A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface
Shortwave radiation penetrating beneath an ice-sheet surface can cause internal melting and the formation of a near-surface porous layer known as the weathering crust, a dynamic hydrological system that provides home to impurities and microbial life. We develop a mathematical model, incorporating th...
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ftnonlinearchiv:oai:noa.gwlb.de:cop_mods_00063247 2023-05-15T16:40:33+02:00 A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface Woods, Tilly Hewitt, Ian J. 2022-10 electronic https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00063247 https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/egusphere-2022-1086/egusphere-2022-1086.pdf eng eng Copernicus Publications https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00063247 https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/egusphere-2022-1086/egusphere-2022-1086.pdf https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ uneingeschränkt info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess CC-BY article Verlagsveröffentlichung article Text doc-type:article 2022 ftnonlinearchiv https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 2022-10-31T00:12:06Z Shortwave radiation penetrating beneath an ice-sheet surface can cause internal melting and the formation of a near-surface porous layer known as the weathering crust, a dynamic hydrological system that provides home to impurities and microbial life. We develop a mathematical model, incorporating thermodynamics and population dynamics, for the evolution of such layers. The model accounts for conservation of mass and energy, for internal and surface-absorbed radiation, and for logistic growth of a microbial species mediated by nutrients that are sourced from the melting ice. It also accounts for potential melt-albedo and microbe-albedo feedbacks, through the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the porosity or microbial concentration. We investigate one-dimensional steadily melting solutions of the model, which give rise to predictions for the weathering crust depth, water content, melt rate, and microbial abundance, depending on a number of parameters. In particular, we examine how these quantities depend on the forcing energy fluxes, finding that the relative amounts of shortwave (surface-penetrating) radiation and other heat fluxes are particularly important in determining the structure of the weathering crust. The results explain why weathering crusts form and disappear under different forcing conditions, and suggest a range of possible changes in behaviour in response to climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet Niedersächsisches Online-Archiv NOA |
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English |
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article Verlagsveröffentlichung |
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article Verlagsveröffentlichung Woods, Tilly Hewitt, Ian J. A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
topic_facet |
article Verlagsveröffentlichung |
description |
Shortwave radiation penetrating beneath an ice-sheet surface can cause internal melting and the formation of a near-surface porous layer known as the weathering crust, a dynamic hydrological system that provides home to impurities and microbial life. We develop a mathematical model, incorporating thermodynamics and population dynamics, for the evolution of such layers. The model accounts for conservation of mass and energy, for internal and surface-absorbed radiation, and for logistic growth of a microbial species mediated by nutrients that are sourced from the melting ice. It also accounts for potential melt-albedo and microbe-albedo feedbacks, through the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the porosity or microbial concentration. We investigate one-dimensional steadily melting solutions of the model, which give rise to predictions for the weathering crust depth, water content, melt rate, and microbial abundance, depending on a number of parameters. In particular, we examine how these quantities depend on the forcing energy fluxes, finding that the relative amounts of shortwave (surface-penetrating) radiation and other heat fluxes are particularly important in determining the structure of the weathering crust. The results explain why weathering crusts form and disappear under different forcing conditions, and suggest a range of possible changes in behaviour in response to climate change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Woods, Tilly Hewitt, Ian J. |
author_facet |
Woods, Tilly Hewitt, Ian J. |
author_sort |
Woods, Tilly |
title |
A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
title_short |
A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
title_full |
A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
title_fullStr |
A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
title_full_unstemmed |
A model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
title_sort |
model of the weathering crust and microbial activity on an ice-sheet surface |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00063247 https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/egusphere-2022-1086/egusphere-2022-1086.pdf |
genre |
Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 https://noa.gwlb.de/receive/cop_mods_00063247 https://egusphere.copernicus.org/preprints/egusphere-2022-1086/egusphere-2022-1086.pdf |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ uneingeschränkt info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1086 |
_version_ |
1766030948491591680 |