Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland
dissertation The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass, which can contribute to sea level rise. Firn aquifers covering between 22,000 â€" 90,000 km2 have been discovered within the ice sheet. In summer, surface snowmelt infiltrates to depth, saturating pore space within the compacting firn. Rechar...
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ftunivutah:oai:collections.lib.utah.edu:ir_etd/1348672 2023-05-15T15:07:07+02:00 Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland Doctor of Philosophy Miller, Olivia Leigh College of Mines & Earth Sciences Geology & Geophysics 2017 application/pdf https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6h45x12 eng eng University of Utah https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6h45x12 ©Olivia Leigh Miller climate change firn aquifer Greenland hydrology ice sheet Text 2017 ftunivutah 2021-06-03T18:21:45Z dissertation The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass, which can contribute to sea level rise. Firn aquifers covering between 22,000 â€" 90,000 km2 have been discovered within the ice sheet. In summer, surface snowmelt infiltrates to depth, saturating pore space within the compacting firn. Recharge ceases when the surface temperatures cool below 0ºC in the fall. Instead of refreezing, the meltwater stays in liquid phase throughout the year because of the insulation produced by high snow accumulation rates. This liquid flows through the firn, and discharges from the aquifer, likely to crevasses at the edge of the ice sheet. Flow through the firn behaves according to Darcy’s law. The firn aquifer is a modern feature of the ice sheet, likely caused by warming of the Arctic associated with global climate change. Water in the aquifer recharged the aquifer within the past ~50 years. Instead of permanently storing meltwater, either through refreezing or simple storage in pore space, firn aquifers allow large volumes of meltwater to discharge from the ice sheet. The fate of that meltwater and its pathways to the ocean remain unknown and require further work as some scenarios (e.g., hydrofracturing crevasses leading to basal lubrication) could play important roles in accelerating ice flow and discharge to the ocean. Text Arctic Climate change Greenland Ice Sheet The University of Utah: J. Willard Marriott Digital Library Arctic Greenland |
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Open Polar |
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The University of Utah: J. Willard Marriott Digital Library |
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English |
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climate change firn aquifer Greenland hydrology ice sheet |
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climate change firn aquifer Greenland hydrology ice sheet Miller, Olivia Leigh Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
topic_facet |
climate change firn aquifer Greenland hydrology ice sheet |
description |
dissertation The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass, which can contribute to sea level rise. Firn aquifers covering between 22,000 â€" 90,000 km2 have been discovered within the ice sheet. In summer, surface snowmelt infiltrates to depth, saturating pore space within the compacting firn. Recharge ceases when the surface temperatures cool below 0ºC in the fall. Instead of refreezing, the meltwater stays in liquid phase throughout the year because of the insulation produced by high snow accumulation rates. This liquid flows through the firn, and discharges from the aquifer, likely to crevasses at the edge of the ice sheet. Flow through the firn behaves according to Darcy’s law. The firn aquifer is a modern feature of the ice sheet, likely caused by warming of the Arctic associated with global climate change. Water in the aquifer recharged the aquifer within the past ~50 years. Instead of permanently storing meltwater, either through refreezing or simple storage in pore space, firn aquifers allow large volumes of meltwater to discharge from the ice sheet. The fate of that meltwater and its pathways to the ocean remain unknown and require further work as some scenarios (e.g., hydrofracturing crevasses leading to basal lubrication) could play important roles in accelerating ice flow and discharge to the ocean. |
author2 |
College of Mines & Earth Sciences Geology & Geophysics |
format |
Text |
author |
Miller, Olivia Leigh |
author_facet |
Miller, Olivia Leigh |
author_sort |
Miller, Olivia Leigh |
title |
Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
title_short |
Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
title_full |
Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
title_fullStr |
Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
title_sort |
hydrology of a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
publisher |
University of Utah |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6h45x12 |
geographic |
Arctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Greenland |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6h45x12 |
op_rights |
©Olivia Leigh Miller |
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1766338684572925952 |