Trapping of aeolian sediments and build‐up of the ice cover of a dry‐based Antarctic lake

Among the perennially frozen lakes of the Dry Valleys of South Victoria Land (Antarctica), some are dry‐based, i.e. frozen to the bottom. One of these is studied here by a multiparametric investigation (isotopic composition in δD and δ¹⁸O, ions, gas and ice texture analyses). A sediment layer about 10 cm thick appearing at a depth of 3·5 m is also studied by grain size, X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope analyses. The information retrieved indicates that this ice‐block lake results from a build‐up in two steps and explains how aeolian sediments were included as a layer into the ice. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于实测与模拟的青海湖冰厚时空变化特征

湖冰厚度是湖泊在封冻期的重要物理参数,明晰其时空变化特征对于认识气候变暖背景下的湖冰响应规律具有重要的理论价值和现实意义.基于ERA5 Climate Reanalysis气温数据集、MODIS MOD09GQ数据产品和2019年湖冰钻孔测厚数据及雷达测厚数据,重建2000—2019年青海湖冰厚时间序列并分析其时空变化特征.结果表明:①2019年3月实测青海湖湖冰厚度平均增长速率为0.30 cm/d,高于2月份(0.12 cm/d).基于度日法湖冰生长模型模拟的2018年11月—2019年3月青海湖冰厚平均增长速率为0.34 cm/d,与实际观测数据相比,模拟冰厚误差为±2 cm,但在河流入湖口处和湖区南侧误差较大,且冰厚模拟数值在3月中旬前高估而之后有所低估.②青海湖多年平均冰厚介于32～37 cm,其中2008—2016年湖冰厚度年际变化剧烈,呈现先增大再稳定后减小的趋势.冻结初期湖冰厚度增长迅速,12月和1月湖冰增长速率分别为0.45和0.41 cm/d,2月后冰厚增长速率放缓,2月和3月分别为0.29和0.14 cm/d.③2000—2019年冰厚整体呈现北厚南薄、东厚西薄的空间格局,多年冰厚变化幅度湖区西部较东部稳定,湖冰平均厚度与完全封冻时长及封冻期呈正相关.     

近20 a色林错湖冰物候变化特征及其影响因素

湖冰作为湖泊-大气界面能量和物质交换的结果,其物候变化对揭示区域气候变化和湖泊响应过程具有重要意义.本研究基于2000-2020年色林错边界矢量数据、Terra MODIS和Landsat TM/ETM+/OLI遥感影像并结合气象数据及湖泊资料,利用RS和GIS手段综合分析了色林错湖冰物候变化特征及其影响因素.结果 表...     

Modelling inter-annual and spatial variability of ice cover in a temperate lake with complex morphology

The formation of ice cover on lakes alters heat and energy transfer with the water column. The fraction of surface area covered by ice and the timing of ice-on and ice-off therefore affects hydrodynamics and the seasonal development of stratification and related ecosystem processes. Multi-year model simulations of temperate lake ecosystems that freeze partially or completely therefore require simulation of the formation and duration of ice cover. Here we present a multi-year hydrodynamic simulation of an alpine lake with complex morphology (Lower Lake Constance, LLC) using the three-dimensional (3D) model Aquatic Ecosystem Model (AEM3D) over a period of 9 years. LLC is subdivided into three basins (Gnadensee, Zeller See and Rheinsee) which differ in depth, morphological features, hydrodynamic conditions and ice cover phenology and thickness. Model results were validated with field observations and additional information on ice cover derived from a citizen science approach using information from social media. The model reproduced the occurrence of thin ice as well as its inter-annual variability and differentiated the frequency and extent of ice cover between the three sub-basins. It captured that full ice cover occurs almost each winter in Gnadensee, but only rarely in Zeller See and Rheinsee. The results indicate that the 3D model AEM3D is suitable for simulating long-term dynamics of thin ice cover in lakes with complex morphology and inter-annual changes in spatially heterogeneous ice cover.     

寒区浅水湖冰生消特征及其影响因素

基于2019—2020期间在盘锦市含章湖利用浮式观测平台开展湖冰原型观测试验,分析不同因素对湖冰变化造成的影响.结果表明:99 d冰期内湖冰的生消过程可概述为:湖泊封冻(3 d)—稳定生长(62 d)—冰厚稳定(7 d)—加速消融(24 d)—破碎分解(3d).生长期冰厚的平均增长速率为0.4 cm/d,最大冰厚为30.7 cm;不同深度(5～17 cm)冰温对气温变化的响应存在滞后性,滞后时间为70～158 min,冰温与气温的最大相关系数为0.52～0.89;降雨过程造成冰面反照率由0.22降至0.09,影响了冰内温度以及冰下40 cm以内的浅层水温,但14 mm的降雨量并未引起表面冰厚增加;降雪过程造成冰面反照率由0.25升至0.90,同时阻碍了 5 cm以内的浅层冰温对气温变化的响应,但风速长时间大于8 m/s时会导致冰面积雪被吹散,冰面重新裸露;消融期冰厚的衰减过程呈抛物线趋势,存在显著的加速过程,融化速率由0.3 cm/d逐渐增加到2.7 cm/d;湖冰生长期的冰底热通量均值为4.8 W/m~2;到消融期增加至8.1 W/m~2,为生长期的1.7倍;太阳辐射与湖冰边界侧向融化是导致湖冰加速融化的关键因素.本研究填补了国内湖冰冻融全过程实测资料的空缺,为湖冰热力学模型的改进提供了科学支撑.     

Pressure‐driven,shoreline currents in a perennially ice‐covered,pro‐glacial lake in Antarctica,identified from a LiCl tracer injected into a pro‐glacial stream

The distribution of streamwater within ice‐covered lakes influences sub‐ice currents, biological activity and shoreline morphology. Perennially ice‐covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, provide an excellent natural laboratory to study hydrologic–limnologic interactions under ice cover. For a 2 h period on 17 December 2012, we injected a lithium chloride tracer into Andersen Creek, a pro‐glacial stream flowing into Lake Hoare. Over 4 h, we collected 182 water samples from five stream sites and 15 ice boreholes. Geochemical data showed that interflow travelled West of the stream mouth along the shoreline and did not flow towards the lake interior. The chemistry of water from Andersen Creek was similar to the chemistry of water below shoreline ice. Additional evidence for Westward flow included the morphology of channels on the ice surface, the orientation of ripple marks in lake sediments at the stream mouth and equivalent temperatures between Andersen Creek and water below shoreline ice. Streamwater deflected to the right of the mouth of the stream, in the opposite direction predicted by the Coriolis force. Deflection of interflow was probably caused by the diurnal addition of glacial runoff and stream discharge to the Eastern edge of the lake, which created a strong pressure gradient sloping to the West. This flow directed stream momentum away from the lake interior, minimizing the impact of stream momentum on sub‐ice currents. It also transported dissolved nutrients and suspended sediments to the shoreline region instead of the lake interior, potentially affecting biological productivity and bedform development. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ice processes on medium‐sized north‐temperate lakes

Lake ice supports a range of socio‐economic and cultural activities including transportation and winter recreational actives. The influence of weather patterns on ice‐cover dynamics of temperate lakes requires further understanding for determining how changes in ice composition will impact ice safety and the range of ecosystem services provided by seasonal ice cover. An investigation of lake ice formation and decay for three lakes in Central Ontario, Canada, took place over the course of two winters, 2015–2016 and 2016–2017, through the use of outdoor digital cameras, a Shallow Water Ice Profiler (upward‐looking sonar), and weekly field measurements. Temperature fluctuations across 0°C promoted substantial early season white ice growth, with lesser amounts of black ice forming later in the season. Ice thickening processes observed were mainly through meltwater, or midwinter rain, refreezing on the ice surface. Snow redistribution was limited, with frequent melt events limiting the duration of fresh snow on the ice, leading to a fairly uniform distribution of white ice across the lakes in 2015–2016 (standard deviations week to week ranging from 3 to 5 cm), but with slightly more variability in 2016–2017 when more snow accumulated over the season (5 to 11 cm). White ice dominated the end‐of‐season ice composition for both seasons representing more than 70% of the total ice thickness, which is a stark contrast to Arctic lake ice that is composed mainly of black ice. This research has provided the first detailed lake ice processes and conditions from medium‐sized north‐temperate lakes and provided important information on temperate region lake ice characteristics that will enhance the understanding of the response of temperate lake ice to climate and provide insight on potential changes to more northern ice regimes under continued climate warming.     

Lake ice and temperature trends for Ontario and Manitoba: 2001 to 2014

Lakes are a prominent geographic feature in northern landscapes and play an important role in understanding regional climate systems. In order to better model changes within climate systems, it is important to study lake ice processes. Although the availability of records for lake ice through ground measurements has declined in recent years, the increased use of remote sensing provides an alternative to this. Using a preclassified snow and ice remote sensing product with a 500‐m resolution, based on images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS/MOD10A1), and the use of measured and reanalysis temperature data, this study evaluated lake ice phenology dates in connection to recent trends in temperature and 0 °C isotherms within Ontario and Manitoba between 2001 and 2014. Temperature trends indicated both regional warming and cooling, with significant cooling observed in Southern Ontario (p < .05) and significant warming in Southern Manitoba (p < .1) during the fall. Spatial analysis of the trends in the lake ice data showed significant clustering of significant trends in ice on dates (p < .01). When analysing the trends in ice phenology in connection to the trends in temperature, it was found that 70% of lakes experienced a change in the ice on date with the expected change in temperature and 85% of lakes for ice off date. When shifting ice on and ice off dates are investigated in relation to 0 °C isotherms, it was seen that 80% of ice on dates and 100% of ice off dates shifted in sync with the isotherm dates. This demonstrates that the ice phenology of lakes in Ontario and Manitoba, Canada, is responding to short‐term variability in temperature. The MODIS product could be used to investigate ice phenology on a large scale and contribute towards expanding existing records of ice phenology. Establishing long‐term ice records could be a valuable asset for other research ranging from water balance studies to the response of lake biota under changing climate.     

Composition and origin of a lithalsa related to lake‐level recession and Holocene terrestrial emergence,Northwest Territories,Canada

Lithalsas of the Great Slave Lowland, Northwest Territories, occur within fine‐grained glaciolacustrine, lacustrine, and alluvial deposits. Detailed investigations of a lithalsa revealed that it is composed of ice‐rich sediments with ice lenses up to 0.2 m thick below 4 m depth. The observed ice accounted for about 2 m of the 4 m between the top of the lithalsa and adjacent terrain. The ice is isotopically similar to modern surface water, but enriched in δ¹⁸O relative to local precipitation. Total soluble cation concentrations are low in the basal, Shield‐derived and unweathered glaciolacustrine sediments of the lithalsa. Higher concentrations in the overlying Holocene‐aged lacustrine and alluvial deposits may be due to greater ion availability in Holocene surface waters. Increasing Cl^‐ and Na⁺ concentrations in clays at depth likely relate to exclusion and migration of these dissolved ions in pore water during ice lens formation though total soluble cations remain comparatively low. The lithalsa developed 700 to 300 cal yr BP. A conceptual model of lithalsa formation and landscape evolution illustrates that this feature and more than 1800 other lithalsas in the region have developed in association with Holocene terrestrial emergence following lake‐level recession. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

查干湖冰封期光谱特征及影响因素

湖冰光谱特征是湖冰遥感反演的物理基础,是研究湖冰光学特性和空间分布的理论依据。本文以查干湖为例,使用ASD Field Spec 4便携式地物光谱仪采集冰封期不同类型湖冰、积雪和水体光谱,利用Savitzky-Golay滤波法和包络线去除法分析白冰、灰冰、黑冰、雪冰、积雪和水体的反射光谱特征,探索气泡对湖冰反射光谱特征的影响。积雪和雪冰、白冰和灰冰、黑冰和水体的反射特征随着波长的变化特征基本一致,冰的反射率介于积雪和水体之间,其中白冰的反射率高于灰冰和黑冰,在包络线去除结果中,黑冰和水体在440 nm吸收谷处的吸收面积为5.184和10.878、吸收深度为0.052和0.106,雪、雪冰、白冰、灰冰在800和1030 nm吸收谷处的吸收面积和吸收深度的变化表现为雪<雪冰<灰冰<白冰。气泡是影响湖冰光谱特征的重要因素,气泡使白冰反射率减小和黑冰反射率增大,并且气泡使得白冰在800/1030nm和黑冰在440 nm处的吸收面积和吸收深度减小,其中气泡大小和疏密程度的不同会导致湖冰反射率的影响程度存在差异。同时,本文选取时间同步的Landsat 8 OLI遥感影像,在完成辐...     

Sensitivity of physical lake processes to climate change within a large Precambrian Shield catchment

Potential future changes in lake physical processes (e.g. stratification and freezing) can be assessed through exploring their sensitivity to climate change, and assessing the current vulnerability of different lake types to plausible changes in meteorological drivers. This study quantifies the impacts of climate change and sensitivity of lake physical processes within a large (5100 km²) Precambrian Shield catchment in south‐central Ontario. Historic regional relationships are established between climate drivers, lake morphology, and lake physical changes through generalized linear modelling (GLM), and are used to quantify likely changes in timing of ice phenology and lake stratification across 72 lakes under a range of future climate models and scenarios. In response to projections of increased temperature (ensemble mean of +3.3 °C), both earlier ice‐off and onset of summer stratification were projected, with later ice‐on and fall turnover compared to the baseline. Process sensitivity to climate change varied by lake type; shallower lakes with a smaller volume (less than 15 m deep and less than 0.05 km³) were more sensitive to processes associated with lake heating (stratification onset and ice‐off), and deeper lakes with a larger surface area (greater than 30 m deep and greater than 1000 ha) were more sensitive to processes associated with lake cooling (fall turnover and ice‐on). These results indicate that whereas small lakes are vulnerable to climate warming because of changes that occur in spring and summer, larger lakes are particularly sensitive during the fall. The findings suggest that lake morphology and associated sensitivity should be considered in the development of sustainable lake management strategies. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lake Ladoga ice phenology: Mean condition and extremes during the last 65 years

Winter conditions play an important role for the largest lake in Europe—Lake Ladoga. The ice cover lasts for 171 ± 3 days on average from the early November until the mid‐May. We investigated the ice regime of Lake Ladoga using a constructed ice database of aircraft surveys and satellite images. More than 1250 surveys of the lake's ice cover from 1943 to 2010 were collected and analysed to determine mean and extreme ice conditions for winters of different types of severity. The time series of ice cover percentage over the lake was plotted. On average, 18 observational ice charts were made every winter. Individual ice phenology records show considerable year‐to‐year variation. For this reason, records typically have been combined and analysed as groups (categories). Extremely cold winters were determined as winters with complete ice cover that lasts more than three months which is approximately 90% quartiles from all winters with complete ice cover. The lake surface was completely covered with ice for more than three months during 5 seasons. Extremely warm winters when the maximum ice cover was less than 70% of the lake area occurred during 5 seasons as well. A basic relationship between the winter severity as winter maximum of accumulated freezing degree‐days (AFDD) and the earlier derived Relative Ice Cover Index (RICI) was established. We have used teleconnection indices such as North Atlantic Oscillations (NAO) and Arctic Oscillation (AO) for the period from October to May for estimation of different types of Lake Ladoga's ice conditions. The AO index in winter months and local winter maximum of AFDD explained much of the interannual variation in ice cover. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using ice‐scars as indicators of exposure to physical lakeshore disturbances,Corvette Lake,northern Québec,Canada

The hypothesis tested in this study is that ice‐scars recorded by lakeshore tree stands can be used as an integrative proxy indicator of the overall hydrodynamic disturbance regimes affecting northern lakeshores. A 2‐km‐long shore segment was divided into 21 sections according to shore orientation and slope. An ice‐scar chronology and a wave exposure index value were obtained for each shore section. A significant relationship was found between ice‐scar chronology and wave exposure index, which indicates that the mechanical action and physical force of ice activity mainly depend on the same environmental factors determining exposure to wave action (i.e. fetch, wind direction and velocity, and shore slope). The spatial and temporal variability of ice‐scar chronology features also corresponded to the distribution of geomorphological features associated with ice activity along the shoreline. Analysis of the hydrological signal associated with these ice‐scar chronology features indicated that an increase in ice‐push frequency observed in the 1930s can be associated to an increase in wave action related to more frequent spring floods maintaining high lake levels during the ice‐free period. This study demonstrates that ice‐scars have strong potential as proxy indicators of shore exposure and provide a temporal frame to reconstruct the history of lakeshore disturbance regimes at a local scale. Together, ice‐scars and wave exposure index provide essential information to interpret the evolution of lakeshore vegetation mosaics in time and space. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A LATE PLEISTOCENE INTERTIDAL BOULDER PAVEMENT FROM AN ISOSTATICALLY EMERGENT COAST,DUNDALK BAY,EASTERN IRELAND

Late Pleistocene sequences around Dundalk Bay, eastern Ireland, record glaciomarine sedimentation near the margin of a grounded ice lobe around 15 ka BP. A coastal exposure at Cooley Point consists of four major facies deposited outside this ice limit. (1) A basal mud facies deposited from sediment plumes accumulated following the initial ice marginal retreat inland. It contains a well-preserved Arctic microfauna dominated by the foram Elphidium clavatum and the ostracod Roundstonia globulifera. (2) A flat to undulating boulder facies (pavement), mostly one clast thick, is found pressed into the mud and is characterized by bevelled and striated upper clast surfaces. Pavement attributes are a result of intertidal activity in a cold climate. The boulder source is due to rafting by ice floes from glacigenic debris deposited during an ice advance. (3) Laminated sand facies drape the pavement and are a result of variable current activity. (4) The overlying gravel facies is separated from the sand facies by a marine erosion surface. The gravel facies is subaqueous, channelized and is overlain by late glacial raised beach ridges. Locally the gravels have been deformed by ice pressure from partially floating ice floes. Facies changes record terrestrial submergence and provide evidence for changes in relative sea level during part of the last deglacial cycle. The boulder pavement and deformed gravel facies suggest that ice floes and sea ice effects may be more common within stratigraphies along emergent coasts than previously thought, though they have a low preservation potential. Extreme conditions during the deglacial favoured opportunistic microfaunas during mud deposition. This event may be related to a major meltwater event within the Irish Sea Basin.     

Processes at the margins of supraglacial debris cover: Quantifying dirty ice ablation and debris redistribution

Current glacier ablation models have difficulty simulating the high-melt transition zone between clean and debris-covered ice. In this zone, thin debris cover is thought to increase ablation compared to clean ice, but often this cover is patchy rather than continuous. There is a need to understand ablation and debris dynamics in this transition zone to improve the accuracy of ablation models and the predictions of future debris cover extent. To quantify the ablation of partially debris-covered ice (or ‘dirty ice’), a high-resolution, spatially continuous ablation map was created from repeat unmanned aerial systems surveys, corrected for glacier flow in a novel way using on-glacier ablation stakes. Surprisingly, ablation is similar (range ~ 5 mm w.e. per day) across a wide range of percentage debris covers (~ 30–80%) due to the opposing effects of a positive correlation between percentage debris cover and clast size, countered by a negative correlation with albedo. Once debris cover becomes continuous, ablation is significantly reduced (by 61.6% compared to a partial debris cover), and there is some evidence that the cleanest ice (<~ 15% debris cover) has a lower ablation than dirty ice (by 3.7%). High-resolution feature tracking of clast movement revealed a strong modal clast velocity where debris was continuous, indicating that debris moves by creep down moraine slopes, in turn promoting debris cover growth at the slope toe. However, not all slope margins gain debris due to the removal of clasts by supraglacial streams. Clast velocities in the dirty ice area were twice as fast as clasts within the continuously debris-covered area, as clasts moved by sliding off their boulder tables. These new quantitative insights into the interplay between debris cover characteristics and ablation can be used to improve the treatment of dirty ice in ablation models, in turn improving estimates of glacial meltwater production. © 2020 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd     

神奇的球状冰(冰球、冰蛋)

大量球状冰集聚排列是自然界中较为罕见的现象,一般发生在浅滩、湖岸和河岸处.因球状冰形态特征的特殊性,常被称之为冰球、冰蛋.球状冰的形成与发展受气象、水动力和水滨地形条件等多因素共同控制,且具有一定的时空限制,必须在短时间内多因素协同干预才可能引发冰球集聚.正是凭借"制造"条件的苛刻性导致了冰球集聚现象的罕见,也造成了全球各地冰球出现的位置、形态和数量之间存在差异.已有来自于德国、俄罗斯、芬兰和加拿大等多个国家关于冰球现象的报道,但发生频率极少,约20～ 30年一次.近年来在吉林省的查干湖和四海湖发现了冰蛋现象,但关于球状冰从形成到大量集聚之间的定量研究依然缺少实测数据分析支撑.毫无疑问,来自大自然的神奇现象为科学探索研究提供了更多的动力和乐趣.     

Ice‐cover variability on shallow lakes at high latitudes: model simulations and observations

A one‐dimensional thermodynamic model for simulating lake‐ice phenology is presented and evaluated. The model can be driven with observed daily or hourly atmospheric forcing of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, cloud amount and snowfall. In addition to computing the energy balance components, key model output includes the temperature profile at an arbitrary number of levels within the ice/snow (or the water temperature if there is no ice) and ice thickness (clear ice and snow‐ice) on a daily basis, as well as freeze‐up and break‐up dates. The lake‐ice model is used to simulate ice‐growth processes on shallow lakes in arctic, sub‐arctic, and high‐boreal forest environments. Model output is compared with field and remote sensing observations gathered over several ice seasons. Simulated ice thickness, including snow‐ice formation, compares favourably with field measurements. Ice‐on and ice‐off dates are also well simulated when compared with field and satellite observations, with a mean absolute difference of 2 days. Model simulations and observations illustrate the key role that snow cover plays on the seasonal evolution of ice thickness and the timing of spring break‐up. It is also shown that lake morphometry, depth in particular, is a determinant of ice‐off dates for shallow lakes at high latitudes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hydrogeomorphic processes of thermokarst lakes with grounded‐ice and floating‐ice regimes on the Arctic coastal plain,Alaska

Thermokarst lakes cover > 20% of the landscape throughout much of the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) with shallow lakes freezing solid (grounded ice) and deeper lakes maintaining perennial liquid water (floating ice). Thus, lake depth relative to maximum ice thickness (1·5–2·0 m) represents an important threshold that impacts permafrost, aquatic habitat, and potentially geomorphic and hydrologic behaviour. We studied coupled hydrogeomorphic processes of 13 lakes representing a depth gradient across this threshold of maximum ice thickness by analysing remotely sensed, water quality, and climatic data over a 35‐year period. Shoreline erosion rates due to permafrost degradation ranged from < 0·2 m/year in very shallow lakes (0·4 m) up to 1·8 m/year in the deepest lakes (2·6 m). This pattern of thermokarst expansion masked detection of lake hydrologic change using remotely sensed imagery except for the shallowest lakes with stable shorelines. Changes in the surface area of these shallow lakes tracked interannual variation in precipitation minus evaporation (P ? E_L) with periods of full and nearly dry basins. Shorter‐term (2004–2008) specific conductance data indicated a drying pattern across lakes of all depths consistent with the long‐term record for only shallow lakes. Our analysis suggests that grounded‐ice lakes are ice‐free on average 37 days longer than floating‐ice lakes resulting in a longer period of evaporative loss and more frequent negative P ? E_L. These results suggest divergent hydrogeomorphic responses to a changing Arctic climate depending on the threshold created by water depth relative to maximum ice thickness in ACP lakes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Periodic drainage of ice-dammed lakes as a result of variations in glacier velocity

Previous discussions of the catastrophic drainage of ice-dammed lakes have centred on mechanisms where characteristics of the lake are crucial to drainage initiation, for example dam flotation or tunnel formation at a critical lake depth. This paper describes a mechanism for lake drainage where drainage initiation depends on the characteristics of the glacier and is independent of the characteristics of the lake. Prediction of this mechanism must be based on glacier dynamics, whereas the mechanisms most commonly discussed previously are best predicted primarily on the basis of lake evolution. An ice-dammed lake at the margin of the glacier Solheimajokull, in southern Iceland, was observed to drain rapidly into the sub- or englacial drainage system, supplying water and debris to the bed or interior of the glacier. Geomorphological evidence suggests that the lake drains and refills periodically, discharging up to 13300 m³ of water into the glacier-hydrological system. The depth of the maximum lake is insufficient to cause either flotation of the ice margin or tunnel opening by plastic deformation of the ice, and we suggest that sudden drainage is related to ice-bed separations associated with specific glacier flow states rather than to a critical lake depth threshold. This mechanism of lake drainage has implications for conditions at the glacier bed, for the development of basal ice and for the entrainment of debris into the glacier, as well as for the prediction of potentially hazardous catastrophic drainage events and jokulhlaups from ice-dammed lakes.     

Changes in ice phenology on polish lakes from 1961 to 2010 related to location and morphometry

Observations of lake ice at the shore, complete ice cover, ice duration, ice thickness and other measures for 18 Polish lakes were collected for the 50 year period (1961–2010). Average ice dates in early winter became later: first appearance of ice along shore 2.3 days decade⁻¹ and complete ice cover 1.2 days decade⁻¹ while complete ice cover disappeared earlier (5.6 days decade⁻¹) as did last ice at the shore (4.3 days decade⁻¹). The duration of ice cover decreased by 5.6 days decade⁻¹ and average ice thickness declined by 6.1 cm decade⁻¹. The magnitude of these values for individual lakes decreased from eastern to western Poland. This geographic gradient is likely related to regional atmospheric circulation because in winter this part of Europe is strongly affected by continental air, an influence that is greater in the east. A multivariate redundancy analysis (RDA), used in order to examine the dependence of ice measures on lake physical properties and location, indicated longitude and altitude as key factors explaining lake ice dynamics such as the disappearance of ice and ice cover, ice cover duration and thickness. Lake volume and average depth influenced mostly the appearance of ice and ice cover.