Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C514282/1
Impact of debris covers on mountain glacier melt rates using satellite and meteorological measurements.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor BW Brock, University of Dundee, Geography
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr M Kirkbride, University of Dundee, Energy Environment and Society
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr MEJ Cutler, University of Dundee, Energy Environment and Society
- Grant held at:
- University of Dundee, Geography
- Science Area:
- Freshwater
- Earth
- Atmospheric
- Overall Classification:
- Earth
- ENRIs:
- Natural Resource Management
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Boundary Layer Meteorology
- Hydrological Processes
- Glacial & Cryospheric Systems
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- Glaciers are permanent bodies of ice which are found in the cold polar and mountain regions of Earth, where the summer temperature does not rise high enough to melt all of the previous winter's snowfall. Many of the glaciers in the world's mountain regions have been shrinking and retreating over the past 100 years and most scientists believe this is due to global warming. There are several reasons why this trend is a cause for concern, for example glaciers are an important freshwater resource in many countries and furthermore the melting of mountain glaciers will cause global sea levels to rise which might lead to flooding in coastal areas. One consequence of mountain glacier retreat is an increase in the amount of rock debris lying on the surface of the glacier. This occurs because when a glacier retreats it loses its ability to transport rocks that fall onto the glacier from surrounding mountain slopes and causes the glacier surface to appear 'dirty' rather than the clean white or blue typical of glacier ice. As rock debris build up on the glacier surface they insulate the underlying ice from the heat in the atmosphere and slow down the rate at which the ice melts. The thicker the debris, the slower the underlying ice melts. This process could slow down the rate at which mountain glaciers are disappearing, but currently we do not know how thick the debris layers are, nor do we understand fully how effective debris are at insulating ice from atmospheric heat. In this project we plan to answer these questions based on a study in the Italian Alps, where there are several debris-covered glaciers. As it can be difficult and dangerous to measure debris thickness directly on glaciers we will develop a technique through which debris thickness can be extracted from satellite images. We will use thermal satellite images from a satellite sensor called ASTER to measure the debris layer surface temperature and then convert the images to maps of debris thickness using the relationship of debris surface temperature to debris thickness. We will compare the satellite maps with debris depth measurements we make directly on the glacier during fieldwork in summer 2005 to test how well the technique works. We will also set up an automatic weather station on the glacier to measure profiles of wind speed and temperature in the atmosphere directly above the debris, which will enable us to calculate the rate at which atmospheric heat is transferred between the atmosphere and the debris. The automatic weather station will also record the amount of energy arriving at the debris surface from the sun and atmosphere. On the glacier itself we will record the temperatures of the debris surface and debris base and the ice melt rate at 20 points, to measure how good the debris is at insulating the underlying ice, and also make measurements of humidity levels in the debris to calculate the rate of debris cooling due to meltwater evaporation. In combination, these measurements will enable us to develop a computer model which will calculate the rate at which sub-debris ice melts in response to weather conditions at the glacier.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C514282/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Small Grants Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Small Grants
This grant award has a total value of £27,056
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Other Costs | Total - Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| £4,511 | £62 | £22,483 |
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