Long-term shifts in feedbacks among glacier surface change, melt generation and runoff, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Bergstrom, Anna; Gooseff, Michael; Fountain, Andrew; Hoffman, Matthew

doi:10.1002/hyp.14292

Title: Long-term shifts in feedbacks among glacier surface change, melt generation and runoff, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Journal Article · 19 August 2021 · Hydrological Processes

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14292 · OSTI ID:1823761

^[1];

^[1]; Fountain, Andrew ^[2];

^[3]

Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO (United States). Inst. of Arctic and Alpine Research
Portland State Univ., OR (United States)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Glaciers of the McMurdo dry valleys (MDVs) Antarctica are the main source of streamflow in this polar desert. Because summer air temperatures hover near 0°C small changes in the energy balance strongly affect meltwater generation. In this work, we demonstrate that increased surface roughness, which alters the turbulent transfer of energy between the ice surface and atmosphere, yields a detectable increase in meltwater runoff. At low elevations on the glaciers, basin-like topography became significantly rougher over 13 years between repeat lidar surveys, yielding greater melt. In contrast, the smoother ice at higher elevation exhibited no detectable change in roughness. We pose a conceptual model of the cycle of glacier surface change as a result of climate forcing whereby glacier surfaces transition from being dominated by sublimation to becoming increasingly melt-dominated, which is reversible under prolonged cool periods. This research advances our understanding of warm season effects on polar glaciers.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: 89233218CNA000001

OSTI ID:: 1823761

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-21-28224

Journal Information:: Hydrological Processes, Journal Name: Hydrological Processes Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 35; ISSN 0885-6087

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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