Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica
International audience Observations at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide site show that near-surface snow is strongly altered by weather-related processes such as strong winds and temperature fluctuations, producing features that are recognizable in the deep ice core. Prominent glazed surfa...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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HAL CCSD
2018
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Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745/document https://hal.science/hal-01806745/file/tc-12-325-2018.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 |
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Open Polar |
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HAL-CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) |
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ftceafr |
language |
English |
topic |
[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology |
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[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology Fegyveresi, John Alley, Richard Muto, Atsuhiro Orsi, Anaïs Spencer, Matthew Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
topic_facet |
[SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology |
description |
International audience Observations at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide site show that near-surface snow is strongly altered by weather-related processes such as strong winds and temperature fluctuations, producing features that are recognizable in the deep ice core. Prominent glazed surface crusts develop frequently at the site during summer seasons. Surface, snow pit, and ice core observations made in this study during summer field seasons from 2008–2009 to 2012–2013, supplemented by automated weather station (AWS) data with short- and longwave radiation sensors, revealed that such crusts formed during relatively low-wind, low-humidity, clear-sky periods with intense daytime sunshine. After formation, such glazed surfaces typically developed cracks in a polygonal pattern likely from thermal contraction at night. Cracking was commonest when several clear days occurred in succession and was generally followed by surface hoar growth; vapor escaping through the cracks during sunny days may have contributed to the high humidity that favored nighttime formation of surface hoar. Temperature and radiation observations show that daytime solar heating often warmed the near-surface snow above the air temperature, contributing to upward mass transfer, favoring crust formation from below, and then surface hoar formation. A simple surface energy calculation supports this observation. Subsequent examination of the WDC06A deep ice core revealed that crusts are preserved through the bubbly ice, and some occur in snow accumulated during winters, although not as commonly as in summertime deposits. Although no one has been on site to observe crust formation during winter, it may be favored by greater wintertime wind packing from stronger peak winds, high temperatures and steep temperature gradients from rapid midwinter warmings reaching as high as −15 °C, and perhaps longer intervals of surface stability. Time variations in crust occurrence in the core may provide paleoclimatic information, although additional studies ... |
author2 |
Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Penn State System Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE) Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE) Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) Glaces et Continents, Climats et Isotopes Stables (GLACCIOS) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Fegyveresi, John Alley, Richard Muto, Atsuhiro Orsi, Anaïs Spencer, Matthew |
author_facet |
Fegyveresi, John Alley, Richard Muto, Atsuhiro Orsi, Anaïs Spencer, Matthew |
author_sort |
Fegyveresi, John |
title |
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
title_short |
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
title_full |
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica |
title_sort |
surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the wais divide site, west antarctica |
publisher |
HAL CCSD |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://hal.science/hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745/document https://hal.science/hal-01806745/file/tc-12-325-2018.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet The Cryosphere West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet The Cryosphere West Antarctica |
op_source |
ISSN: 1994-0424 EISSN: 1994-0416 The Cryosphere https://hal.science/hal-01806745 The Cryosphere, 2018, 12 (1), pp.325 - 341. ⟨10.5194/tc-12-325-2018⟩ |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745/document https://hal.science/hal-01806745/file/tc-12-325-2018.pdf doi:10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
325 |
op_container_end_page |
341 |
_version_ |
1810489037311442944 |
spelling |
ftceafr:oai:HAL:hal-01806745v1 2024-09-15T17:42:27+00:00 Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica Fegyveresi, John Alley, Richard Muto, Atsuhiro Orsi, Anaïs Spencer, Matthew Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) Penn State System Temple University Philadelphia Pennsylvania Commonwealth System of Higher Education (PCSHE) Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement Gif-sur-Yvette (LSCE) Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA) Glaces et Continents, Climats et Isotopes Stables (GLACCIOS) Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA)-Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (UVSQ)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université Paris-Saclay-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Direction de Recherche Fondamentale (CEA) (DRF (CEA)) 2018 https://hal.science/hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745/document https://hal.science/hal-01806745/file/tc-12-325-2018.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 en eng HAL CCSD Copernicus info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745 https://hal.science/hal-01806745/document https://hal.science/hal-01806745/file/tc-12-325-2018.pdf doi:10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess ISSN: 1994-0424 EISSN: 1994-0416 The Cryosphere https://hal.science/hal-01806745 The Cryosphere, 2018, 12 (1), pp.325 - 341. ⟨10.5194/tc-12-325-2018⟩ [SDU.STU.GL]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Earth Sciences/Glaciology info:eu-repo/semantics/article Journal articles 2018 ftceafr https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018 2024-07-22T13:18:07Z International audience Observations at the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide site show that near-surface snow is strongly altered by weather-related processes such as strong winds and temperature fluctuations, producing features that are recognizable in the deep ice core. Prominent glazed surface crusts develop frequently at the site during summer seasons. Surface, snow pit, and ice core observations made in this study during summer field seasons from 2008–2009 to 2012–2013, supplemented by automated weather station (AWS) data with short- and longwave radiation sensors, revealed that such crusts formed during relatively low-wind, low-humidity, clear-sky periods with intense daytime sunshine. After formation, such glazed surfaces typically developed cracks in a polygonal pattern likely from thermal contraction at night. Cracking was commonest when several clear days occurred in succession and was generally followed by surface hoar growth; vapor escaping through the cracks during sunny days may have contributed to the high humidity that favored nighttime formation of surface hoar. Temperature and radiation observations show that daytime solar heating often warmed the near-surface snow above the air temperature, contributing to upward mass transfer, favoring crust formation from below, and then surface hoar formation. A simple surface energy calculation supports this observation. Subsequent examination of the WDC06A deep ice core revealed that crusts are preserved through the bubbly ice, and some occur in snow accumulated during winters, although not as commonly as in summertime deposits. Although no one has been on site to observe crust formation during winter, it may be favored by greater wintertime wind packing from stronger peak winds, high temperatures and steep temperature gradients from rapid midwinter warmings reaching as high as −15 °C, and perhaps longer intervals of surface stability. Time variations in crust occurrence in the core may provide paleoclimatic information, although additional studies ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet The Cryosphere West Antarctica HAL-CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives) The Cryosphere 12 1 325 341 |