Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland
Some regions of the Greenland ice sheet, where snow accumulation and melt rates are high, currently retain substantial volumes of liquid water within the firn pore space throughout the year. These firn aquifers, found between similar to 10 and 30 m below the snow surface, may significantly affect se...
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ftird:oai:ird.fr:fdi:010071972 2024-09-15T18:07:45+00:00 Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland Miller, O. L. Solomon, D. K. Miege, C. Koenig, L. S. Forster, R. R. Montgomery, L. N. Schmerr, N. Ligtenberg, S. R. M. /Legchenko, Anatoli Brucker, L. GROENLAND 2017 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071972 EN eng https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071972 oai:ird.fr:fdi:010071972 Miller O. L., Solomon D. K., Miege C., Koenig L. S., Forster R. R., Montgomery L. N., Schmerr N., Ligtenberg S. R. M., Legchenko Anatoli, Brucker L. Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland. 2017, 5, p. art. 38 [13 p.] hydraulic conductivity mass balance aquifer test slug test meltwater flow text 2017 ftird 2024-08-15T05:57:41Z Some regions of the Greenland ice sheet, where snow accumulation and melt rates are high, currently retain substantial volumes of liquid water within the firn pore space throughout the year. These firn aquifers, found between similar to 10 and 30 m below the snow surface, may significantly affect sea level rise by storing or draining surface meltwater. The hydraulic gradient and the hydraulic conductivity control flow of meltwater through the firn. Here we describe the hydraulic conductivity of the firn aquifer estimated from slug tests and aquifer tests at six sites located upstream of Helheim Glacier in southeastern Greenland. We conducted slug tests using a novel instrument, a piezometer with a heated tip that melts itself into the ice sheet. Hydraulic conductivity ranges between 2.5 x 10(-5) and 1.1 x 10(-3) m/s. The geometric mean of hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer is 2.7 x 10(-4) m/s with a geometric standard deviation of 1.4 from both depth specific slug tests (analyzed using the Hvorslev method) and aquifer tests during the recovery period. Hydraulic conductivity is relatively consistent between boreholes and only decreases slightly with depth. The hydraulic conductivity of the firn aquifer is crucial for determining flow rates and patterns within the aquifer, which inform hydrologic models of the aquifer, its relation to the broader glacial hydrologic system, and its effect on sea level rise. Text glacier Greenland Groenland Ice Sheet IRD (Institute de recherche pour le développement): Horizon |
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Open Polar |
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IRD (Institute de recherche pour le développement): Horizon |
op_collection_id |
ftird |
language |
English |
topic |
hydraulic conductivity mass balance aquifer test slug test meltwater flow |
spellingShingle |
hydraulic conductivity mass balance aquifer test slug test meltwater flow Miller, O. L. Solomon, D. K. Miege, C. Koenig, L. S. Forster, R. R. Montgomery, L. N. Schmerr, N. Ligtenberg, S. R. M. /Legchenko, Anatoli Brucker, L. Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
topic_facet |
hydraulic conductivity mass balance aquifer test slug test meltwater flow |
description |
Some regions of the Greenland ice sheet, where snow accumulation and melt rates are high, currently retain substantial volumes of liquid water within the firn pore space throughout the year. These firn aquifers, found between similar to 10 and 30 m below the snow surface, may significantly affect sea level rise by storing or draining surface meltwater. The hydraulic gradient and the hydraulic conductivity control flow of meltwater through the firn. Here we describe the hydraulic conductivity of the firn aquifer estimated from slug tests and aquifer tests at six sites located upstream of Helheim Glacier in southeastern Greenland. We conducted slug tests using a novel instrument, a piezometer with a heated tip that melts itself into the ice sheet. Hydraulic conductivity ranges between 2.5 x 10(-5) and 1.1 x 10(-3) m/s. The geometric mean of hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer is 2.7 x 10(-4) m/s with a geometric standard deviation of 1.4 from both depth specific slug tests (analyzed using the Hvorslev method) and aquifer tests during the recovery period. Hydraulic conductivity is relatively consistent between boreholes and only decreases slightly with depth. The hydraulic conductivity of the firn aquifer is crucial for determining flow rates and patterns within the aquifer, which inform hydrologic models of the aquifer, its relation to the broader glacial hydrologic system, and its effect on sea level rise. |
format |
Text |
author |
Miller, O. L. Solomon, D. K. Miege, C. Koenig, L. S. Forster, R. R. Montgomery, L. N. Schmerr, N. Ligtenberg, S. R. M. /Legchenko, Anatoli Brucker, L. |
author_facet |
Miller, O. L. Solomon, D. K. Miege, C. Koenig, L. S. Forster, R. R. Montgomery, L. N. Schmerr, N. Ligtenberg, S. R. M. /Legchenko, Anatoli Brucker, L. |
author_sort |
Miller, O. L. |
title |
Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_short |
Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_full |
Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_sort |
hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071972 |
op_coverage |
GROENLAND |
genre |
glacier Greenland Groenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Groenland Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010071972 oai:ird.fr:fdi:010071972 Miller O. L., Solomon D. K., Miege C., Koenig L. S., Forster R. R., Montgomery L. N., Schmerr N., Ligtenberg S. R. M., Legchenko Anatoli, Brucker L. Hydraulic conductivity of a firn aquifer in Southeast Greenland. 2017, 5, p. art. 38 [13 p.] |
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1810445119492456448 |