Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland
Within the lower percolation zone of the southeastern Greenland ice sheet, meltwater has accumulated within the firn pore space, forming extensive firn aquifers. Previously, it was unclear if these aquifers stored or facilitated meltwater runoff. Following mixing of a saline solution into boreholes...
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ftunivutrecht:oai:dspace.library.uu.nl:1874/377548 2023-11-12T04:17:46+01:00 Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland Miller, Olivia Solomon, D. Kip Miège, Clément Koenig, Lora Forster, Richard Schmerr, Nicholas Ligtenberg, Stefan R.M. Montgomery, Lynn Sub Dynamics Meteorology Marine and Atmospheric Research 2018-01-16 image/pdf https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/377548 en eng 0094-8276 https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/377548 info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess borehole dilution test discharge firn aquifer Greenland ice sheet mass balance meltwater flow Geophysics Earth and Planetary Sciences(all) Article 2018 ftunivutrecht 2023-11-01T23:20:12Z Within the lower percolation zone of the southeastern Greenland ice sheet, meltwater has accumulated within the firn pore space, forming extensive firn aquifers. Previously, it was unclear if these aquifers stored or facilitated meltwater runoff. Following mixing of a saline solution into boreholes within the aquifer, we observe that specific conductance measurements decreased over time as flowing freshwater diluted the saline mixture in the borehole. These tests indicate that water flows through the aquifer with an average specific discharge of 4.3 × 10−6 m/s (σ = 2.5 × 10−6 m/s). The specific discharge decreases dramatically to 0 m/s, defining the bottom of the aquifer between 30 to 50 m depth. The observed flow indicates that the firn pore space is a short-term (<30 years) storage mechanism in this region. Meltwater flows out of the aquifer, likely into nearby crevasses, and possibly down to the base of the ice sheet and into the ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet Utrecht University Repository Greenland |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Utrecht University Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivutrecht |
language |
English |
topic |
borehole dilution test discharge firn aquifer Greenland ice sheet mass balance meltwater flow Geophysics Earth and Planetary Sciences(all) |
spellingShingle |
borehole dilution test discharge firn aquifer Greenland ice sheet mass balance meltwater flow Geophysics Earth and Planetary Sciences(all) Miller, Olivia Solomon, D. Kip Miège, Clément Koenig, Lora Forster, Richard Schmerr, Nicholas Ligtenberg, Stefan R.M. Montgomery, Lynn Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
topic_facet |
borehole dilution test discharge firn aquifer Greenland ice sheet mass balance meltwater flow Geophysics Earth and Planetary Sciences(all) |
description |
Within the lower percolation zone of the southeastern Greenland ice sheet, meltwater has accumulated within the firn pore space, forming extensive firn aquifers. Previously, it was unclear if these aquifers stored or facilitated meltwater runoff. Following mixing of a saline solution into boreholes within the aquifer, we observe that specific conductance measurements decreased over time as flowing freshwater diluted the saline mixture in the borehole. These tests indicate that water flows through the aquifer with an average specific discharge of 4.3 × 10−6 m/s (σ = 2.5 × 10−6 m/s). The specific discharge decreases dramatically to 0 m/s, defining the bottom of the aquifer between 30 to 50 m depth. The observed flow indicates that the firn pore space is a short-term (<30 years) storage mechanism in this region. Meltwater flows out of the aquifer, likely into nearby crevasses, and possibly down to the base of the ice sheet and into the ocean. |
author2 |
Sub Dynamics Meteorology Marine and Atmospheric Research |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Miller, Olivia Solomon, D. Kip Miège, Clément Koenig, Lora Forster, Richard Schmerr, Nicholas Ligtenberg, Stefan R.M. Montgomery, Lynn |
author_facet |
Miller, Olivia Solomon, D. Kip Miège, Clément Koenig, Lora Forster, Richard Schmerr, Nicholas Ligtenberg, Stefan R.M. Montgomery, Lynn |
author_sort |
Miller, Olivia |
title |
Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_short |
Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_full |
Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Direct Evidence of Meltwater Flow Within a Firn Aquifer in Southeast Greenland |
title_sort |
direct evidence of meltwater flow within a firn aquifer in southeast greenland |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/377548 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
0094-8276 https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/377548 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess |
_version_ |
1782334551073226752 |