Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach
In recent years, observations have highlighted seasonal and interannual variability in rock glacier flow. Temperature forcing, through heat conduction, has been proposed as one of the key processes to explain these variations in kinematics. However, this mechanism has not yet been quantitatively ass...
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ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/333359 2023-05-15T18:32:14+02:00 Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach Cicoira, Alessandro Beutel, Jan Faillettaz, Jérôme Gärtner-Roer, Isabelle Vieli, Andreas 2019-03-18 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/333359 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 en eng Copernicus info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-13-927-2019 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000461585900001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/333359 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC-BY The Cryosphere, 13 (3) info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2019 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/333359 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-927-2019 2023-02-13T00:47:04Z In recent years, observations have highlighted seasonal and interannual variability in rock glacier flow. Temperature forcing, through heat conduction, has been proposed as one of the key processes to explain these variations in kinematics. However, this mechanism has not yet been quantitatively assessed against real-world data. We present a 1-D numerical modelling approach that couples heat conduction to an empirically derived creep model for ice-rich frozen soils. We use this model to investigate the effect of thermal heat conduction on seasonal and interannual variability in rock glacier flow velocity. We compare the model results with borehole temperature data and surface velocity measurements from the PERMOS and PermaSense monitoring network available for the Swiss Alps. We further conduct a model sensitivity analysis in order to resolve the importance of the different model parameters. Using the prescribed empirically derived rheology and observed near-surface temperatures, we are able to model the correct order of magnitude of creep. However, both interannual and seasonal variability are underestimated by an order of magnitude, implying that heat conduction alone cannot explain the observed variations. Therefore, we conclude that non-conductive processes, likely linked to water availability, must dominate the short-term velocity signal. ISSN:1994-0416 ISSN:1994-0424 Article in Journal/Newspaper The Cryosphere ETH Zürich Research Collection |
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Open Polar |
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ETH Zürich Research Collection |
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ftethz |
language |
English |
description |
In recent years, observations have highlighted seasonal and interannual variability in rock glacier flow. Temperature forcing, through heat conduction, has been proposed as one of the key processes to explain these variations in kinematics. However, this mechanism has not yet been quantitatively assessed against real-world data. We present a 1-D numerical modelling approach that couples heat conduction to an empirically derived creep model for ice-rich frozen soils. We use this model to investigate the effect of thermal heat conduction on seasonal and interannual variability in rock glacier flow velocity. We compare the model results with borehole temperature data and surface velocity measurements from the PERMOS and PermaSense monitoring network available for the Swiss Alps. We further conduct a model sensitivity analysis in order to resolve the importance of the different model parameters. Using the prescribed empirically derived rheology and observed near-surface temperatures, we are able to model the correct order of magnitude of creep. However, both interannual and seasonal variability are underestimated by an order of magnitude, implying that heat conduction alone cannot explain the observed variations. Therefore, we conclude that non-conductive processes, likely linked to water availability, must dominate the short-term velocity signal. ISSN:1994-0416 ISSN:1994-0424 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cicoira, Alessandro Beutel, Jan Faillettaz, Jérôme Gärtner-Roer, Isabelle Vieli, Andreas |
spellingShingle |
Cicoira, Alessandro Beutel, Jan Faillettaz, Jérôme Gärtner-Roer, Isabelle Vieli, Andreas Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
author_facet |
Cicoira, Alessandro Beutel, Jan Faillettaz, Jérôme Gärtner-Roer, Isabelle Vieli, Andreas |
author_sort |
Cicoira, Alessandro |
title |
Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
title_short |
Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
title_full |
Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
title_fullStr |
Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
title_full_unstemmed |
Resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
title_sort |
resolving the influence of temperature forcing through heat conduction on rock glacier dynamics: a numerical modelling approach |
publisher |
Copernicus |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/333359 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 |
genre |
The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, 13 (3) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.5194/tc-13-927-2019 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000461585900001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/333359 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/333359 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000333359 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-927-2019 |
_version_ |
1766216310630383616 |