An investigation of sediment-laden meltwater plumes using in-situ and remote sensing techniques, Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
The Arctic is warming at least two times faster than the rest of the Earth. Increased warming results in the melting and retreat of glaciers and ice caps, a reduction in sea ice extent and thickness, and changes to the region’s hydrological cycle, altering the balance of precipitation. In glaciated...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | unknown |
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2023
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.26174/thesis.lboro.24680070.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/thesis/An_investigation_of_sediment-laden_meltwater_plumes_using_in-situ_and_remote_sensing_techniques_Kongsfjorden_Svalbard/24680070 |
| Summary: | The Arctic is warming at least two times faster than the rest of the Earth. Increased warming results in the melting and retreat of glaciers and ice caps, a reduction in sea ice extent and thickness, and changes to the region’s hydrological cycle, altering the balance of precipitation. In glaciated basins throughout the Arctic, increased atmospheric temperatures result in the production of greater volumes of meltwater. Meltwater can be delivered to fjords and coastal areas by marine-terminating glaciers at depth or via terrestrial glacier-fed rivers. These systems entrain and transport the products of glacial erosion, sediment, in suspension. When this entrained material reaches the fjord, a sediment-laden meltwater plume is formed, as the denser freshwater sits on the fjord surface. These plumes impact upon fjord circulation, biogeochemical cycling and glaciomarine sedimentation, and at marine-terminating systems can also increase iceberg calving and enhance melt. However, the spatial and temporal evolution of plumes from both terrestrial glacier-fed rivers and marine-terminating glaciers are thus far poorly understood, resulting in uncertainties for glaciomarine landscape evolution and sedimentary models and in predicting future sea level rise. This research focuses on two sites in Kongsfjorden, north-west Svalbard: the Bayelva catchment on the Brøggerhalvøya peninsula, and Blomstrandbreen, a marine-terminating glacier that drains into the northern side of the fjord. Meltwater produced by ablation of the Austre and Vestre Brøggerbreen glaciers, along with non-glacial sources, converges to form Bayelva. The river drains through a small delta into a sheltered section on the southern side of Kongsfjorden, known as Kolhamna, where a small sediment-laden meltwater plume is formed. At Blomstrandbreen, sediment-laden meltwater is transported at the bed of the glacier, and delivered at depth into the fjord, forming its plume. Simulated bandwidths of various research and commercial satellites were calibrated using ... |
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