We investigate the evolution of snow temperature, water content, density and stable water isotopes of δ18O at four Arctic snow-pit sites during early-season melt, in order to understand the effects of melt on snowpack stratigraphies and seasonal isotopic signals. We relate isotopic changes observed at these sites to temperature reconstructions derived from a 33 year firn-core record drilled on the same icefield. Decreases in seasonal isotopic amplitudes observed at all but one snow-pit site coincide with the percolation of more enriched meltwater into the snowpack, suggesting that meltwater percolation is the dominant process causing isotopic redistribution in Arctic snowpacks during the melt season. The decrease in isotopic range was accompanied by increases in mean δ18O values at all snow-pit sites. Positive degree-day (PDD) calculations are used to relate the amount of melt observed at the low-elevation snow-pit sites to the firn-core site. Results based on PDD values suggest an average overestimation of 1.1°C in average annual temperature reconstructions from the firn-core site from 1967 to 2006, with the possibility of errors in excess of 3°C during high-melt years.

On uncrevassed regions of polythermal glaciers, englacial conduits can form by incision of supraglacial stream channels followed by roof closure. The origin and evolution of examples in Longyearbreen, Svalbard, and Khumbu Glacier, Nepal, were determined by speleological survey. The development of perennial incised channels requires that incision is significantly faster than glacier surface ablation, and thus will be favoured by high meltwater discharges in combination with cool climatic conditions or thick debris cover. Incised canyons can become blocked by drifted winter snow, refrozen meltwater, ice rafting from non-local sources (allochthonous breccias) and roof collapses (autochthonous breccias). Conduit closure can also occur in response to ice creep, particularly at depth. Following isolation from the surface, englacial conduits continue to evolve by vadose incision down to local base level. In the case of Longyearbreen, incision allowed the channel to reach the glacier bed, but on Khumbu Glacier deep incision is prevented because an effectively impermeable terminal moraine provides a high base level for the glacier drainage system. During our period of observations, deeper parts of the Longyearbreen conduit became blocked by a combination of ice accumulation and creep, causing the stream course to be re-routed to higher levels. On that glacier, incision, blockage and upward re-routing are cyclic. We conclude that ‘cut and closure’ is the dominant mechanism of englacial conduit formation on uncrevassed regions of polythermal glaciers.

Subgrain boundaries revealed as shallow sublimation grooves on ice sample surfaces are a direct and easily observable feature of intracrystalline deformation and recrystallization. Statistical data obtained from the EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML) deep ice core drilled in East Antarctica cannot detect a depth region of increased subgrain-boundary formation. Grain-boundary morphologies show a strong influence of internal strain energy on the microstructure at all depths. The data do not support the classical view of a change of dominating recrystallization regimes with depth. Three major types of subgrain boundaries, reflecting high mechanical anisotropy, are specified in combination with crystal-orientation analysis.

We report impedance measurements of the complex dielectric permittivity ε = ε′ − jε″ of sea ice and laboratory-grown NaCl single crystals using 50 MHz Stevens Water Monitoring Systems Hydra Probes. Temperature cycling of the single-crystal samples shows hydrohalite precipitation, and hysteresis in ε′ and ε″ qualitatively consistent with the expected evolution of brine-inclusion microstructure. Measurements parallel and perpendicular to intra-crystalline brine layers show weak (<10%) anisotropy in ε′ and a 20–40% difference in ε″ due to enhanced d.c. conductivity along the layers. Measurements in landfast, first-year ice near Barrow, Alaska, USA, indicate brine motion in warming ice as the brine volume fraction vb increases above 5%. Plots of vb derived from salinity profiles against ε′ and ε″ for these and previous measurements display too much variability between datasets for unguided inversion of vb. Contributing to this variability are intrinsic microstructural dependence, uncertainties in vb, and sub-representative sample volumes. A standard model of sea-ice permittivity is inverted to derive the apparent brine-inclusion aspect ratio and bulk d.c. conductivity at a spatial scale complementary to previous measurements. We assess Hydra Probe performance in high-salinity environments and conclude that they are not generally suited for autonomous sea-ice salinity measurements, partly due to the range of relevant brine pocket inclusion length scales.

Recurring jökulhlaups from ice-dammed lakes often form irregular time sequences that are seemingly unpredictable. Using the flood dates of Merzbacher Lake, Kyrgyzstan, as an example, we study these sequences through a model of lake filling and drainage where flood events initiate at a threshold water depth. Even with a constant threshold, model simulation can explain key aspects of the Merzbacher flood sequence. General analysis of model dynamics reveals a pacing mechanism that links one flood to the next, and which may be represented mathematically as an iterative map. This theory clarifies how environmental factors govern the long-term pattern of flood timings and their frequency distribution in the year. A reconstruction of the past level of Merzbacher Lake also suggests that its flood-initiation threshold decreases with the rate of lake-level rise. These results may help us understand how to forecast future outbursts from jökulhlaup lakes.

We describe a parallel-probe saturation profiler (PPSP) for accurate and fast profiling of liquid-water saturations in a snowpack. This device utilizes the absorption of electrical energy, by water molecules under the action of an external electric field, due to instantaneous rotations from initially random orientations to the orientation of the applied electric field. Our observations show that the height of first peak signal (HFPS), i.e. the difference between the maxima and minima in the PPSP signal-response time series, is proportional to the liquid-water content and the water saturation of snow. The HFPS corresponding to different liquid-water contents were obtained from various naturally occurring snow types and were observed to be proportional to the water saturation of the snow, irrespective of snow types. For simultaneous measurements at corresponding depths in a snowpack, a position encoder supports the PPSP. This device was calibrated for various types of snow samples and was then tested on the snow covers under different climatic zones of the Himalaya. The operation of the PPSP is easy and fast. The distribution of liquid water within a large snow cover can be estimated speedily using the PPSP, with a vertical resolution of 7 mm.

In summer 2005, two pilot snow/firn cores were obtained at 5365 and 5206 m a.s.l. on Fedchenko glacier, Pamirs, Tajikistan, the world’s longest and deepest alpine glacier. The well-defined seasonal layering appearing in stable-isotope and trace element distribution identified the physical links controlling the climate and aerosol concentration signals. Air temperature and humidity/precipitation were the primary determinants of stable-isotope ratios. Most precipitation over the Pamirs originated in the Atlantic. In summer, water vapor was re-evaporated from semi-arid regions in central Eurasia. The semi-arid regions contribute to non-soluble aerosol loading in snow accumulated on Fedchenko glacier. In the Pamir core, concentrations of rare earth elements, major and other elements were less than those in the Tien Shan but greater than those in Antarctica, Greenland, the Alps and the Altai. The content of heavy metals in the Fedchenko cores is 2–14 times lower than in the Altai glaciers. Loess from Afghan–Tajik deposits is the predominant lithogenic material transported to the Pamirs. Trace elements generally showed that aerosol concentration tended to increase on the windward slopes during dust storms but tended to decrease with altitude under clear conditions. The trace element profile documented one of the most severe droughts in the 20th century.

Basal radar reflectivity is the most important measurement for the detection of subglacial water. However, dielectric loss in the overlying ice column complicates the determination of basal reflectivity. Dielectric attenuation is a function of ice temperature and impurity concentration. Temperature distribution is a function of climate history, basal heat flow and vertical strain rate, all of which can be partially inferred from the structure of dated internal layers. Using 11 dated layers, isotope records from Dome C, East Antarctica, and a model of the spatial variation of geothermal flux, we calculate the vertical strain rate and accumulation-rate history, allowing identification of areas where the basal melt rate exceeds 1.5 mm a−1. The accumulation-rate history and vertical strain rates are then used as inputs for a transient temperature model. The model outputs for the present-day temperature distribution are then combined with depth-dependent ionic concentrations to model dielectric loss and infer basal reflectivity. The resulting reflection coefficients are consistent (∼−5 dB) across a variety of subglacial water bodies. We also identify a high reflectivity >−15 dB in Concordia Trench and along suspected subglacial water-flow routes in Vincennes Basin. Highland areas tend to have highly variable reflection coefficients near −30 dB, consistent with an ice–bedrock interface. This combined model also identifies three areas of enhanced basal melting along Concordia Ridge, Concordia Subglacial Lake and Vincennes Basin. Melt at Concordia Subglacial Lake exceeds 5 mm a−1. The inferred basal melt at these locations is not possible without enhanced geothermal flux. We demonstrate how radar-sounding data can provide both input and verification for a self-consistent model of vertical strain, vertical temperature distribution and meltwater distribution.

Near-surface air temperature (2 m) over the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is parameterized using data from automatic weather stations located on land and on the ice sheet. The parameterization is expressed in terms of mean annual temperatures and mean July temperatures, both depending linearly on altitude, latitude and longitude. The temperature parameterization is compared to a previous study and is shown to be in better agreement with observations. The temperature parameterization is tested in a positive degree-day model to simulate the present (1996–2006) mean melt area extent of the GrIS. The model accounts for firn warming, rainfall and refreezing of meltwater, with different degree-day factors for ice and snow under warm and cold climate conditions. The simulated melt area extent is found to have reasonable agreement with satellite-derived observations.

Estimates of glacier mass balance using geodetic methods can differ significantly from estimates using direct glaciological field-based measurements. To determine if such differences are real or methodological, there is a need to improve uncertainty estimates in both methods. In this paper, we focus on the uncertainty of geodetic methods and describe a geostatistical technique that takes into account the spatial correlation of the elevation differences when calculating spatially averaged elevation changes. We apply this method to the western Svartisen ice cap, Norway, using elevation differences from the surrounding bedrock derived from stereophotogrammetry. We show that the uncertainty is not only dependent on the standard error of the individual elevation differences but is also dependent on the size of the averaging area and the scale of the spatial correlation. To assess if the geostatistical analysis made over bedrock is applicable to glacier surfaces, we use concurrent photogrammetrical and laser scanning data from bedrock and a range of glacier surfaces to evaluate the dependency of the geostatistical analysis on the surface type. The estimated geodetic mass balance, and its uncertainty, is −2.6 ± 0.9 m w.e. for the period 1968–85, and −2.0 ± 2.2 m w.e. for 1985–2002.

In January 2000 nine snow sensors were deployed in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, along a 355 km transect from Kvitkuven near the shelf edge via the Finnish research station, Aboa, to the Amundsenisen plateau. The purpose was to test a sensor system for spatio-temporal variations in temperature across the snow–air interface and snow accumulation/ablation, which includes atmospheric net balance and migrating snow dunes. In the dry snow conditions, environmental static electricity interfered with data transfer; several sensors were disabled early, while the longest record reached 6 months. Along the main transect, the year 2000 mass balance ranged from 52 to 221 mm w.e., largely following spatial patterns seen by other researchers. The level increased toward the edge of the ice sheet; unloading of drifting snow as the slope flattens, rather than increased snowfall as previously thought, may be responsible for this. At the Högisen ice dome site the mass balance was 897 mm w.e., possibly due to unloading of wind-blown snow, as katabatic winds are locally forced uphill. This mechanism is important to maintain such topographic features along the Antarctic ice sheet margin. Major precipitation events occurred at 3–5 week intervals and much of the precipitation fell before mid-June. The daily signal in temperature disappeared after the autumn equinox, then the spectrum displayed a broad peak at synoptic frequencies. Potential temperature decreased towards the shelf edge, displaying a pattern consistent with strong inversions and suggesting that strong evaporative cooling is associated with the katabatic winds.

An accurate three-dimensional reduced model (shallow-ice approximation) flow with velocity depending on all three spatial coordinates is constructed for the commonly adopted isotropic viscous law with temperature-dependent rate factor. The solution is for steady flow with a prescribed temperature distribution, but can be extended to flow with a coupled energy balance, and to unsteady flow. The accuracy hinges on the reduction to a two-point ordinary differential equation problem for the surface profile, on an unknown span, for which established accurate numerical methods are available. This is achieved by setting one horizontal velocity component in elliptic cylindrical coordinates to zero, but the other two components depend on all three spatial variables. While not of direct physical interest, such an ‘exact’ solution is valuable as a test solution for the large-scale numerical codes commonly used in ice-sheet modelling, which have not yet been subjected to such a comparison.

We present results from cold-laboratory observations of changes in isotopic (δ18O and δD) content by sublimation in snow and ice samples under nearly isothermal conditions. The results show large increases in observed δ18O and δD in snow samples within several centimeters of the surface. They contradict the assumption of a non-changing isotopic content due to layer-by-layer transport mechanisms driven by sublimation/desublimation processes. The data also do not support the idea that isotopic changes of snow and firn are limited by the possibility that the ice matrix incorporates the atmospheric water vapor and that forced water-vapor diffusion in the pore space (wind pumping) is a requirement for isotopic content change. The observations show that sublimation from ice samples results in much lower increases in heavy-isotope content in the first several millimetres near the sublimating surface over the same time period, despite sublimation intensities similar to those of the snow samples. The results suggest that continuous phase transitions inside snow (recrystallization) are the process responsible for the isotopic content change because they are the primary mass-exchange mechanism between the snow mass and the surrounding environment. Modeling the isotopic content of the ice matrix therefore requires inclusion of a two-stage process: fractionation at the ice-matrix surface due to repetitive phase transitions, and fractionation due to preferable diffusion of light water isotopes in the pore space. For interpretation of the observed natural isotopic profiles in snow, the first process can be linked to the time a snow layer undergoes recrystallization, while the second process is related to the total ice/snow mass gain/loss determined by the external environmental conditions.

Broadband radiation schemes (parameterizations) are commonly used tools in glacier mass-balance modelling, but their performance at high altitude in the tropics has not been evaluated in detail. Here we take advantage of a high-quality 2 year record of global radiation (G ) and incoming longwave radiation (L ↓) measured on Kersten Glacier, Kilimanjaro, East Africa, at 5873 m a.s.l., to optimize parameterizations of G and L ↓. We show that the two radiation terms can be related by an effective cloud-cover fraction neff , so G or L ↓ can be modelled based on neff derived from measured L ↓ or G, respectively. At neff = 1, G is reduced to 35% of clear-sky G, and L ↓ increases by 45–65% (depending on altitude) relative to clear-sky L ↓. Validation for a 1 year dataset of G and L ↓ obtained at 4850 m on Glaciar Artesonraju, Peruvian Andes, yields a satisfactory performance of the radiation scheme. Whether this performance is acceptable for mass-balance studies of tropical glaciers is explored by applying the data from Glaciar Artesonraju to a physically based mass-balance model, which requires, among others, G and L ↓ as forcing variables. Uncertainties in modelled mass balance introduced by the radiation parameterizations do not exceed those that can be caused by errors in the radiation measurements. Hence, this paper provides a tool for inclusion in spatially distributed mass-balance modelling of tropical glaciers and/or extension of radiation data when only G or L ↓ is measured.

Taku Glacier, Alaska, USA, is currently in the advance stage of the tidewater glacier cycle. We investigated the near-terminus dynamics by measuring surface velocities, surface elevation changes, ice thickness and ablation. Velocities vary on sub-daily, diurnal, seasonal and interannual timescales. Flowline modeling shows that the modeled surface velocities are sensitive to changes in till yield strength and thus effective basal pressures. The glacier bed deepens in the up-glacier direction and this imposes a minimum subglacial water pressure necessary for water to drain along the bed. In a simple model we impose water-pressure gradients based on phreatic surfaces of constant slopes to simulate the winter–summer transitions. This proves sufficient to explain an observed early-season switch from compressional to block flow. Velocities also vary between years. Changing basal conditions can result in lower horizontal velocities, which decrease the ice supply to the terminus and result in temporary surface lowering. But a decrease in ice flux to the terminus must lead to ice storage further upstream, and that ice mass will eventually reach the terminus. This can explain the observed episodic nature of terminus advance.

Previously, it was shown that the reduction in peak stress of single crystal ice at −20°C due to H2SO4, Δσ, could be described by Δσ = kC1/2, where C is the sulfuric acid concentration and k is a constant. Here we show that the strength reduction due to H2SO4 is more general and that the reduction is greater as the temperature decreases. Δσ was again found to be proportional to C1/2 at −10°C, but k at −10°C was significantly less than at −20°C.

Photogrammetric processing of archival stereo imagery offers the opportunity to reconstruct glacier volume changes for regions where no such data exist, and to better constrain the contribution to sea-level rise from small glaciers and ice caps. The ability to derive digital elevation model (DEM) measurements of glacier volume from photogrammetry relies on good-quality, well-distributed ground reference data, which may be difficult to acquire. This study shows that ground-control points (GCPs) can be identified and extracted from point-cloud airborne lidar data and used to control photogrammetric glacier models. The technique is applied to midtre Lovénbreen, a small valley glacier in northwest Svalbard. We show that the amount of ground control measured and the elevation accuracy of GCP coordinates (based on known and theoretical error considerations) has a significant effect on photogrammetric model statistics, DEM accuracy and the subsequent geodetic measurement of glacier volume change. Models controlled with fewer than 20 lidar control points or GCPs from sub-optimal areas within the swath footprint overestimated volume change by 14–53% over a 2 year period. DEMs derived from models utilizing 20–25 or more GCPs, however, gave volume change estimates within ∼4% of those from repeat lidar data (−0.51 m a−1 between 2003 and 2005). Our results have important implications for the measurement of glacier volume change from archival stereo-imagery sources.

Fourteen englacial conduits were mapped within 2 km of the terminus of the temperate Matanuska Glacier, Alaska, USA, to ice depths of 65 m using speleological techniques. Detailed three-dimensional maps of the conduits were made over 3 years to characterize conduit relationships with glacier structural features and to track conduit evolution through time. All conduits consisted of single unbranching passages that followed fractures in the ice. All conduits were either too constricted to continue or became water-filled at their deepest explored point and were not able to be followed to the glacier bed. Conduit morphology varied systematically with the orientation of the glacier principal stresses, allowing them to be categorized into two broad classes. The first class of conduits were formed by hydrostatic crevasse penetration where a large supraglacial stream intersected longitudinal crevasses. These conduits plunged toward the glacier bed at angles of 30–40°. The second class of conduits formed where smaller streams sank into the glacier on shear crevasses. Many of these conduits changed direction dramatically where they intersected transverse crevasses at depth. These results suggest that the conduits observed in this study formed along fractures and, over their surveyed length, were not affected by gradients in ice overburden pressure.

Avalanche deposits consist of rounded granules composed of aggregates of snow and ice particles. The size of the granules is related to vertical shear gradients within the flow; studying the granule-size distribution may be useful in understanding the flow and stopping of avalanches. We applied a sediment-size sampling method to measure snow granule-size distributions at different depositional environments on two dry and two wet avalanche deposits at three field sites. The granule-size distributions are approximately log-normal, similar to many natural sediment deposits. The median granule size in the wet and dry avalanches varies between 65 and 162 mm. Wet avalanches tend to produce more large granules than dry avalanches, indicating both smaller flow velocities and near-surface shear gradients. Granule size is similar in frontal lobes and levee deposits, suggesting that levee formation occurs independently of the size segregation at the avalanche front.

We examine patterns of localized surface elevation change in lower Mercer and Whillans Ice Streams, West Antarctica, which we interpret as subglacial water movement through a system of lakes and channels. We detect and measure the lake activity using repeat-track laser altimetry from ICESat and image differencing from MODIS image pairs. A hydrostatic-potential map for the region shows that the lakes are distributed across three distinct hydrologic regimes. Our analysis shows that, within these regimes, some of the subglacial lakes appear to be linked, with drainage events in one reservoir causing filling and follow-on drainage in adjacent lakes. We also observe changes near ice raft ‘a’ in lower Whillans Ice Stream, and interpret them as evidence of subglacial water and other changes at the bed. The study provides quantitative information about the properties of this complex subglacial hydrologic system, and a relatively unstudied component of ice-sheet mass balance: subglacial drainage across the grounding line.