Articles | Volume 16, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-333-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-333-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Jan 2022
Research article |
| 25 Jan 2022
| 25 Jan 2022
Long-period variability in ice-dammed glacier outburst floods due to evolving catchment geometry
Amy Jenson
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717, USA
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska 99801, USA
Jason M. Amundson
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska 99801, USA
Jonathan Kingslake
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York 10964, USA
Eran Hood
Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska 99801, USA
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Water in some glacier environments contains salt, which increases its density and lowers its freezing point, allowing saline water to exist where freshwater cannot. Previous subglacial hydrology models do not consider saline fluid. We model the flow of saline fluid from a subglacial lake through a circular channel at the glacier bed, finding that higher salinities lead to less melting at the channel walls and lower discharge rates. We also observe the impact of increased fluid density on flow.
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Water in some glacier environments contains salt, which increases its density and lowers its freezing point, allowing saline water to exist where freshwater cannot. Previous subglacial hydrology models do not consider saline fluid. We model the flow of saline fluid from a subglacial lake through a circular channel at the glacier bed, finding that higher salinities lead to less melting at the channel walls and lower discharge rates. We also observe the impact of increased fluid density on flow.
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Firn is snow that has persisted for at least 1 full year on the surface of a glacier or ice sheet. It is an intermediate substance between snow and glacial ice. Firn compacts into glacial ice due to the weight of overlying snow and firn. The rate at which it compacts and the rate at which it is buried control how thick the firn layer is. We explore how this thickness depends on the rate of snow fall and how this dependence is controlled by the size of snow grains at the ice sheet surface.
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Short summary
Outburst floods are sudden releases of water from glacial environments. As glaciers retreat, changes in glacier and basin geometry impact outburst flood characteristics. We combine a glacier flow model describing glacier retreat with an outburst flood model to explore how ice dam height, glacier length, and remnant ice in a basin influence outburst floods. We find storage capacity is the greatest indicator of flood magnitude, and the flood onset mechanism is a significant indicator of duration.
Outburst floods are sudden releases of water from glacial environments. As glaciers retreat,...
