scholarly journals Response times of ice-sheet surface heights to changes in the rate of Antarctic firn compaction caused by accumulation and temperature variations

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (230) ◽  
pp. 1037-1047 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Li ◽  
H. Jay Zwally

AbstractVariations in accumulation rate As(t) and temperature Ts(t) at the surface of firn cause changes in the rate of firn compaction (FC) and surface height H(t) that do not involve changes in mass, and therefore need to be accounted for in deriving mass changes from measured H(t). As the effects of changes in As(t) and Ts(t) propagate into the firn, the FC rate is affected with a highly variable and complex response time. The H(t) during measurement periods depend on the history of As(t) and Ts(t) prior to the measurements. Consequently, knowledge of firn response times to climate perturbations is important to estimate the required length of the time series of As(t) and Ts(t) used in FC models. We use our numerical FC model, which is time-dependent on both temperature and accumulation rate, to examine the response times of both H(t) and the rates of change dH(t)/dt to variations in As(t) and Ts(t) using sample perturbations and climate data for selected sites in Antarctica. Our results show that the response times for dH(t)/dt, which are of particular interest, are much shorter than the responses of H(t). Typical response times of dH(t)/dt are from several years to <20 years. The response times are faster in warmer and higher-accumulation areas such as Byrd Station, West Antarctica (4 years), and slower in colder and lower-accumulation areas such as Vostok, East Antarctica (18 years). The response times to temperature are much faster (0.9 year at Byrd and 2.2 years at Vostok), but the corresponding height changes persist much longer. The associated variations in firn density are significantly preserved in the density–depth profiles. For typical fluctuations of surface weather, the Ts(t) from satellite observations since 1982 and As(t) from meteorological data since 1979 are essentially of sufficient length to correct for FC height changes for measurements beginning in 1992.

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marzena Kaczmarska ◽  
Elisabeth Isaksson ◽  
Lars Karlöf ◽  
Ola Brandt ◽  
Jan-Gunnar Winther ◽  
...  

Measurement of light intensity transmission was carried out on an ice core S100 from coastal Dronning Maud Land (DML). Ice lenses were observed in digital pictures of the core and recorded as peaks in the light transmittance record. The frequency of ice layer occurrence was compared with climate proxy data (e.g. oxygen isotopes), annual accumulation rate derived from the same ice core, and available meteorological data from coastal stations in DML. The mean annual frequency of melting events remains constant for the last ∼150 years. However, fewer melting features are visible at depths corresponding to approximately 1890–1930 AD and the number of ice lenses increases again after 1930 AD. Most years during this period have negative summer temperature anomalies and positive annual accumulation anomalies. The increase in melting frequency around ∼1930 AD corresponds to the beginning of a decreasing trend in accumulation and an increasing trend in oxygen isotope record. On annual time scales, a relatively good match exists between ice layer frequencies and mean summer temperatures recorded at nearby meteorological stations (Novolazarevskaya, Sanae, Syowa and Halley) only for some years. There is a poor agreement between melt feature frequencies and oxygen isotope records on longer time scales. Melt layer frequency proved difficult to explain with standard climate data and ice core derived proxies. These results suggest a local character for the melt events and a strong influence of surface topography.


The Holocene ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 651-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Milecka ◽  
Grzegorz Kowalewski ◽  
Barbara Fiałkiewicz-Kozieł ◽  
Mariusz Gałka ◽  
Mariusz Lamentowicz ◽  
...  

Wetlands are very vulnerable ecosystems and sensitive to changes in the ground water table. For the last few thousand years, hydrological balance has also been influenced by human activity. To improve their cropping features, drainage activity and fertilizing were applied. The drainage process led to an abrupt change of environment, the replacement of plant communities and the entire ecosystem. The problem of carbon sequestration is very important nowadays. A higher accumulation rate is related to higher carbon accumulation, but the intensity of carbon sequestration depends on the type of mire, habitat, and climatic zone. The main aim of this article was an examination of the changes in poor-fen ecosystem during the last 200 years in relation to natural and anthropogenic factors, using paleoecological methods (pollen and macrofossils). The second aim was a detailed investigation of the sedimentary record to aid our understanding of carbon sequestration in the poor fen of temperate zone. This case study shows that fens in temperate zones, in comparison with boreal ones, show higher carbon accumulation rates which have been especially intensive over the last few decades. To reconstruct vegetation changes, detailed palynological and macrofossil analyses were done. A 200-year history of the mire revealed that it was influenced by human activity to much degree. However, despite the nearby settlement and building of the drainage ditch, the precious species and plant communities still occur.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan C. Lougheed

Abstract. The systematic bioturbation of single particles (such as foraminifera) within deep-sea sediment archives leads to the apparent smoothing of any temporal signal as record by the downcore, discrete-depth mean signal. This smoothing is the result of the systematic mixing of particles from a wide range of depositional ages into the same discrete depth interval. Previous sediment models that simulate bioturbation have specifically produced an output in the form of a downcore, discrete-depth mean signal. Palaeoceanographers analysing the distribution of single foraminifera specimens from sediment core intervals would be assisted by a model that specifically evaluates the effect of bioturbation upon single specimen populations. Taking advantage of recent increases in computer memory, the single-specimen SEdiment AccuMUlation Simulator (SEAMUS) was created in Matlab, whereby large arrays of single specimens are simulated. This simulation allows researchers to analyse the post-bioturbation age heterogeneity of single specimens contained within discrete-depth sediment core intervals, and how this heterogeneity is influenced by changes in sediment accumulation rate (SAR), bioturbation depth (BD) and species abundance. The simulation also assigns a realistic 14C activity to each specimen, by considering the dynamic Δ14C history of the Earth and temporal changes in reservoir age. This approach allows for the quantification of possible significant artefacts arising when 14C dating multi-specimen samples with heterogeneous 14C activity. Users may also assign additional desired carrier signals to specimens (e.g., stable isotopes, trace elements, temperature, etc.) and consider a second species with an independent abundance. Finally, the model can simulate a virtual palaeoceanographer by randomly picking whole specimens (whereby the user can set the percentage of older, broken specimens) of a prescribed sample size from discrete depths, after which virtual laboratory 14C dating and 14C calibration is carried out within the model.


2021 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. e56026
Author(s):  
Gabriela Leite Neves ◽  
Jorim Sousa das Virgens Filho ◽  
Maysa de Lima Leite ◽  
Frederico Fabio Mauad

Water is an essential natural resource that is being impacted by climate change. Thus, knowledge of future water availability conditions around the globe becomes necessary. Based on that, this study aimed to simulate future climate scenarios and evaluate the impact on water balance in southern Brazil. Daily data of rainfall and air temperature (maximum and minimum) were used. The meteorological data were collected in 28 locations over 30 years (1980-2009). For the data simulation, we used the climate data stochastic generator PGECLIMA_R. It was considered two scenarios of the fifth report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a scenario with the historical data trend. The water balance estimates were performed for the current data and the simulated data, through the methodology of Thornthwaite and Mather (1955). The moisture indexes were spatialized by the kriging method. These indexes were chosen as the parameters to represent the water conditions in different situations. The region assessed presented a high variability in water availability among locations; however, it did not present high water deficiency values, even with climate change. Overall, it was observed a reduction of moisture index in most sites and in all scenarios assessed, especially in the northern region when compared to the other regions. The second scenario of the IPCC (the worst situation) promoting higher reductions and dry conditions for the 2099 year. The impacts of climate change on water availability, identified in this study, can affect the general society, therefore, they must be considered in the planning and management of water resources, especially in the regional context


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mai Winstrup ◽  
Paul Vallelonga ◽  
Helle A. Kjær ◽  
Tyler J. Fudge ◽  
James E. Lee ◽  
...  

Abstract. We present a 2700-year annually resolved timescale for the Roosevelt Island Climate Evolution (RICE) ice core, and reconstruct a past snow accumulation history for the coastal sector of the Ross Ice Shelf in West Antarctica. The timescale was constructed by identifying annual layers in multiple ice-core impurity records, employing both manual and automated counting approaches, and constitutes the top part of the Roosevelt Island Ice Core Chronology 2017 (RICE17). The maritime setting of Roosevelt Island results in high sulfate influx from sea salts and marine biogenic emissions, which prohibits a routine detection of volcanic eruptions in the ice-core records. This led to the use of non-traditional chronological techniques for validating the timescale: RICE was synchronized to the WAIS Divide ice core, on the WD2014 timescale, using volcanic attribution based on direct measurements of ice-core acidity, as well as records of globally-synchronous, centennial-scale variability in atmospheric methane concentrations. The RICE accumulation history suggests stable values of 0.25 m water equivalent (w.e.) per year until around 1260 CE. Uncertainties in the correction for ice flow thinning of annual layers with depth do not allow a firm conclusion about long-term trends in accumulation rates during this early period but from 1260 CE to the present, accumulation rate trends have been consistently negative. The decrease in accumulation rates has been increasingly rapid over the last centuries, with the decrease since 1950 CE being more than 7 times greater than the average over the last 300 years. The current accumulation rate of 0.22 ± 0.06 m w.e. yr−1 (average since 1950 CE, ±1σ) is 1.49 standard deviations (86th percentile) below the mean of 50-year average accumulation rates observed over the last 2700 years.


2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 585-594 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Kaspari ◽  
Paul A. Mayewski ◽  
Daniel A. Dixon ◽  
Vandy Blue Spikes ◽  
Sharon B. Sneed ◽  
...  

AbstractThirteen annually resolved accumulation-rate records covering the last ~200 years from the Pine Island–Thwaites and Ross drainage systems and the South Pole are used to examine climate variability over West Antarctica. Accumulation is controlled spatially by the topography of the ice sheet, and temporally by changes in moisture transport and cyclonic activity. A comparison of mean accumulation since 1970 at each site to the long-term mean indicates an increase in accumulation for sites located in the western sector of the Pine Island–Thwaites drainage system. Accumulation is negatively associated with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) for sites near the ice divide, and periods of sustained negative SOI (1940–42, 1991–95) correspond to above-mean accumulation at most sites. Correlations of the accumulation-rate records with sea-level pressure (SLP) and the SOI suggest that accumulation near the ice divide and in the Ross drainage system may be associated with the mid-latitudes. The post-1970 increase in accumulation coupled with strong SLP–accumulation-rate correlations near the coast suggests recent intensification of cyclonic activity in the Pine Island– Thwaites drainage system.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli ◽  
Andreas Vieli ◽  
Alessandro Cicoira

&lt;p&gt;The genesis of rock glaciers differs fundamentally from &amp;#8216;normal&amp;#8217; glaciers and results in much older landforms that are often reaching ages of several millennia. Recent datings of rock glacier material from boreholes indicate early Holocene ages for rock glaciers and allow the derivation of age-depth profiles at the borehole location. We use here a 2-dimensional numerical modelling approach that calculates age-layers (isochrones) within the rock glacier body and that considers the accretion, melt and flow-advection of rock glacier material. We apply this model to the case of Lazaun rock glacier (Southern &amp;#214;tztal Alps) for which a well dated profile from a borehole exists, with ages at the bottom older than 9000 years (Krainer et al. 2015). With our modelling we are able to reproduce the observed age-depth profiles well and are able to infer a long-term accumulation rate that is around 1 cm/yr which is an order of magnitude higher than a previous estimate that does not account for deformation. The modelling is consistent with the classic rock glacier genesis of material accretion in the upstream talus slope and confirms the dominance of deformation in the shear-zone at the bottom layer of the rock glacier.&lt;br&gt;We conclude that combining age-layer modelling with dated depth-profiles of rock glaciers allows for important new insights into our understanding of rock glacier evolution and dynamics.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;REFERENCES &amp;#160;&lt;br&gt;Krainer, K., Bressan, D., Dietre, B., Haas, J., Hajdas, I., Lang, K. &amp; Tonidandel, D. (2015). A 10,300-year-old permafrost core from the active rock glacier Lazaun, southern Oetztal Alps (South Tyrol, Northern Italy). Quaternary Research, 83 , 324-335.&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammadreza Mohammadi ◽  
John Finnan ◽  
Chris Baker ◽  
Mark Sterling

This paper examines the impact that climate change may have on the lodging of oats in the Republic of Ireland and the UK. Through the consideration of a novel lodging model representing the motion of an oat plant due to the interaction of wind and rain and integrating future predictions of wind and rainfall due to climate change, appropriate conclusions have been made. In order to provide meteorological data for the lodging model, wind and rainfall inputs are analysed using 30 years’ time series corresponding to peak lodging months (June and July) from 38 meteorological stations in the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic, which enables the relevant probability density functions (PDFs) to be established. Moreover, climate data for the next six decades in the British Isles produced by UK climate change projections (UKCP18) are analysed, and future wind and rainfall PDFs are obtained. It is observed that the predicted changes likely to occur during the key growing period (June to July) in the next 30 years are in keeping with variations, which can occur due to different husbandry treatments/plant varieties. In addition, the utility of a double exponential function for representing the rainfall probability has been observed with appropriate values for the constants given.


2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (157) ◽  
pp. 303-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Nereson ◽  
C. F. Raymond

AbstractMeasurements of the surface and internal layer geometry from ice-penetrating radar and global positioning system surveys on three inter-ice-stream ridges in West Antarctica (Siple Dome, ridge DE and ridge BC) are examined with ice-flow models to infer (1) the history of the divide position at each site and (2) the spatial pattern of accumulation across the ridges. We find that the divide position is most steady at Siple Dome, somewhat steady at ridge DE and highly variable at ridge BC. Data from Siple Dome and ridge DE show evidence for steady northward motion of the ice divide for the past few thousand years. The layers beneath ridge BC suggest a 5 km northward shift of the divide position within the past several hundred years. Assuming the divide shifts are all due to changing elevation of the bounding ice streams, we infer the relative elevation history for segments of Ice Streams B–E. The northward displacement of the divide for all ridges implies a progressive relative thinning of the ice streams from E to B, with most dramatic recent thinning (100 m in <103 years) of Ice Stream B relative to Ice Stream C. Analysis of the internal layer pattern across the ridges indicates a south–north accumulation gradient with higher accumulation rates on the northern flanks of the ridges in all three cases. The inferred accumulation distribution is nearly uniform on the northern flanks, decreases sharply within a few ice thicknesses across the divides, and then decreases gradually farther to the south. The north/south decrease is strongest for ridge DE and weakest for ridge BC. This spatial pattern and the reduction in gradient strength with distance from the Amundsen Sea is consistent with the hypothesis that storms from the Amundsen Sea carry moisture first south then west over West Antarctica and deposit more snow on the windward side of ridges due to orographic lifting. This pattern has been stable for at least the past several thousand years.


2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 389-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. R. Samal ◽  
D. C. Pierson ◽  
E. Schneiderman ◽  
Y. Huang ◽  
J. S. Read ◽  
...  

Global Circulation Model values of mean daily air temperature, wind speed and solar radiation for the 2081–2100 period are used to produce change factors that are applied to a 39 year record of local meteorological data to produce future climate scenarios. These climate scenarios are used to drive two separate, but coupled models: the Generalized Watershed Loading Functions-Variable Source Area model in order to simulate reservoir tributary inflows, and a one-dimensional reservoir hydrothermal model used to evaluate changes in reservoir thermal structure in response to changes in meteorological forcing and changes in simulated inflow. Comparisons between simulations based on present-day climate data (baseline conditions) and future simulations (change-factor adjusted baseline conditions) are used to evaluate the development and breakdown of thermal stratification, as well as a number of metrics that describe reservoir thermal structure, stability and mixing. Both epilimnion and hypolimnion water temperatures are projected to increase. Indices of mixing and stability show changes that are consistent with the simulated changes in reservoir thermal structure. Simulations suggest that stratification will begin earlier and the reservoir will exhibit longer and more stable periods of thermal stratification under future climate conditions.


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