snow accumulation variability on glaciers derived from repeat, spatially extensive ground-penetrating radar surveys

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel McGrath ◽  
Louis Sass ◽  
Shad O'Neel ◽  
Chris McNeil ◽  
Salvatore G. Candela ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Average Difference ◽  
Elevation Gradients ◽  
Small Component ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract. There is significant uncertainty regarding the spatiotemporal distribution of seasonal snow on glaciers, despite being a fundamental component of glacier mass balance. To address this knowledge gap, we collected repeat, spatially extensive high-frequency ground-penetrating radar (GPR) observations on two glaciers in Alaska for five consecutive years. GPR measurements showed steep snow water equivalent (SWE) elevation gradients at both sites; continental Gulkana Glacier’s SWE gradient averaged 115 mm 100 m−1 and maritime Wolverine Glacier’s gradient averaged 440 mm 100 m−1 (over >1000 m). We extrapolated GPR point observations across the glacier surface using terrain parameters derived from digital elevation models as predictor variables in two statistical models (stepwise multivariable linear regression and regression trees). Elevation and proxies for wind redistribution had the greatest explanatory power, and exhibited relatively time-constant coefficients over the study period. Both statistical models yielded comparable estimates of glacier-wide average SWE (1 % average difference at Gulkana, 4 % average difference at Wolverine), although the spatial distributions produced by the models diverged in unsampled regions of the glacier, particularly at Wolverine. In total, six different methods for estimating the glacier-wide average agreed within ±11 %. We assessed interannual variability in the spatial pattern of snow accumulation predicted by the statistical models using two quantitative metrics. Both glaciers exhibited a high degree of temporal stability, with ~ 85 % of the glacier area experiencing less than 25 % normalized absolute variability over this five-year interval. We found SWE at a sparse network (3 stakes per glacier) of long-term glaciological stake sites to be highly correlated with the GPR-derived glacier-wide average. We estimate that interannual variability in the spatial pattern of SWE is only a small component (4–10 % of glacier-wide average) of the total mass balance uncertainty and thus, our findings support the concept that sparse stake networks effectively measure interannual variability in winter balance on glaciers, rather than some spatially varying pattern of snow accumulation.

scholarly journals Unlocking annual firn layer water equivalents from ground-penetrating radar data on an Alpine glacier

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 1075-1087 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Sold ◽  
M. Huss ◽  
A. Eichler ◽  
M. Schwikowski ◽  
M. Hoelzle
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Glacier Mass Balance ◽  
Accumulation Rates ◽  
Alpine Glacier ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. The spatial representation of accumulation measurements is a major limitation for current glacier mass balance monitoring approaches. Here, we present a method for estimating annual accumulation rates on a temperate Alpine glacier based on the interpretation of internal reflection horizons (IRHs) in helicopter-borne ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data. For each individual GPR measurement, the signal travel time is combined with a simple model for firn densification and refreezing of meltwater. The model is calibrated at locations where GPR repeat measurements are available in two subsequent years and the densification can be tracked over time. Two 10.5 m long firn cores provide a reference for the density and chronology of firn layers. Thereby, IRHs correspond to density maxima, but not exclusively to former summer glacier surfaces. Along GPR profile sections from across the accumulation area we obtain the water equivalent (w.e.) of several annual firn layers. Because deeper IRHs could be tracked over shorter distances, the total length of analysed profile sections varies from 7.3 km for the uppermost accumulation layer (2011) to 0.1 km for the deepest (i.e. oldest) layer (2006). According to model results, refreezing accounts for 10% of the density increase over time and depth, and for 2% of the water equivalent. The strongest limitation to our method is the dependence on layer chronology assumptions. We show that GPR can be used not only to complement existing mass balance monitoring programmes on temperate glaciers but also to retrospectively extend newly initiated time series.

scholarly journals Volume and velocity changes at Mittivakkat Gletscher, southeast Greenland

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (216) ◽  
pp. 660-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian H. Mernild ◽  
Niels T. Knudsen ◽  
Matthew J. Hoffman ◽  
Jacob C. Yde ◽  
Edward Hanna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Peak Velocity ◽  
Dynamic Effect ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Winter Snow ◽  
Summer Warming ◽  
Velocity Changes

AbstractWe document changes for Mittivakkat Gletscher, the peripheral glacier in Greenland with the longest field-based observed mass-balance and surface velocity time series. Between 1986 and 2011, this glacier changed by −15% in mean ice thickness and −30% in volume. We attribute these changes to summer warming and lower winter snow accumulation. Vertical strain compensated for ∼60% of the elevation change due to surface mass balance (SMB) in the lower part, and ∼25% in the upper part. The annual mean ice surface velocity changed by −30%, which can be fully explained by the dynamic effect of ice thinning, within uncertainty. Mittivakkat Gletscher summer surface velocities were on average 50–60% above winter background values, and up to 160% higher during peak velocity events. Peak velocity events were accompanied by uplift of a few centimeters.

scholarly journals Characteristics and small-scale variability of GPR signals and their relation to snow accumulation in Greenland’s percolation zone

2008 ◽  
Vol 54 (185) ◽  
pp. 333-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorben Dunse ◽  
Olaf Eisen ◽  
Veit Helm ◽  
Wolfgang Rack ◽  
Daniel Steinhage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Snowpack Properties ◽  
A Site ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Percolation Zone ◽  
Bounded Sequences

AbstractWe investigate snowpack properties at a site in west-central Greenland with ground-penetrating radar (GPR), supplemented by stratigraphic records from snow pits and shallow firn cores. GPR data were collected at a validation test site for CryoSat (T05 on the Expéditions Glaciologiques Internationales au Groenland (EGIG) line) over a 100 m × 100 m grid and along 1 km sections at frequencies of 500 and 800 MHz. Several internal reflection horizons (IRHs) down to a depth of 10 m were tracked. IRHs are usually related to ice-layer clusters in vertically bounded sequences that obtain their initial characteristics near the surface during the melt season. Warm conditions in the following melt season can change these characteristics by percolating meltwater. In cold conditions, smaller melt volumes at the surface can lead to faint IRHs. The absence of simple mechanisms for internal layer origin emphasizes the need for independent dating to reliably interpret remotely sensed radar data. Our GPR-derived depth of the 2003 summer surface of 1.48 m (measured in 2004) is confirmed by snow-pit observations. The distribution of IRH depths on a 1 km scale reveals a gradient of increasing accumulation to the northeast of about 5 cm w.e. km−1. We find that point measurements of accumulation in this area are representative only over several hundred metres, with uncertainties of about 15% of the spatial mean.

scholarly journals Post−surge geometry and thermal structure of Hørbyebreen, central Spitsbergen

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Małecki ◽  
Samuel Faucherre ◽  
Mateusz C. Strzelecki
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Considerable Increase ◽  
Thermal Structure ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Negative Mass ◽  
Contour Lines ◽  
Digital Elevation ◽  
Geodetic Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract Hørbyebreen surged in the 19th or early 20th century, as suggested by geomorphological evidences and looped medial moraines. In this study, we investigate its wide−spread geometry changes and geodetic mass balance with 1960 contour lines, 1990 and 2009 digital elevation models, in order to define the present−day state of the glacier. We also study its thermal structure from ground−penetrating radar data. Little is known about the glacier behaviour in the first part of the 20th century, but from its surge maximum until 1960 it has been retreating and losing its area. In the period 1960-1990, fast frontal thinning (2-3ma−1) and a slow mass build−up in the higher zones (~0.15 m a−1) have been noted, resulting in generally negative mass balance (−0.40 ± 0.07 m w. eq. a−1). In the last studied period 1990-2009, the glacier showed an acceleration of mass loss (−0.64 m ± 0.07 w. eq. a−1) and no build−up was observed anymore. We conclude that Hørbyebreen system under present climate will not surge anymore and relate this behaviour to a considerable increase in summer temperature on Svalbard after 1990. Radar soundings indicate that the studied glacial system is polythermal, with temperate ice below 100-130 m depth. It has therefore not (or not yet) switched to cold−bedded, as has been suggested in previous works for some small Svalbard surge−type glaciers in a negative mass balance mode.

scholarly journals An 860 km surface mass-balance profile on the East Antarctic plateau derived by GPR

2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (55) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Müller ◽  
Anna Sinisalo ◽  
Helgard Anschütz ◽  
Svein-Erik Hamran ◽  
Jon-Ove Hagen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Surface Mass Balance ◽  
International Polar Year ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Antarctic Plateau ◽  
International Polar ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractSnow accumulation and its variability on the East Antarctic plateau are poorly understood due to sparse and regionally confined measurements. We present a 5.3 GHz (C-band) ground-penetrating radar (GPR) profile with a total length of 860 km recovered during the joint Norwegian–US International Polar Year traverse 2007/08. Mean surface mass balance (SMB) over the last 200 years was derived from the GPR data by identifying the volcanic deposition of the Tambora eruption in 1815. It varies between 9.1 and 37.7 kg m−2 a−1 over the profile, with a mean of 23.7 kg m−2 a−1 and a standard deviation of 4.7 kg m−2 a−1. The 200 year SMB estimated is significantly lower than most of the SMB estimates over shorter time periods in this region. This can be partly explained by a SMB minimum in the vicinity of the ice divide. However, it is more likely that a recent increase in SMB observed by several studies is largely responsible for the observed discrepancy.

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