Collaborative Research: Using seismic tremor to constrain seasonal variations in subglacial hydrology at the bed of the Greenland ice sheet
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The rate of mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet is accelerating due to a combination of increased surface melt and changes in ice sheet dynamics. Our understanding of the link between increased melt and increased ice velocity is limited by the difficulty in characterizing where basal meltwater (primarily sourced from surface runoff) goes in time and space and how it affects the coupling of the ice sheet to the bedrock. Observations of seasonal variations in ice velocity and hydrology from temperate alpine glaciers have led to a conceptual model for the evolution of the basal drainage system over a melt season, which involves efficient meltwater channelization during periods of peak summer melt production. However, an important caveat when applying subglacial hydrology models derived from alpine glaciers to ice sheets, is that these models are poorly constrained by direct observations of basal fluid flow due to the difficulty of making hydrologic measurements through thick ( 1 km) ice. Thus, a key challenge in linking ice sheet dynamics to variations in surface melt is independently characterizing the subglacial hydrologic system and how it evolves through time. Researchers will perform pilot study to use seismic tremor to investigate seasonal changes in the subglacial hydrologic system and investigate the relation between tremor signals and ice surface velocities on the Greenland ice sheet. Researchers will deploy co-located seismic and GPS arrays to simultaneously monitor subglacial meltwater flow and ice surface velocities at a well-studied site on the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet. This site was chosen because of its strong seasonal velocity variability, experiencing dramatic acceleration in the early summer (>100% greater than winter velocities) and pronounced slowdown in the late summer. Using these co-located measurements of subglacial fluid flow and surface velocities researchers will address the following research questions: (1) Can analysis of seismic tremor, similar to that used to estimate terrestrial and sub-glacial discharge, be extended to measure basal meltwater flow in regions of thick (=1 km) ice? (2) If and when during the melt season does channelization of sub-glacial flow occur and how do the characteristics of the subglacial channels (e.g., density, spacing) vary with time? (3) Do ice surface velocities correlate with the timing of sub-glacial channelization as is hypothesized based on existing models for the characteristic annual ice velocity curve? If successful, the use of seismic tremor will provide a powerful new technique to study subglacial meltwater flow in regions that are difficult to access through other methodologies. Further, the data collected through this study can be used to inform large-scale numerical ice sheet models linking subglacial fluid flow to ice sheet dynamics allowing these results to be applied more generally. The Greenland ice sheet’s contribution to sea level rise over the next century is largely unknown; estimates range from a few centimeters to over one meter. Planning within such a large range of uncertainty has extremely high economic and social costs for governments, communities and businesses worldwide. Thus, the investigation aims at removing uncertainties that limit estimates of future ice-sheet contributions to sea level is of broad societal, as well as scientific, interest. One full-time BC masters student and one WHOI postdoc will be supported through this project, and researchers will pursue opportunities for additional student projects related to this work. The student and postdoc will be involved in all aspects of the project research and fieldwork. Reporter Dr. Heather Goldstone will accompany the science team to the study site and will produce a range of media for general audiences including a daily radio diary to air on National Public Radio stations, as well as other resources and outlets. In particular, the seismic data generated by this project presents a unique opportunity for the public to experience raw data in a sensory way. By transforming seismic data to audible frequencies and condensing it, researchers will produce a brief soundtrack of sub-glacial flow paired with visual imagery from the field, to create video resources ideal for disseminating via the web and social media.
Title | Project start | End date | Organisation | Department | Project study region |
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79NG-EC - MACS@NG - HTRES | 19.07.2021 | 14.08.2021 | Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI) | Greenland Ice Sheet | |
FACE-IT: The future of Arctic coastal ecosystems – Identifying transitions in fjord systems and adjacent coastal areas | 01.11.2020 | 31.10.2024 | University of Bremen | University of Bremen, department | Arctic (entire region) |
Greenland Climate Network | 01.01.2010 | 31.12.2029 | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) | Greenland Ice Sheet | |
Unravelling the response time scales of Greenland's most critical outlet glacier | 21.04.2020 | 26.05.2020 | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) | Greenland Ice Sheet | |
Ice-dammed lakes - Evaluation of monitoring methods | 15.01.2020 | 31.12.2020 | Asiaq Greenland Survey | Hydrology, Climate and Environment | Greenland, South-West |
Collaborative Research: Using seismic tremor to constrain seasonal variations in subglacial hydrology at the bed of the Greenland ice sheet | 01.01.2019 | 31.12.2021 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
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Chemistry of reactive gases in the Arctic sea ice and atmosphere | 01.01.2019 | 31.12.2021 | University of Colorado Boulder | University of Colorado Boulder, Department | |
Collaborative Research: 800-Year Trends in Anthropogenic and Marine Biogenic Sources of Arctic Sulfate Aerosol | 01.01.2019 | 31.12.2022 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | |
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Dating of the Little Ice Age | 01.01.2018 | 31.12.2020 | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) | Greenland, North-West | |
AirMiMic - Fieldwork | 20.07.2019 | 31.07.2019 | Aarhus University (AU) | Department of Environmental Science | Greenland, South-East |
Carbonyl sulfide measurements in the GISP2D ice core from Summit, Greenland | 01.01.2019 | 31.12.2022 | University of California | University of California, Irvine, dept. | |
Representing surface meltwater runoff in Greenland ice sheet models | 01.01.2019 | 31.12.2020 | Brown University | Brown University, dept. | Greenland, North-West |
A beauty for the eye, but what shapes icebergs in Greenland? | 01.05.2019 | 01.09.2020 | Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR) | Greenland Climate Research Centre | Greenland, Mid-West |
CryoVEx-2019 summer campaign | 08.08.2019 | 15.08.2019 | Technical University of Denmark (DTU) | DTU Space | Greenland, North-East |
EastGRIP | 01.04.2015 | 31.12.2020 | University of Copenhagen | Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth | Greenland, North-East |
Greenland GNSS Network - GNET | 01.08.2019 | 31.08.2019 | Technical University of Denmark (DTU) | DTU Space | Greenland, North-East |
Parameterizing sub-grid Arctic snow-on-sea-ice processes in Earth System Models using MOSAiC field observations and realistic-resolution process models | 01.01.2018 | 31.12.2021 | Colorado State University | Colorado State University, dept | Arctic (entire region) |
Q19 | 11.04.2019 | 25.04.2019 | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) | Greenland, South-West | |
Airborne CryoSat and ICESat cross-calibration campaign | 21.03.2019 | 03.04.2019 | Technical University of Denmark (DTU) | DTU Space | Greenland, North-East |
Airborne campaign for future Copernicus polar satellite | 28.02.2019 | 12.03.2019 | Technical University of Denmark (DTU) | DTU Space | Svalbard |
DMI - Research, Monitoring and Infrastructure 2019-2020 | 01.08.2019 | 30.09.2019 | Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) | Greenland, North-East | |
Programme for monitoring of the Greenland ice sheet | 04.01.2010 | 31.12.2027 | Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) | Greenland Ice Sheet | |
BLACK and BLOOM - Microbial processes darken and accelerate the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2017 | Bristol University | Bristol University, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
East Greenland Ice-core Project | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2021 | University of Copenhagen | University of Copenhagen, dept. | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Drainage efficiency of the Greenland supraglacial river network | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2018 | Brown University | Brown University, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Three-dimensional structure of Arctic tides and near-inertial oscillations, and their role in changing the Arctic Ocean and ice pack | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc (AER) | Atmospheric and Environmental Research Inc, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: Closing the Gaps in Climate Models' Surface Albedo Schemes of Processes Driving the Darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | City University of New York | City University of New York (CUNY), dept. | |
Collaborative Research: Understanding GrIS moulin hydrology and links to ice motion | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | University of Arkansas | University of Arkansas, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Refreezing in the firn of the Greenland ice sheet: Spatiotemporal variability and implications for ice sheet mass balance | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | City University of New York | City University of New York (CUNY), dept. | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: Understanding GrIS moulin hydrology and links to ice motion | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | University of South Florida | University of South Florida, dept. | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: Visualization, analysis, and HPC modeling of subglacial hydrology from high-resolution 3D conduit scans acquired with a novel sensor | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of South Florida | University of South Florida, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: Investigating jamming in iceberg-choked fjords with field observations, laboratory experiments, and numerical models | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2018 | University of Alaska | University of Alaska, Southeast, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: Investigating jamming in iceberg-choked fjords with field observations, laboratory experiments, and numerical models | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2018 | Emory University | Emory University, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: Investigating jamming in iceberg-choked fjords with field observations, laboratory experiments, and numerical models | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2018 | University of California | University of California, Irvine, dept. | |
Collaborative research: Spatial and temporal variability of surface albedo and light absorbing chemical species in Greenland | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2015 | Duke University | Duke University, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: The Greenland Firn Aquifer Impacts on Ice Sheet Hydrology: Characterizing Volume, Flow, and Discharge | 01.01.2014 | 31.12.2017 | University of Maryland | University of Maryland College Park, dept. | Greenland, Mid-East |
Collaborative Research: GreenTrACS: a Greenland Traverse for Accumulation and Climate Studies | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | Boise State University | Boise State University, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Visualization, analysis, and HPC modeling of subglacial hydrology from high-resolution 3D conduit scans acquired with a novel sensor | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of South Florida | University of South Florida, dept. | |
Collaborative Research: The Greenland Firn Aquifer Impacts on Ice Sheet Hydrology: Characterizing Volume, Flow, and Discharge | 01.01.2014 | 31.12.2017 | University of Utah | University of Utah, dept. | Greenland, Mid-East |
Collaborative Research: Investigating the Influence of Sea-surface Variability on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Outlet Glacier Behavior using Records from Disko Bugt, West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2015 | Wheaton College | Wheaton College, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Investigating the Influence of Sea-surface Variability on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Outlet Glacier Behavior using Records from Disko Bugt, West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2015 | Clark University | Clark University, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
MRI: Development of a High-power, Large Antenna Array and Ultrawideband Radar for a Basler for Sounding and Imaging of Fast-flowing Glaciers and Mapping Internal Layers | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2016 | University of Kansas | University of Kansas, dept. | Greenland, Mid-West |
An initial investigation of the Greenland perennial firn aquifer | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2015 | University of Utah | University of Utah, dept. | Greenland Ice Sheet |
GOne with the Wind ON-Arctic (GOWON-Arctic) | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2015 | National Aeronautical and Space Administration | National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Department | |
Long term monitoring of Greenland's under ice environment | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2014 | National Aeronautical and Space Administration | National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
ARI: Seasonal Fluxes across Submarine Ice Sheet Margins: A Pilot Study in West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Quantifying Firn Compaction and its Implications for Altimetry-based Mass Balance Estimates of the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2018 | National Aeronautical and Space Administration | National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Continued Core Atmospheric and Snow Measurements at the Summit, Greenland Environmental Observatory | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2021 | National Aeronautical and Space Administration | National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: Quantifying Heat/Mass Structure and Fluxes Through the Full Thickness of Greenland's Percolation Zone | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2021 | University of Wyoming | University of Wyoming, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: Quantifying Heat/Mass Structure and Fluxes Through the Full Thickness of Greenland's Percolation Zone | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | University of Montana | University of Montana, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Glacier Front Drifters Design Concept | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2015 | National Aeronautical and Space Administration | National Aeronautical and Space Administration, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Visualization, analysis, and HPC modeling of subglacial hydrology from high-resolution 3D conduit scans acquired with a novel sensor | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | Penn State University | Penn State University, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Refreezing in the firn of the Greenland ice sheet: Spatiotemporal variability and implications for ice sheet mass balance | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2020 | Rutgers University New Brunswick | Rutgers University New Brunswick, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
RAPID: Impact of Large Scale Greenland Ice Sheet Melting on Glacier Hydrology and Meltwater Geochemistry | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
From the Ice Sheet to the Sea: An Interdisciplinary Study of the Impact of Extreme Melt on Ocean Stratification and Productivity near West Greenland | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of Georgia | University of Georgia, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: In Situ Borehole Measurements To Partition The Velocity Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Into Ice Deformation And Basal Sliding Components | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2017 | University of Wyoming | University of Wyoming, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: In Situ Borehole Measurements To Partition The Velocity Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Into Ice Deformation And Basal Sliding Components | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2017 | University of Montana | University of Montana, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Collaborative Research: Investigating the Influence of Sea-surface Variability on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Outlet Glacier Behavior using Records from Disko Bugt, West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2015 | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute | Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Holistic Ice-Ocean-Climate Interactions Campaign on Store Glacier and Ikeresak Fjord | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | Ohio State University | Ohio State University, Byrd Polar Research Center | Greenland, Mid-West |
GROVER: Greenland Rover for Cryospheric Research | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2016 | University of Colorado Boulder | University of Colorado Boulder, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Comprehensive Assessment of Ice Sheet Contributions to Sea Level Based on Integrated Remote Sensing Observations | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | University of Colorado Boulder | University of Colorado Boulder, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Towards an Operational System for Estimating Greenland Ice Sheet Thickness Change from Altimetry | 01.01.2014 | 31.12.2020 | Ohio State University | Ohio State University, Byrd Polar Research Center | Greenland, Mid-West |
CAREER: Linking cryospheric processes across scales to model non-linear albedo feedback | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2018 | University of Michigan | University of Michigan, Department | |
Collaborative Research: GreenTrACS: a Greenland Traverse for Accumulation and Climate Studies | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | Dartmouth College | Dartmouth College, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Dynamic Observations of the Evolution of Firn | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | Dartmouth College | Dartmouth College, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
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Collaborative Research: Understanding the controls on spatial and temporal variability in ice discharge using a Greenland-wide ice sheet model | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | University of Texas at Austin | University of Texas at Austin, Department | |
Predictability of Open Water in the Chukchi/Beaufort Seas and Other Regions | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | University of Colorado Boulder | University of Colorado Boulder, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Refreezing in the firn of the Greenland ice sheet: Spatiotemporal variability and implications for ice sheet mass balance | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2019 | University of Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department | Greenland Ice Sheet |
Inter-Hemispheric Climate Teleconnections in response to Massive Iceberg Discharge in the North Atlantic | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | Oregon State University | Oregon State University, College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences | |
Collaborative Research: Three-dimensional structure of Arctic tides and near-inertial oscillations, and their role in changing the Arctic Ocean and ice pack | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | University of Texas at Austin | University of Texas at Austin, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Three-dimensional structure of Arctic tides and near-inertial oscillations, and their role in changing the Arctic Ocean and ice pack | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | Earth & Space Research | Earth & Space Research, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Three-dimensional structure of Arctic tides and near-inertial oscillations, and their role in changing the Arctic Ocean and ice pack | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | University of Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Closing the Gaps in Climate Models' Surface Albedo Schemes of Processes Driving the Darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2020 | University of Michigan | University of Michigan, Department | |
Collaborative Research: Sonic Logging the NEEM Corehole, Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | University of Alaska | University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Response of the Northwest Greenland Cryosphere to Holocene Climate Change | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2014 | Northwestern University | Northwestern University, Department | Greenland, North-West |
Physical controls on ocean-terminating glacier variability in Central West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2015 | University of Texas at Austin | University of Texas at Austin, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
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Collaborative Research: A 1500m Ice Core from South Pole | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2017 | University of New Hampshire | University of New Hampshire, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Response of the Northwest Greenland Cryosphere to Holocene Climate Change | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2014 | Dartmouth College | Dartmouth College, Department | Greenland, North-West |
Collaborative Research: Response of the Northwest Greenland Cryosphere to Holocene Climate Change | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2014 | University of Maine | University of Maine, Department | Greenland, North-West |
Collaborative Research: A 1500m Ice Core from South Pole | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2017 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Investigating the Influence of Sea-surface Variability on Ice Sheet Mass Balance and Outlet Glacier Behavior using Records from Disko Bugt, West Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2015 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Sonic Logging the NEEM Corehole, Greenland | 01.01.2012 | 31.12.2013 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | Greenland, Mid-West |
Inland Migration of Crevasses on the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2013 | 31.12.2014 | University of Maine | University of Maine, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: GreenTrACS: a Greenland Traverse for Accumulation and Climate Studies | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of Maine | University of Maine, Department | Greenland, Mid-West |
Collaborative Research: Detecting Glacier Calving Events from Ocean Waves and Underwater Acoustics | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | |
Collaborative Research: Detecting Glacier Calving Events from Ocean Waves and Underwater Acoustics | 01.01.2015 | 31.12.2017 | University of California | University of California, San Diego, Department | |
Proteomic evidence of microbial weathering processes beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet | 01.01.2016 | 31.12.2017 | University of Washington | School of Oceanography | |
Collaborative Research: Detecting Glacier Calving Events from Ocean Waves and Underwater Acoustics | 01.01.2017 | 31.12.2018 | University of California | University of California, San Diego, Department |