Vertical extension of the subglacial drainage system into basal crevasses

Water plays a first-order role in basal sliding of glaciers and ice sheets and is often a key constituent of accelerated glacier motion. Subglacial water is known to occupy systems of cavities and conduits at the interface between ice and the underlying bed surface, depending upon the history of water input and the characteristics of the substrate. Full understanding of the extent and configuration of basal water is lacking, however, because direct observation is difficult. This limits our ability to simulate ice dynamics and the subsequent impacts on sea-level rise realistically. Here we show that the subglacial hydrological system can have a large volume of water occupying basal crevasses that extend upward from the bed into the overlying ice. Radar and seismic imaging combined with in situ borehole measurements collected on Bench Glacier, Alaska, reveal numerous water-filled basal crevasses with highly transmissive connections to the bed. Some crevasses extend many tens of metres above the bed and together they hold a volume of water equivalent to at least a decimetre layer covering the bed. Our results demonstrate that the basal hydrologic system can extend high into the overlying ice mass, where basal crevasses increase water-storage capacity and could potentially modulate basal water pressure. Because basal crevasses can form under commonly observed glaciological conditions, our findings have implications for interpreting and modelling subglacial hydrologic processes and related sliding accelerations of glaciers and ice sheets.     

Ice-sheet acceleration driven by melt supply variability

Increased ice velocities in Greenland are contributing significantly to eustatic sea level rise. Faster ice flow has been associated with ice-ocean interactions in water-terminating outlet glaciers and with increased surface meltwater supply to the ice-sheet bed inland. Observed correlations between surface melt and ice acceleration have raised the possibility of a positive feedback in which surface melting and accelerated dynamic thinning reinforce one another, suggesting that overall warming could lead to accelerated mass loss. Here I show that it is not simply mean surface melt but an increase in water input variability that drives faster ice flow. Glacier sliding responds to melt indirectly through changes in basal water pressure, with observations showing that water under glaciers drains through channels at low pressure or through interconnected cavities at high pressure. Using a model that captures the dynamic switching between channel and cavity drainage modes, I show that channelization and glacier deceleration rather than acceleration occur above a critical rate of water flow. Higher rates of steady water supply can therefore suppress rather than enhance dynamic thinning, indicating that the melt/dynamic thinning feedback is not universally operational. Short-term increases in water input are, however, accommodated by the drainage system through temporary spikes in water pressure. It is these spikes that lead to ice acceleration, which is therefore driven by strong diurnal melt cycles and an increase in rain and surface lake drainage events rather than an increase in mean melt supply.     

基于离散裂缝模型的复杂裂缝系统水平井动态分析

针对目前人工压裂裂缝存在倾斜、分支及不对称分布等情况,提出复杂裂缝系统下水平井渗流数值计算方法。首先对裂缝系统进行显式处理,分别建立基岩和复杂裂缝系统的数学模型,利用有限元方法对模型进行求解,并基于离散裂缝模型对裂缝系统进行显式降维处理,以减少数值计算量。与Odeh和Zerzar模型对比验证数值算法的正确性,并对复杂裂缝系统下的水平井进行计算。结果表明:压裂水平井除常见的4种流动形态(不包括外边界),早期还可能存在裂缝内的径向流动;定产量生产时早期裂缝内径向流动不再出现,且外部裂缝产量所占比例增大;水平井定井底流压生产时,裂缝分支增加了储层改造体积,能大幅度提高压裂水平井产量。     

Antarctic ice-sheet loss driven by basal melting of ice shelves

Accurate prediction of global sea-level rise requires that we understand the cause of recent, widespread and intensifying glacier acceleration along Antarctic ice-sheet coastal margins. Atmospheric and oceanic forcing have the potential to reduce the thickness and extent of floating ice shelves, potentially limiting their ability to buttress the flow of grounded tributary glaciers. Indeed, recent ice-shelf collapse led to retreat and acceleration of several glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula. But the extent and magnitude of ice-shelf thickness change, the underlying causes of such change, and its link to glacier flow rate are so poorly understood that its future impact on the ice sheets cannot yet be predicted. Here we use satellite laser altimetry and modelling of the surface firn layer to reveal the circum-Antarctic pattern of ice-shelf thinning through increased basal melt. We deduce that this increased melt is the primary control of Antarctic ice-sheet loss, through a reduction in buttressing of the adjacent ice sheet leading to accelerated glacier flow. The highest thinning rates occur where warm water at depth can access thick ice shelves via submarine troughs crossing the continental shelf. Wind forcing could explain the dominant patterns of both basal melting and the surface melting and collapse of Antarctic ice shelves, through ocean upwelling in the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas, and atmospheric warming on the Antarctic Peninsula. This implies that climate forcing through changing winds influences Antarctic ice-sheet mass balance, and hence global sea level, on annual to decadal timescales.     

Rapid discharge connects Antarctic subglacial lakes

The existence of many subglacial lakes provides clear evidence for the widespread presence of water beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet, but the hydrology beneath this ice mass is poorly understood. Such knowledge is critical to understanding ice flow, basal water transfer to the ice margin, glacial landform development and subglacial lake habitats. Here we present ice-sheet surface elevation changes in central East Antarctica that we interpret to represent rapid discharge from a subglacial lake. Our observations indicate that during a period of 16 months, 1.8 km3 of water was transferred over 290 km to at least two other subglacial lakes. While viscous deformation of the ice roof above may moderate discharge, the intrinsic instability of such a system suggests that discharge events are a common mode of basal drainage. If large lakes, such as Lake Vostok or Lake Concordia, are pressurizing, it is possible that substantial discharges could reach the coast. Our observations conflict with expectations that subglacial lakes have long residence times and slow circulations, and we suggest that entire subglacial drainage basins may be flushed periodically. The rapid transfer of water between lakes would result in large-scale solute and microbe relocation, and drainage system contamination from in situ exploration is, therefore, a distinct risk.     

The hydrologic cycle in deep-time climate problems

Hydrology refers to the whole panoply of effects the water molecule has on climate and on the land surface during its journey there and back again between ocean and atmosphere. On its way, it is cycled through vapour, cloud water, snow, sea ice and glacier ice, as well as acting as a catalyst for silicate-carbonate weathering reactions governing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Because carbon dioxide affects the hydrologic cycle through temperature, climate is a pas des deux between carbon dioxide and water, with important guest appearances by surface ice cover.     

Large fluctuations in speed on Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier

It is important to understand recent changes in the velocity of Greenland glaciers because the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet is partly determined by the flow rates of these outlets. Jakobshavn Isbrae is Greenland's largest outlet glacier, draining about 6.5 per cent of the ice-sheet area, and it has been surveyed repeatedly since 1991 (ref. 2). Here we use remote sensing data to measure the velocity of Jakobshavn Isbrae between 1992 and 2003. We detect large variability of the velocity over time, including a slowing down from 6,700 m yr(-1) in 1985 to 5,700 m yr(-1) in 1992, and a subsequent speeding up to 9,400 m yr(-1) by 2000 and 12,600 m yr(-1) in 2003. These changes are consistent with earlier evidence for thickening of the glacier in the early 1990s and rapid thinning thereafter. Our observations indicate that fast-flowing glaciers can significantly alter ice discharge at sub-decadal timescales, with at least a potential to respond rapidly to a changing climate.     

基于SAR影像估计慕士塔格峰地区冰川速度场

冰川速度是冰川学研究中的一个重要参数,遥感方法为获取冰川表面速度提供了一种有效的手段。由于慕士塔格峰地区常年有云覆盖,不能为速度提取提供足够多数量的光学影像。但是,基于SAR影像对偏移量的提取算法为该地区冰川流速的测量提供了一个有效的途径。分别获取两幅雷达影像(ALOS/PALSAR)距离向和方位向的偏移,通过信噪比和相关系数选择可信点,然后通过整体拟合的方法去除雷达图像整体偏移,得到与冰川运动相关的偏移信号,首次得到了慕士塔格峰地区冰川表面完整的速度分布情况,依据该地区的速度大小分布特点,对慕士塔格峰四周冰川进行了划分。并进一步分别分析了该地区冰川在距离向和方位向速度大小与地形的关系,表明速度的大小与地形具有直接的相关性。结果表明,基于SAR影像对的偏移量测量为冰川研究提供了一个有效的方法和手段。     

Melt-induced speed-up of Greenland ice sheet offset by efficient subglacial drainage

Fluctuations in surface melting are known to affect the speed of glaciers and ice sheets, but their impact on the Greenland ice sheet in a warming climate remains uncertain. Although some studies suggest that greater melting produces greater ice-sheet acceleration, others have identified a long-term decrease in Greenland's flow despite increased melting. Here we use satellite observations of ice motion recorded in a land-terminating sector of southwest Greenland to investigate the manner in which ice flow develops during years of markedly different melting. Although peak rates of ice speed-up are positively correlated with the degree of melting, mean summer flow rates are not, because glacier slowdown occurs, on average, when a critical run-off threshold of about 1.4?centimetres a day is exceeded. In contrast to the first half of summer, when flow is similar in all years, speed-up during the latter half is 62?±?16 per cent less in warmer years. Consequently, in warmer years, the period of fast ice flow is three times shorter and, overall, summer ice flow is slower. This behaviour is at odds with that expected from basal lubrication alone. Instead, it mirrors that of mountain glaciers, where melt-induced acceleration of flow ceases during years of high melting once subglacial drainage becomes efficient. A model of ice-sheet flow that captures switching between cavity and channel drainage modes is consistent with the run-off threshold, fast-flow periods, and later-summer speeds we have observed. Simulations of the Greenland ice-sheet flow under climate warming scenarios should account for the dynamic evolution of subglacial drainage; a simple model of basal lubrication alone misses key aspects of the ice sheet's response to climate warming.     

Water transport in plants obeys Murray's law

The optimal water transport system in plants should maximize hydraulic conductance (which is proportional to photosynthesis) for a given investment in transport tissue. To investigate how this optimum may be achieved, we have performed computer simulations of the hydraulic conductance of a branched transport system. Here we show that the optimum network is not achieved by the commonly assumed pipe model of plant form, or its antecedent, da Vinci's rule. In these representations, the number and area of xylem conduits is constant at every branch rank. Instead, the optimum network has a minimum number of wide conduits at the base that feed an increasing number of narrower conduits distally. This follows from the application of Murray's law, which predicts the optimal taper of blood vessels in the cardiovascular system. Our measurements of plant xylem indicate that these conduits conform to the Murray's law optimum as long as they do not function additionally as supports for the plant body.     

Mineral deformation and subglacial processes on ice-bedrock interface of Hailuogou Glacier

Hailuogou Glacier is located in a warm and humid maritime environment. It is large and moves very fast. The bottom of the glacier slides intensively and the temperature at the bottom approaches the pressure melting point. Therefore, there are abundant melting water and debris which act as effective ＂grinding tools＂ for glacial abrasion. Polarizing microscope is used to observe the mineral deformation characteristics on the ice-bedrock interface. It is found that feldspar, quartz, hornblende and biotite are exposed to deformation, fracture and chemical alteration to various extents. Bending deformation is common for biotite, due to their lattice characteristics, and the bending orientations are mostly the same as the glacier flow. Bending deformation also occurs in a few hornblendes. High-angle tension fracture and low-angle shear fracture are common for quartz and feldspar, some of them are totally crushed （mylonizations） due to their rigidity. Thus, all the abrasion, quarrying, subglacial water action and subglacial dissolution processes at the bottom of the glacier are verified at the micro-scale level. Mineral deformation and fracture are the basic subglacial erosion mechanisms. The abrasion thickness is 30-90 μm for each time and the average is 50 μm. Most of the debris are silt produced by glacial abrasion. The extent of mineral deformation and fracture decreases drastically downwards beneath the bedrock surface. The estimated erosion rate is about 2.2-11.4 mm/a, which is similar to that of other maritime alpine glaciers, smaller than that of large-scale piedmont glaciers in Alaska （10-30 mm/a）, and larger than that of continental glaciers （0.1-1.0 mm/a）. The type and size of a glacier are the main factors that influence its erosion rate.     

DINSAR measurement of glacier motion in Antarctic Grove Mountain

Grove Mountain is an important nunatak region on East Antarctic Glacier that blocks the ice flow to- ward Lambert Glacier. The existence of nunataks and subglacial mountains leads to complex ice flow patterns, which are difficult to be measured by conventional ground-based methods. In this study, several JERS-1 and ERS-1/2 SAR images covering this area are used for 3-pass and 4-pass differential interferometric processing. The ice flow field of Grove Mountain and the eastern zone are derived and validated with related knowledge. The research shows that DINSAR is an effective method for meas- uring complex ice flow in Antarctic inland glacier. L-band DINSAR is more suitable for mid or fast ice flow than C-band over this region.     

Quick ice mass loss and abrupt retreat of the maritime glaciers in the Kangri Karpo Mountains,southeast Tibetan Plateau

The maritime glaciers are sensitive to climate change because of high annual precipitation and high air temperature in the region. A combined comprehensive study was carried out based on glacier mass balance observation, GPS-based glacier terminus position survey, glacier Ground Penetrating Radar, topography maps and RS satellite images in the Kangri Karpo Mountains, Southeast Tibet. The study revealed a strong ice mass loss and quick glacier retreat since the 1970s. Ata Glacier, one glacier from the south slope of the Kangri Karpo Mountains, has formed a 6-km-long terminal moraine zone at the end of the glacier since the 1970s, and the accelerating retreat is largely due to the strong glacier surface melting. Mass balance study on the other four glaciers on the northern side of the Kangri Karpo Mountains shows that they are in large negative mass balance and the glaciers had retreated 15--19 m from May 2006 to May 2007. The in-situ glacier observation also shows that the glacier retreat is more obvious in small glaciers. The enhanced ice mass deficit caused by climate warming and the ongoing extinction of many small glaciers in this region could seriously affect the water resources, environ- ments, local climate and regional sustainable development in the near future.     

阿尼玛卿山多次冰川滑塌链式灾害过程梳理与展望

冰川滑塌是近年来涌现的一种新形式冰川灾害．21世纪以来，青藏高原地区发生10多起冰川滑塌事件，其中高原东北部阿尼玛卿山晓玛沟冰川分别在2004、2007、2016和2019年连续发生4次．利用多序列遥感影像和现有资料的整合统计对近35年来晓玛沟冰川形态、流速特征等进行分析，厘清了4次冰川滑塌事件发生的诱因以及潜在的隐患点．结果表明，4次冰川滑塌发生前期的冰川跃动或末端前进、冰川后缘冰-岩崩、异常高温降水、易于滑动产生的基岩性质等与冰川滑塌事件的发生密切相关．观察到冰川后缘陡坡区在2000—2011年间发生4次规模较大的冰-岩崩，为多次冰川滑塌的发生提供了物质和动力基础．未来几年内再次发生冰川滑塌的可能性极大．2019年冰川滑塌发生后，晓玛沟冰川再次向前滑动；近年来，冰川后缘新发育的不稳定斜坡冰裂隙发育明显增多；斜坡冰流速的变化与下部冰川稳定性之间存在内在联系，在冰川滑塌发生的相关年份斜坡冰流速明显较快．根据对阿尼玛卿山4次冰川滑塌诱因的分析以及新隐患点的判定，提出结合遥感影像和临近气象站点资料的便易手段，加强对晓玛沟内冰川形态和运动特征等的监测，以及时关注和预测未来灾害的发生．      

基于无人机技术的藏东南帕隆4号冰川表面高程和运动速度变化研究

应用无人机技术，采用后差分测量（post processed kinematic，PPK）方法替代传统控制点的方法，对藏东南帕隆4号冰川消融区进行了航测，获得了2017—2018年3期高精度正射影像（DOM）、数字表面模型（DSM）和三维点云数据；分析了该冰川航测区内表面高程变化、运动速度空间差异和冰川微地貌特征等. 结果表明:PPK测量技术应用效果良好，无人机产品水平和垂直精度分别约为0.11和0.17 m；帕隆4号冰川消融区表面高程变化量呈现随海拔升高而降低的空间分布规律，冰川冰体整体减薄4.06 m；冰川表面运动速度随海拔升高而增大，呈现冰川中流线区域略快于两侧的空间分布特征；冰川表面地貌特征随海拔由高到低呈现趋于“平滑”的变化规律. 此外，还探究了无人机技术在冰川变化研究中的潜力，为未来利用无人机开展更大范围冰川变化的研究提供了有益经验.      

Physical, chemical and biological processes in Lake Vostok and other Antarctic subglacial lakes.

Over 70 lakes have now been identified beneath the Antarctic ice sheet. Although water from none of the lakes has been sampled directly, analysis of lake ice frozen (accreted) to the underside of the ice sheet above Lake Vostok, the largest of these lakes, has allowed inferences to be made on lake water chemistry and has revealed small quantities of microbes. These findings suggest that Lake Vostok is an extreme, yet viable, environment for life. All subglacial lakes are subject to high pressure (approximately 350 atmospheres), low temperatures (about -3 degrees C) and permanent darkness. Any microbes present must therefore use chemical sources to power biological processes. Importantly, dissolved oxygen is available at least at the lake surface, from equilibration with air hydrates released from melting basal glacier ice. Microbes found in Lake Vostok's accreted ice are relatively modern, but the probability of ancient lake-floor sediments leads to a possibility of a very old biota at the base of subglacial lakes.     

天山冰川与塔克拉玛干风沙沉积的颗粒特征和分异过程分析

通过对比天山阿拉沟冰碛及冰水扇和塔中沙丘砂的颗粒特征, 探讨其搬运与堆积分异过程。研究表明: 冰川沉积粉砂颗粒占相对优势, 砂颗粒次之, 黏土颗粒最少, 且石英砂表面出现较多的多棱角、棱脊磨损、大贝壳断口、撞击深坑等反映冰川底部强烈挤压研磨动力的特征。冰水沉积颗粒特征与冰川沉积相似, 粉砂仍是优势组分, 石英砂表面显微特征显示轻微的流水改造。风沙沉积中砂颗粒占绝对优势, 石英砂表面出现较多次圆?圆边缘、碟形坑、不规则小麻坑等风力作用特征, 且有少量大贝壳状断口、裂纹、棱脊磨损等冰川作用痕迹, 以及V形坑等流水作用痕迹。推测冰碛物为塔克拉玛干沙漠重要物源之一, 冰碛物中的粉砂为塔里木盆地边缘黄土的主要提供者。     

Simultaneous teleseismic and geodetic observations of the stick-slip motion of an Antarctic ice stream

Long-period seismic sources associated with glacier motion have been recently discovered, and an increase in ice flow over the past decade has been suggested on the basis of secular changes in such measurements. Their significance, however, remains uncertain, as a relationship to ice flow has not been confirmed by direct observation. Here we combine long-period surface-wave observations with simultaneous Global Positioning System measurements of ice displacement to study the tidally modulated stick-slip motion of the Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica. The seismic origin time corresponds to slip nucleation at a region of the bed of the Whillans Ice Stream that is likely stronger than in surrounding regions and, thus, acts like an 'asperity' in traditional fault models. In addition to the initial pulse, two seismic arrivals occurring 10-23 minutes later represent stopping phases as the slip terminates at the ice stream edge and the grounding line. Seismic amplitude and average rupture velocity are correlated with tidal amplitude for the different slip events during the spring-to-neap tidal cycle. Although the total seismic moment calculated from ice rigidity, slip displacement, and rupture area is equivalent to an earthquake of moment magnitude seven (M(w) 7), seismic amplitudes are modest (M(s) 3.6-4.2), owing to the source duration of 20-30 minutes. Seismic radiation from ice movement is proportional to the derivative of the moment rate function at periods of 25-100 seconds and very long-period radiation is not detected, owing to the source geometry. Long-period seismic waves are thus useful for detecting and studying sudden ice movements but are insensitive to the total amount of slip.     

Constraints on hydrothermal processes and water exchange in Lake Vostok from helium isotopes

Lake Vostok, the largest subglacial lake in Antarctica, is covered by the East Antarctic ice sheet, which varies in thickness between 3,750 and 4,100 m (ref. 1). At a depth of 3,539 m in the drill hole at Vostok station, sharp changes in stable isotopes and the gas content of the ice delineate the boundary between glacier ice and ice accreted through re-freezing of lake water. Unlike most gases, helium can be incorporated into the crystal structure of ice during freezing, making helium isotopes in the accreted ice a valuable source of information on lake environment. Here we present helium isotope measurements from the deep section of the Vostok ice core that encompasses the boundary between the glacier ice and accreted ice, showing that the accreted ice is enriched by a helium source with a radiogenic isotope signature typical of an old continental province. This result rules out any significant hydrothermal energy input into the lake from high-enthalpy mantle processes, which would be expected to produce a much higher 3He/4He ratio. Based on the average helium flux for continental areas, the helium budget of the lake leads to a renewal time of the lake of the order of 5,000 years.     

Numerical simulation of Urumqi Glacier No. 1 in the eastern Tianshan, central Asia from 2005 to 2070

Due to climate changes, most of the alpine glaciers have retreated dramatically during the past decades. Thus it is significant to predict the alpine glacier variability in the future for a better understanding of the impact of climate changes on water resource. In this paper, we perform the numerical simulation on Urumqi Glacier No.1 in the eastern Tianshan, central Asia (hereafter Glacier No.1 for short) by considering both the mass balance and ice flow. Given the shape of the Glacier No.1, the velocity of the glacier is obtained by solving a two-dimensional nonlinear Stokes equation and simulated result is in agreement with the observation. In order to predict the variability of Glacier No.1 in the next decades, a climatic scenario is constructed with a temperature rise rate as 0.17°C/10 a and precipitation as constant during the period of 2005-2070. The simulation shows that, the glacier terminus will retreat slowly and the glacier will thin dramatically before 2040, while after year 2040, the glacier terminus retreat will accelerate. This study confirms the increasing retreat rate of alpine glaciers under global warming.