scholarly journals The potential of InSAR for assessing meltwater lake dynamics on Antarctic ice shelves

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiran Li ◽  
Stef Lhermitte ◽  
Paco López-Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Backscatter Intensity ◽  
Frozen State ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Lake Drainage ◽  
Fringe Patterns ◽  
Lake Dynamics

Abstract. Surface meltwater drains on several Antarctic ice shelves, resulting in surface and sub-surface lakes that are potentially critical for the ice shelf collapse. Yet, our understanding and assessment of the drainage or refreezing of these lakes is limited, mainly due to lack of field observations and to the limitations of optical satellite imagery. Therefore, this paper explores the potential of backscatter intensity and of interferometric coherence and phase from C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery as an alternative to assess the dynamics of meltwater lakes. In two case studies over Amery and Roi Baudouin ice shelves, we analyse i) the spatial and ii) the temporal variations of SAR backscatter intensity with iii) coherence and iv) interferogram phase (InSAR) patterns detected by Sentinel-1 data over multiple meltwater lakes. Throughout the year the lakes are observed in completely frozen state, in partially frozen state with a floating ice lid, and as open water lakes. The analysis reveals that the meltwater lake delineation is challenging during the melting period when the contrast between melting snow and lakes is confounded. On the other hand, it shows that the lake dynamics can be effectively captured during the refreezing process and the winter season by combining backscatter and InSAR information. In particular, the InSAR coherence and interferogram phase information are deemed essential throughout this whole period to distinguish between refrozen ice and subsurface meltwater. Additionally, the results provide significant evidence on the potential of the interferogram fringe patterns to detect and characterise instant events, such as lake drainage events over ice shelves. The potential of this technique to monitor these meltwater change events is however strongly determined by the satellite revisit interval and potential changes in scattering properties due to snowfall or melt events.

scholarly journals The potential of synthetic aperture radar interferometry for assessing meltwater lake dynamics on Antarctic ice shelves

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 5309-5322
Author(s):  
Weiran Li ◽  
Stef Lhermitte ◽  
Paco López-Dekker
Keyword(s):  
Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Synthetic Aperture ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Backscatter Intensity ◽  
Frozen State ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Lake Dynamics ◽  
Aperture Radar

Abstract. Surface meltwater drains on several Antarctic ice shelves, resulting in surface and sub-surface lakes that are potentially critical for the ice shelf collapse. Despite these phenomena, our understanding and assessment of the drainage and refreezing of these lakes is limited, mainly due to lack of field observations and to the limitations of optical satellite imagery during polar night and in cloudy conditions. This paper explores the potential of backscatter intensity and of interferometric coherence and phase from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery as an alternative to assess the dynamics of meltwater lakes. In four case study regions over Amery and Roi Baudouin ice shelves, East Antarctica, we examine spatial and temporal variations in SAR backscatter intensity and interferometric (InSAR) coherence and phase over several lakes derived from Sentinel-1A/B C-band SAR imagery. Throughout the year, the lakes are observed in a completely frozen state, in a partially frozen state with a floating ice lid and as open-water lakes. Our analysis reveals that the meltwater lake delineation is challenging during the melting period when the contrast between melting snow and lakes is indistinguishable. Despite this finding, we show using a combination of backscatter and InSAR observations that lake dynamics can be effectively captured during other non-summertime months. Moreover, our findings highlight the utility of InSAR-based observations for discriminating between refrozen ice and sub-surface meltwater and indicate the potential for phase-based detection and monitoring of rapid meltwater drainage events. The potential of this technique to monitor these meltwater change events is, however, strongly determined by the satellite revisit interval and potential changes in scattering properties due to snowfall or melt events.

scholarly journals Winter drainage of surface lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet from Sentinel-1 SAR imagery

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1587-1606
Author(s):  
Corinne L. Benedek ◽  
Ian C. Willis
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Shape From Shading ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Flow Acceleration ◽  
Optical Imagery ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Lake Drainage

Abstract. Surface lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet play a key role in its surface mass balance, hydrology and biogeochemistry. They often drain rapidly in the summer via hydrofracture, which delivers lake water to the ice sheet base over timescales of hours to days and then can allow meltwater to reach the base for the rest of the summer. Rapid lake drainage, therefore, influences subglacial drainage evolution; water pressures; ice flow; biogeochemical activity; and ultimately the delivery of water, sediments and nutrients to the ocean. It has generally been assumed that rapid lake drainage events are confined to the summer, as this is typically when observations are made using satellite optical imagery. Here we develop a method to quantify backscatter changes in satellite radar imagery, which we use to document the drainage of six different lakes during three winters (2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17) in fast-flowing parts of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Analysis of optical imagery from before and after the three winters supports the radar-based evidence for winter lake drainage events and also provides estimates of lake drainage volumes, which range between 0.000046 ± 0.000017 and 0.0200 ± 0.002817 km3. For three of the events, optical imagery allows repeat photoclinometry (shape from shading) calculations to be made showing mean vertical collapse of the lake surfaces ranging between 1.21 ± 1.61 and 7.25 ± 1.61 m and drainage volumes of 0.002 ± 0.002968 to 0.044 ± 0.009858 km3. For one of these three, time-stamped ArcticDEM strips allow for DEM differencing, which demonstrates a mean collapse depth of 2.17 ± 0.28 m across the lake area. The findings show that lake drainage can occur in the winter in the absence of active surface melt and notable ice flow acceleration, which may have important implications for subglacial hydrology and biogeochemical processes.

scholarly journals Study on Fish Ecology of the Seti Gandaki River Pokhara: II. Spatio-Temporal Variations in Fish Communities

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 350-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
KK Pokharel
Keyword(s):  
Winter Season ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Urban Site ◽  
Total Density ◽  
Brachydanio Rerio ◽  
Upstream Site ◽  
Longitudinal Pattern ◽  
Total Fish ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Pokhara Valley

Present paper deals with the spatio-temporal variations in distribution and abundance of fishes along the 30 km stretch of the Seti Gandaki river and its two major tributaries, Mardi Khola and Vijaypur Khola, in Pokhara Valley, Western Nepal. A total of 30 species of fishes belonging to 5 orders, 9 families and 22 genera were recorded from five sites on the river and its tributaries. Cyprinoids were predominant among fishes (17 spp.), siluroids (5 spp.), balitorids and cobitids (4 spp.), channioids (2 spp.), belonoids (one sp.) and mastacembeloids (one sp.). Among cyprinoids, mostly cyprinines were dominant groups (7 spp.) followed by rasborines (7 spp.), garrines (2 spp.) and schizothoracines (one sp.). There was increasing trend of species richness at upstream site (17 spp.). to downstream site (20 spp.) showing a longitudinal pattern. The total fish abundance and family-wise abundance at all the sites observed major peak during the spring and fall during the winter season in both the years of study. The average total density of fishes during the spring peak was highest (51.07/ha) at the upper tributary site and lowest (24.69/ha) at the urban site. According to the distribution pattern and abundance, the population status of the gamefish, mahseer [Tor tor (Ham)] has been endangered (E); that of game fishes [Tor putitora (Ham.) and Chagunius chagunio (Ham.)] and Zebra-fish [Brachydanio rerio (Ham.)] to are vulnerable (V); that of loach [Lepidocephalus guntea (Ham.)], cat-fishes [Myersglanis blythii (Day) and Amblyceps mangois (Ham.)] are rare (R).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njst.v12i0.6523 Nepal Journal of Science and Technology 12 (2011) 350-357

Holocene and pre-Holocene temporary disappearance of the George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2001 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Hjort ◽  
M.J. Bentley ◽  
Ó. Ingólfsson
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Radiocarbon Dating ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Present Evidence ◽  
Ice Shelves

We present evidence for the absence of the George VI Ice Shelf during a brief period in the mid-Holocene and during one or more earlier interstadials or interglacials. Barnacle Bathylasma corolliforme shells sampled from ice shelf moraines at Two Step Cliffs on Alexander Island have been dated to c, 5750–6000 14C yr BP(c. 6550–6850 cal yr BP) and imply seasonally open water in the George VI Sound during this period. Other shells are beyond the range of radiocarbon dating and imply open water during one or more previous interglacial or interstadial period, prior to 40 000 14C yr BP. Our results show that the ongoing collapse of some Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves is not unprecedented.

Complex life under the McMurdo Ice Shelf, and some speculations on food webs

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stacy Kim
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Benthic Community ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Fine Sediment ◽  
Soft Corals ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Technological Limitations ◽  
Hard Substrates

AbstractHabitats under ice shelves are minimally explored, primarily because of technological limitations. These areas are separated from photosynthetic primary productivity by thick ice and distance to open water. Nevertheless, a diverse macrofaunal benthic community was discovered at 188 m depth, 80 km back from the edge of the McMurdo Ice Shelf. The general habitat was fine sediment with occasional dropstones, and dominant taxa were polychaetes and brittle stars, with alcyonacean soft corals and anemones on hard substrates. Gelatinous animals were abundant near the seafloor, and possibly part of a food web that supports the benthic community.

Early detection of the Weddell polynya re-opening using SAR imagery

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriano Lemos ◽  
Céline Heuzé
Keyword(s):  
Early Detection ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Sar Images ◽  
Sea Ice Thickness ◽  
Sar Imagery ◽  
Microwave Sensors

<p>The sea ice thickness in the Weddell Sea during the austral winter normally exceeds 1 m, but in the case of a polynya, this thickness decreases to 10 cm or less. There are two theories as to why the Weddell Polynya opens: 1) comparatively warm oceanic water upwelling from its nominal depth of several hundred metres to the surface where it melts the sea ice from underneath; or 2) opening of a lead by a passing storm, lead which will then be maintained open either by the atmosphere or ocean and grow. The objective of this study is to estimate how long in advance the recent Weddell Polynya opening could have been detected by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images due to the decrease of the sea ice thickness and/or early appearance of leads. We use high temporal and spatial resolution SAR images from the Sentinel-1 constellation (C-band) and ALOS2 (L-band) during the austral winters 2014-2018. We use an adapted version of the algorithm developed by Aldenhoff et al. (2018) to monitor changes in sea ice thickness over the polynya region. The algorithm detects the transition of the sea ice thickness through changes in small scale surface roughness and thus reduced backscatter, and allowing us to distinguish three different categories: ice, thin ice, and open water. The transition from ice to thin ice and then to open water indicates that the polynya is melted from under, whereas a direct transition from ice to open water will reveal leads. The high resolution and good coverage of the SAR imagery, and a combined effort of different satellites sensors (e.g. infrared and microwave sensors), opens the possibility of an early detection of Weddell Polynya opening.</p>

scholarly journals Modelled present and future thaw lake area expansion/contraction trends throughout the continuous permafrost zone

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 3603-3627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Mi ◽  
J. van Huissteden ◽  
A. J. Dolman
Keyword(s):  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Ground Subsidence ◽  
Permafrost Degradation ◽  
Lake Area ◽  
Dominant Feature ◽  
Lake Drainage ◽  
Area Expansion ◽  
Thaw Lakes ◽  
Lake Dynamics ◽  
Lake Basins

Abstract. Thaw lakes and drained lake basins are a dominant feature of Arctic lowlands. Thaw lakes are a source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4), which is produced under anaerobic conditions, while drained lake basins are carbon sinks due to sedimentation. Besides feedbacks on climate, the development of thaw lakes due to the melt-out of ground ice and subsequent ground subsidence, can have significant impacts on the regional morphology, hydrology, geophysics and biogehemistry. Permafrost degradation as a result of climate warming, which is proceeding considerably faster in high latitude regions than the global average, could lead to either an increases in lake area due to lake expansion, or decrease due to lake drainage. However, which process will dominate is elusive. Therefore understanding thaw lake dynamics and quantifying the feedbacks related to thaw lake expansion and contraction are urgent questions to solve. We apply a stochastic model, THAWLAKE, on four representative Arctic sites, to reproduce recent lake dynamics (1963–2012) and predict for the future changes under various anticipated climate scenarios. The model simulations of current thaw lake cycles and expansion rates are comparable with data. Future lake expansions are limited by lake drainage. We suggest further improvements in the area of enhancing the hydrology component, and operation on larger scales to gauge the impacts on lacustrine morphology and greenhouse gas emissions.

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