Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used extensively to determine the surface ice flow velocity of tidewater glaciers and investigate changes in seasonal or annual ice dynamics at medium spatial resolution (⩾100 m). However, assessing tidewater glacier behaviour at these resolutions risks missin...
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Cambridge University Press
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000637/type/journal_article |
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| author | Dominik Fahrner Pablo J. González Douglas W. F. Mair James M. Lea |
| author_facet | Dominik Fahrner Pablo J. González Douglas W. F. Mair James M. Lea |
| author_sort | Dominik Fahrner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used extensively to determine the surface ice flow velocity of tidewater glaciers and investigate changes in seasonal or annual ice dynamics at medium spatial resolution (⩾100 m). However, assessing tidewater glacier behaviour at these resolutions risks missing key details of glacier dynamics, which is particularly important for determination of strain rates that relate to crevasse formation, depth, and ice damage. Here we present surface ice velocity and strain maps with a 16 m posting derived from high-resolution (1 m) PAZ Ciencia spotlight mode SAR imagery for Narsap Sermia, SW Greenland, for October 2019 to February 2021. Results reveal fine details in strain rate, including an area of compression proximal to the terminus, with an upstream shift of strains through time. The velocity evolution of Narsap Sermia shows distinct seasonal changes starting in summer 2020, which are largely modulated by the subglacial drainage system. Comparison of our results with medium-resolution velocity products shows that while these can capture general strain and velocity patterns, our high-resolution data reveals considerably larger ranges of strain values. This is likely to have implications for tuning strain rate dependent calving and ice damage parameterisations within numerical models. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-358c6120056a4bf38b843f8a41df1b24 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
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| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj-art-358c6120056a4bf38b843f8a41df1b242025-01-16T21:47:24ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522024-01-017010.1017/jog.2024.63Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciersDominik Fahrner0Pablo J. González1Douglas W. F. Mair2James M. Lea3Department of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Earth, Ocean and Ecological Sciences, COMET, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK Department of Life and Earth Sciences, Volcanology Research Group, Institute of Natural Products and Agrobiology, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), La Laguna, SpainDepartment of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKDepartment of Geography and Planning, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UKSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used extensively to determine the surface ice flow velocity of tidewater glaciers and investigate changes in seasonal or annual ice dynamics at medium spatial resolution (⩾100 m). However, assessing tidewater glacier behaviour at these resolutions risks missing key details of glacier dynamics, which is particularly important for determination of strain rates that relate to crevasse formation, depth, and ice damage. Here we present surface ice velocity and strain maps with a 16 m posting derived from high-resolution (1 m) PAZ Ciencia spotlight mode SAR imagery for Narsap Sermia, SW Greenland, for October 2019 to February 2021. Results reveal fine details in strain rate, including an area of compression proximal to the terminus, with an upstream shift of strains through time. The velocity evolution of Narsap Sermia shows distinct seasonal changes starting in summer 2020, which are largely modulated by the subglacial drainage system. Comparison of our results with medium-resolution velocity products shows that while these can capture general strain and velocity patterns, our high-resolution data reveals considerably larger ranges of strain values. This is likely to have implications for tuning strain rate dependent calving and ice damage parameterisations within numerical models.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000637/type/journal_articleArctic glaciologyice dynamicsice velocityiceberg calvingremote sensing |
| spellingShingle | Dominik Fahrner Pablo J. González Douglas W. F. Mair James M. Lea Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers Journal of Glaciology Arctic glaciology ice dynamics ice velocity iceberg calving remote sensing |
| title | Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| title_full | Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| title_fullStr | Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| title_short | Implications of high-resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of Greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| title_sort | implications of high resolution velocity and strain rate observations for modelling of greenlandic tidewater glaciers |
| topic | Arctic glaciology ice dynamics ice velocity iceberg calving remote sensing |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143024000637/type/journal_article |
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