Surface and bed topography of Trapridge Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada: digital elevation models and derived hydraulic geometry

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Flowers, Gwenn E., Clarke, Garry K. C.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1999
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Yukon; Canada; Trapridge Glacier; glacier*; Journal of Glaciology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000003142; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000003142

Abstract Measurements of ice thickness and surface elevation are prerequisite to many glaciological investigations. A variety of techniques has been developed for interpretation of these data, including means of constructing regularly gridded digital elevation models (DEMs) for use in numerical studies. Here we present a simple yet statistically sound method for processing ice-penetrating radar data and describe a technique for interpolating these data onto a regular grid. DEMs generated for Trapridge Glacier, Yukon Territory, Canada, are used to derive geometric quantities that give preliminary insights into the underlying basin-scale hydrological system. This simple geometric analysis suggests that at low water pressures a dendritic drainage network exists that evolves into a uniaxial morphology as water pressure approaches flotation. These predictions are compared to hydraulic connection probabilities based on borehole drilling.