Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica
We model the role of katabatic winds in the formation and maintenance of a blue ice area in Scharffenbergbotnen valley, Antarctica, using the finite element code Elmer. The high-horizontal-resolution (50–200 m) numerical simulations of the local wind flow from katabatic wind fronts show high spatial...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:38dc1f9985c447e1be3f0887920c1fd0 2023-05-15T13:48:39+02:00 Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica T. Zwinger T. Malm M. Schäfer R. Stenberg J. C. Moore 2015-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 https://doaj.org/article/38dc1f9985c447e1be3f0887920c1fd0 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/9/1415/2015/tc-9-1415-2015.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 https://doaj.org/article/38dc1f9985c447e1be3f0887920c1fd0 The Cryosphere, Vol 9, Iss 4, Pp 1415-1426 (2015) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2015 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 2022-12-30T21:13:17Z We model the role of katabatic winds in the formation and maintenance of a blue ice area in Scharffenbergbotnen valley, Antarctica, using the finite element code Elmer. The high-horizontal-resolution (50–200 m) numerical simulations of the local wind flow from katabatic wind fronts show high spatial variability in wind-impact patterns and good congruence between places with high near-surface wind speeds and the blue ice area. In addition we perform wind simulations on an altered glacier geometry that resembles the thicker ice cover at the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM). These simulations indicate that the pronounced spatial wind-impact patterns depend on present-day geometry and did not occur during the LGM. This leads to the conclusion that the formation of the inner blue ice area of the Scharffenbergbotnen valley started only after the lowering of the ice surface, i.e. after the LGM. Experiments with smoothed surface topography suggest that detailed positions of the high wind regions, and hence individual blue ice fields, may have varied as the ice sheet lowered. The simulation results obtained with the present-day geometry were fortuitously confirmed by the destruction of a field camp located in a high-wind-speed area and its subsequent redistribution to low-velocity areas. The experiments and the field observations are consistent with localized violent katabatic events rather than synoptic-scale storms, playing the dominant role in the formation and maintenance of this and perhaps many blue ice areas. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Ice Sheet The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Scharffenbergbotnen ENVELOPE(-11.092,-11.092,-74.575,-74.575) The Cryosphere 9 4 1415 1426 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 T. Zwinger T. Malm M. Schäfer R. Stenberg J. C. Moore Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
We model the role of katabatic winds in the formation and maintenance of a blue ice area in Scharffenbergbotnen valley, Antarctica, using the finite element code Elmer. The high-horizontal-resolution (50–200 m) numerical simulations of the local wind flow from katabatic wind fronts show high spatial variability in wind-impact patterns and good congruence between places with high near-surface wind speeds and the blue ice area. In addition we perform wind simulations on an altered glacier geometry that resembles the thicker ice cover at the Late Glacial Maximum (LGM). These simulations indicate that the pronounced spatial wind-impact patterns depend on present-day geometry and did not occur during the LGM. This leads to the conclusion that the formation of the inner blue ice area of the Scharffenbergbotnen valley started only after the lowering of the ice surface, i.e. after the LGM. Experiments with smoothed surface topography suggest that detailed positions of the high wind regions, and hence individual blue ice fields, may have varied as the ice sheet lowered. The simulation results obtained with the present-day geometry were fortuitously confirmed by the destruction of a field camp located in a high-wind-speed area and its subsequent redistribution to low-velocity areas. The experiments and the field observations are consistent with localized violent katabatic events rather than synoptic-scale storms, playing the dominant role in the formation and maintenance of this and perhaps many blue ice areas. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
T. Zwinger T. Malm M. Schäfer R. Stenberg J. C. Moore |
author_facet |
T. Zwinger T. Malm M. Schäfer R. Stenberg J. C. Moore |
author_sort |
T. Zwinger |
title |
Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
title_short |
Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
title_full |
Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Antarctica |
title_sort |
numerical simulations and observations of the role of katabatic winds in the creation and maintenance of scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, antarctica |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 https://doaj.org/article/38dc1f9985c447e1be3f0887920c1fd0 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-11.092,-11.092,-74.575,-74.575) |
geographic |
Scharffenbergbotnen |
geographic_facet |
Scharffenbergbotnen |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 9, Iss 4, Pp 1415-1426 (2015) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/9/1415/2015/tc-9-1415-2015.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 https://doaj.org/article/38dc1f9985c447e1be3f0887920c1fd0 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1415-2015 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
4 |
container_start_page |
1415 |
op_container_end_page |
1426 |
_version_ |
1766249536758480896 |