Polar Wander, Sea-level Variations and Ice Age Cycles

There exist close connections between changes in the position of theearth's rotation axis with respect to the earth's surface (polarwander), variations in sea level, the rise and decline of Ice Ages andglobal change on geological time scales. The modeling of theseinterrelationships has received renewed attention in the last few years,after initial attempts to relate these phenomena by means ofviscoelastic solid earth relaxation models had shown its feasibility.An overview is given of the models, and several aspects of the variousinterrelationships are discussed. It is shown that the radial mantleviscosity profile and the layering of the solid earth have importantinfluences on these interactions.     

Landslides, Ice Quakes, Earthquakes: A Thermodynamic Approach to Surface Instabilities

The total rate of rock deformation results from competing deformation processes, including ductile and brittle mechanisms. Particular deformation styles arise from the dominance of certain mechanisms over others at different ambient conditions. Surprisingly, rates of deformation in naturally deformed rocks are found to cluster around two extremes, representing coseismic slip rates or viscous creep rates. Classical rock mechanics is traditionally used to interpret these instabilities. These approaches consider the principle of conservation of energy. We propose to go one step further and introduce a nonlinear far-from-equilibrium thermodynamic approach in which the central and explicit role of entropy controls instabilities. We also show how this quantity might be calculated for complex crustal systems. This approach provides strain-rate partitioning for natural deformation processes occurring at rates in the order of 10^-3 to 10^-9 s^-1. We discuss these processes using examples of landslides and ice quakes or glacial surges. We will then illustrate how the mechanical mechanisms derived from these near-surface processes can be applied to deformation near the base of the seismogenic crust, especially to the phenomenon of slow earthquakes.     

Ice cover,landscape setting,and geological framework of Lake Vostok,East Antarctica

Lake Vostok, located beneath more than 4 km of ice in the middle of East Antarctica, is a unique subglacial habitat and may contain microorganisms with distinct adaptations to such an extreme environment. Melting and freezing at the base of the ice sheet, which slowly flows across the lake, controls the flux of water, biota and sediment particles through the lake. The influx of thermal energy, however, is limited to contributions from below. Thus the geological origin of Lake Vostok is a critical boundary condition for the subglacial ecosystem. We present the first comprehensive maps of ice surface, ice thickness and subglacial topography around Lake Vostok. The ice flow across the lake and the landscape setting are closely linked to the geological origin of Lake Vostok. Our data show that Lake Vostok is located along a major geological boundary. Magnetic and gravity data are distinct east and west of the lake, as is the roughness of the subglacial topography. The physiographic setting of the lake has important consequences for the ice flow and thus the melting and freezing pattern and the lake’s circulation. Lake Vostok is a tectonically controlled subglacial lake. The tectonic processes provided the space for a unique habitat and recent minor tectonic activity could have the potential to introduce small, but significant amounts of thermal energy into the lake.     

Ice storms,tree throw,and hillslope sediment transport in northern hardwood forests

In December 2008, 694 trees uprooted within a 108 ha (1·08 km²) watershed in central Massachusetts due to a severe ice storm, resulting in the displacement of ~1300 m³ of root material, unconsolidated sediment, and fractured bedrock. Overall, we find that uprooting and tree throw is often grouped in clusters and cascades; conifers displace more material than deciduous trees; areas with abundant mature hemlock and steep slopes are more susceptible to tree throw, with clusters as dense as 125 per hectare; and failure is predominantly downhill, suggesting that ice storms promote efficient downslope hillslope sediment transport in northern hardwood forests. Combining the recurrence interval of severe storms in New England (20–75 years) with the forest response presented here, we calculate a sediment transport rate of 2–5 × 10^?5 m³ m^?1 a^?1 averaged over the entire watershed. Forest susceptibility to tree throw differed based on location in the watershed; some areas experienced up to ~30× higher than average sediment transport rates, while others experienced no tree throw. Two severe storms following the 2008 ice storm (hurricane in 2011; snow storm in October 2012) did not result in significant tree throw within the study area, highlighting that the coupling of storm severity and forest susceptibility controls the amount of tree throw during a given forest disturbance. In addition to recent tree throw from the 2008 ice storm, widespread pit and mound microtopography in the study area indicates that tree throw is a recurrent process in this landscape. Two factors emerge that will influence future ice storms related hillslope sediment transport in the steep forested hillslopes of New England: regional climate gradients and changing climate determine the size, intensity and recurrence of ice storms; forest management practices and health control the tree age and type. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical Modeling of Ice Jams

A numerical model is proposed to describe the formation of ice jams under the effect of a release wave.     

Ice Sheet And Satellite Altimetry

Since 1991, the altimeters of the ERS European Satellites allow the observation of 80% of the Antarctica ice sheet and the whole Greenland ice sheet: They thus offer for the first time a unique vision of polar ice caps. Indeed, surface topography is an essential data thanks to its capacity to highlight the physical processes which control the surface shape, or to test models. Moreover, the altimeter is also a radar which makes it possible to estimate the snow surface or subsurface characteristics, such as surface roughness induced by the strong katabatic wind or ice grain size. The polar ice caps may not be in a stationary state, they continue to respond to the climatic warming of the beginning of the Holocene, that is 18000 years ago, and possibly start to react to present climatic warming: the altimeter offers the unique means of estimating the variations of volume and thus the contribution of polar ice caps to present sea level change.     

冰振反应谱问题研究

本文总结了国内外冰荷载的有关研究规定及现状。冰荷载对跨江桥梁及海洋平台的激振干扰,严重影响人们的正常生活和生产,因此,急需搞清定量的冰振依据和制定合理的抗冰设计方法。因为冰荷载与地震荷载均为随机过程,有类似之处,因此,本文从工程实际出发,就国内外海洋工程冰荷载研究存在的不足之处,根据结构抗震理论的思想提出了结构抗冰反应谱的研究方法,为结构抗冰振动分析提供一种简便、实用的分析方法。     

Depositional history of artificial radionuclides in the Ross Ice Shelf,Antarctica

The annual fluxes of artificial radionuclides (²³⁸Pu,^239+240Pu,²⁴¹Am,¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr and³H) from the atmosphere to the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica were determined from measurements in strata dated by²¹⁰Pb. Recognizable sources include the U.S. tests (Mike-Ivy and Castle Hill) in the early 1950s, the U.S.S.R. tests of the early 1960s, the SNAP-9A burnup of 1964 and the French and Chinese tests in the late 1960s and 1970s. There are several problems still awaiting resolution: the differences in atmospheric chemistries of fission products and of transuranics produced in weapons tests and the anomalous fluxes of²³⁸Pu to the ice shelf which do not appear to reflect a one-year stratospheric residence. There is no evidence for a smearing of the fallout record as a consequence of diffusion of these radionuclides in the glacial column.     

Formation of Frazil Ice and Ice Jams on the Rivers of the Yenisei River Basin

The effect of different factors on the duration of spring ice jams and the flood water level in the Siberian rivers is considered. Observational data on the frequency of ice jams of different probabilities within some reaches of the Yenisei River are presented.     

Humid Little Ice Age in arid central Asia documented by Bosten Lake, Xinjiang, China

Short sediment cores retrieved from Bosten Lake, the largest inland freshwater lake in China, were used to explore humidity and precipitation variations in arid central Asia during the past millennium. The chronology of the cores was established using 137Cs, 210Pb and AMS 14C dating re- sults. Multi-proxy high-resolution analysis, including pollen ratios of Artemisia and Chenopodiaceae (A/C), carbonate content and grain size, indicates that the climate during the past millennium can be divided into three stages: a dry climate between 1000―1500 AD, a humid climate during the Little Ice Age (LIA) (c. 1500―1900 AD), and a warm dry period after 1900 AD. On centennial timescales, the climate change in northwestern China during the past 1000 years is characterized by oscillations between warm-dry and cold-humid climate conditions. All the proxies changed significantly and indi- cate increased precipitation during the LIA, including increased pollen A/C ratios and pollen concen- trations, decreased carbonate content and increased grain size. The humid period during the LIA re- corded by the Bosten Lake sediments is representative of arid central Asia and is supported by nu- merous records from other sites. During the LIA, the water runoff into the Keriya River and Tarim River in the Tarim Basin increased, while the ice accumulation in the Guliya ice core increased. Additionally, the lake levels of the Aral and Caspian Sea also rose, while tree-ring analysis indicates that precipita- tion increased. We hypothesize that both the lower temperature within China and the negative anomalies of North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) during this period may have contributed to the humid climate within this area during LIA.     

Modelling of Thermal Stratification and Ice Dynamics with Application to Lake Teletskoye,Altai Republic,Russia

Water Resources - Numerical modelling of ice growth and transport of matter in lakes, estuaries, or coastal seas can provide crucial input for improving the environment. In this paper, the goal is...     

Ice flow‐unit influence on glacier structure,debris entrainment and transport

The links between structural glaciology, glacial debris entrainment and transport have been established in a number of different glacier settings. Here we document the structural evolution of a temperate Alpine valley glacier (Vadrec del Forno, Switzerland) and demonstrate that individual flow units within the glacier have very different structural and debris characteristics. The glacier consists of a broad accumulation area with multiple basins feeding a relatively narrow tongue and is formed from six distinct flow units. Each flow unit has its own characteristic structural assemblage. Flow units that narrow rapidly down‐glacier are dominated by primary stratification that has evolved into longitudinal foliation. In contrast, wider flow units preferentially develop an axial planar foliation. Glacier structure plays a limited role in the entrainment of debris, which is more strongly influenced by ice‐marginal rockfall and avalanche inputs onto the glacier surface. However, once entrained, glacier structure controls the reorientation and redistribution of debris within the ice mass. By taking a whole‐glacier approach to describing glacier structure and debris transport, we conclude that individual flow units are unique with regard to structure and debris transfer. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ice sheets and the CO2 problem

In this review, the carbon dioxide problem is discussed, with special reference to the possible effects of a global warming on the ice sheets of Greenland and Antarctica. Instead of detailed projections of future climate and the consequences, the basic mechanisms are explained and illustrated with results described in the literature.It is concluded that a doubling of the atmospheric CO₂ content (most likely to occur somewhere in the second half of the next century) will result in a globally-averaged warming of 2–4°C, and an intensification of the hydrological cycle. In the polar regions, this warming will be a few degrees larger and as a consequence the Greenland Ice Sheet will decrease in size. Antarctica, on the other hand, is expected to grow because of the increased snowfall. The instability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is also discussed and, although no conclusive prediction to its long-term response can be made, it is argued that on a short time scale (less than about 100 y) nothing dramatically wil happen to this part of Antarctica.     

Ice raft formation, sediment load, and theoretical potential for ice-rafted sediment influx on northern coastal wetlands

Ice rafting is an important secondary sedimentation process that redistributes sediment form tidal flats, channel beds, and ponds to the vegetated marsh surface in northern temperate climates. Source location of ice-rafted sediment is identifiable based on distinct sediment properties. In New England salt marsh systems, ice raft thickness and entrained sediment load vary both during the season and interannually as a function of severity and duration of winter conditions; however, 97% of ice rafts carry measurable sediment loads. Thick rafts move sand or peat up to 100 m from source areas, whereas thinner rafts tend to transport mud still further onto the marsh platform, sometimes reaching the upland border. Based on these observations, we present relationships defining the theoretical sediment-carrying potential of ice rafts as well as empirical parameterizations for ice-rafted sediment with respect to ice volume. Our results suggest that ice-rafting deposits a volume of sediment contributing up to 5% of annual vertical accretion, an important input in a region where rates of vertical accretion barely compensate for sea-level rise. We provide conceptual models of ice-raft formation and sediment entrainment linking these processes to the general geomorphic evolution of northern temperate marshes, which must be understood in light of the modern acceleration in rates of sea-level rise.     

利用CryoSat-2波形数据建立南极Lambert冰川流域DEM

Lambert冰川-Amery冰架系统是南极冰盖最大的冰流系统之一,对南极冰盖物质平衡研究有着重要的作用.数字高程模型(DEM)是进行南极冰盖研究的基础.本文基于CryoSat-2 L1b波形数据,研究建立了Lambert冰川流域高分辨率DEM.测高卫星返回波形在冰盖区域存在变形,需进行波形重跟踪处理.利用交叉点分析方法对重心偏移法(OCOG)、阈值法和β参数法等常用的波形重跟踪方法对不同类型的CryoSat-2波形的适用性进行了研究.最后,利用克里金插值方法建立了500 m分辨率的Lambert冰川流域DEM——LAS DEM (Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system DEM).利用ICESat卫星测高数据和GPS地面实测数据对LAS DEM进行精度验证,并与另外两种基于CryoSat-2数据的南极DEM进行了对比.结果表明:LAS DEM的整体精度约为0.295±2.7 m,优于另外两种CryoSat-2 DEM;在冰盖内陆地区,LAS DEM的高程误差在2 m之内;在Amery冰架上,LAS DEM的精度优于1 m.     

Ice cap erosion patterns from bedrock 10Be and 26Al,southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Quantifying glacial erosion contributes to our understanding of landscape evolution and topographic relief production in high altitude and high latitude areas. Combining in situ ¹⁰Be and ²⁶Al analysis of bedrock, boulder, and river sand samples, geomorphological mapping, and field investigations, we examine glacial erosion patterns of former ice caps in the Shaluli Shan of the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The general landform pattern shows a zonal pattern of landscape modification produced by ice caps of up to 4000 km² during pre-LGM (Last Glacial Maximum) glaciations, while the dating results and landforms on the plateau surface imply that the LGM ice cap further modified the scoured terrain into different zones. Modeled glacial erosion depth of 0–0.38 m per 100 ka bedrock sample located close to the western margin of the LGM ice cap, indicates limited erosion prior to LGM and Late Glacial moraine deposition. A strong erosion zone exists proximal to the LGM ice cap marginal zone, indicated by modeled glacial erosion depth >2.23 m per 100 ka from bedrock samples. Modeled glacial erosion depths of 0–1.77 m per 100 ka from samples collected along the edge of a central upland, confirm the presence of a zone of intermediate erosion in-between the central upland and the strong erosion zone. Significant nuclide inheritance in river sand samples from basins on the scoured plateau surface also indicate restricted glacial erosion during the last glaciation. Our study, for the first time, shows clear evidence for preservation of glacial landforms formed during previous glaciations under non-erosive ice on the Tibetan Plateau. As patterns of glacial erosion intensity are largely driven by the basal thermal regime, our results confirm earlier inferences from geomorphology for a concentric basal thermal pattern for the Haizishan ice cap during the LGM. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.