Characterization of the coastal marine environment in the vicinity of a grounded iceberg, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Nacke, Melissa

doi:10.22215/etd/2016-11365

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 103 publications

(197 reference statements)

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“…For example, the deterioration of the grounded “PII‐B” at 69°N off the east coast of Baffin Island contributed to a meltwater flux of approximately 0.4 mSv in the corresponding grid cell. Stern et al () and Nacke () are the few recent Arctic studies that focused on alterations to the physical and biological water column caused by ice island deterioration. The capacity for Arctic ice islands to impact the ocean ecosystem has previously been questioned due to the difference in ice island sizes and which nutrients limit productivity of the Arctic versus Antarctic ocean ecosystems.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Aftermath of Petermann Glacier Calving Events (2008–2012): Ice Island Size Distributions and Meltwater Dispersal

et al. 2018

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Three large calving events occurred at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland between 2008 and 2012 that generated ice islands (large tabular icebergs) that ranged from ~30 to 300 km2 in areal extent. Ice islands are known to deteriorate, via fracture and melt, during their drift through regional water bodies where they pose a potential risk to offshore resource extraction operations and disperse freshwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet. This study presents the first analysis of the deterioration occurring across the flux of ice islands that travel between Nares Strait and the North Atlantic after Petermann Glacier calving events. The evolution of Petermann ice island size distributions was evaluated, and the spatial dispersal of meltwater was quantified, through analyses that utilized the newly developed Canadian Ice Island Drift, Deterioration and Detection Database. Size‐frequency distributions remained relatively consistent, both spatially and temporally, and were well fit by power law models with slopes of approximately −1.7. This suggested that fracture was an important process by which the Petermann ice islands deteriorated, regardless of elapsed time or distance from the glacier. Ice island meltwater fluxes into the Baffin Island and Labrador currents were not large enough to slow down the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation by weakening deep‐water convection in the Labrador Sea. However, augmented meltwater input was calculated within Petermann Fjord (2.0 mSv) and in the vicinity of grounding locations (0.4 mSv). Further research is necessary to better understand how this freshwater alters fjord circulation and influences the composition of local ocean waters.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Aftermath of Petermann Glacier Calving Events (2008–2012): Ice Island Size Distributions and Meltwater Dispersal

et al. 2018

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“…For example, the deterioration of the grounded PII-B at 69°N off the east coast of Baffin Island contributed to a meltwater flux of approximately 0.4 mSv in the corresponding grid cell. Stern et al (2015) and Nacke (2016) are the few recent Arctic studies that focused on alterations to the physical and biological water column caused by ice island deterioration. The capacity for Arctic ice islands to impact the ocean ecosystem has previously been questioned due to the difference in ice island sizes and which nutrients limit productivity of the ocean ecosystem in the two Polar Regions.…”

Section: Meltwater Dispersalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ice island deterioration

Crawford¹

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Ice islands are large, tabular icebergs that calve from ice shelves and floating ice tongues. Their drift and deterioration is of concern to offshore industry and influences the dispersal of freshwater from Earth's major ice sheets. However, the analysis and modelling of ice island deterioration is constrained by a lack of systematic studies using field and remotely sensed data. The aim of this thesis is to improve our understanding of ice island deterioration through the use and development of novel techniques and datasets. It uses complementary field and remotely sensed datasets in three studies that individually focus on vertical deterioration (i.e., thinning), small-scale areal deterioration (e.g., wave erosion), and large-scale areal deterioration (i.e., fracture). The study subjects are ice islands in eastern Canadian waters that calved from the Petermann Glacier of northwest Greenland between 2008 and 2012. The vertical deterioration of a grounded Petermann ice island (PII) was quantified with stationary ice penetrating radar (IPR), mobile IPR and ablation stake data measurements collected over three field campaigns. Derived basal ablation was used to calibrate a basal ablation model, which was applied in a separate study to quantify the spatial distribution of meltwater from the drift and deterioration of hundreds of PIIs. This study used the Canadian Ice Island Drift, Deterioration and Detection Database, which was generated through the analysis of thousands of RADARSAT-2 synthetic aperture radar scenes. The database was also used to evaluate the fit of statistical distributions to the size-frequency distributions of PIIs. The results indicate that fracture remained an influential deterioration process over the monitoring period. A third study found that deterioration on the order of 40 cm could be detected under optimal conditions with aerial photogrammetry with structure-from-motion processing and that this technique was superior to laser scanning. iii This thesis presents new insights into ice island deterioration processes. It also documents new techniques for measuring deterioration and contributes pertinent information to two major ice island research themes (i.e., hazards and freshwater vectors). Finally, many results and future research directions are applicable to ice island research conducted in both Polar Regions on planet Earth. The time that I have spent as a graduate student researching big, diminishing blocks of ice has been an incredible experience due to a wide support network. Derek Mueller's supervision was paramount, as was his encouragement, understanding and enthusiasm for innovation. I thank Gregory Crocker and Doug King for providing strategic and analytical guidance from the time of my comprehensive exam to thesis submission. I also greatly appreciate the thoughtful review of my thesis by Douglas MacAyeal (University of Chicago) and Shawn Kenney (Carleton University). It has been exciting to watch the Water and Ice Research Lab (WIRL) grow over my seven years in the Department of...

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“…Generalized drift trajectories of eastern Canadian ice islands (a), and western Canadian ice islands (b). The blue represents glaciated regions.After Crawford, (2013) andNacke (2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

Modelling ice island calving events with Finite Element Analysis

Smith¹

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I am exceedingly thankful to Derek Mueller for taking me on as a student and encouraging me to embrace quantitative research and computer programming, for giving me the chance to conduct fieldwork in the Arctic, and for the excellent quality of feedback and guidance throughout my time as a graduate student at the Water and Ice Research Laboratory (WIRL) at Carleton University. My co-supervisor, Gregory Crocker, and Mahmud Sazidy were also necessary for the completion of this thesis. I am grateful for their recommendations and support on the technically-challenging aspects of my project. The staff at LS-DYNA have been wonderfully patient with my never-ending questions about the software, and Abass Braimah provided access to the software. My fellow lab mates at WIRL provided a lot of assistance with general GIS, statistics, and Microsoft Word problems whenever the Internet (or my short attention span) failed me. My fieldwork would not have gone smoothly without the assistance of Adam Garbo, Abigail Dalton, Claire Bernard Grand-Maison, Guillaume Carpentier, Jade Brossard, and all of the crew aboard the CCGS Amundsen during Leg 3 of the summer 2018 science cruise. I'm still in awe that we managed to get the data in spite of many setbacks.

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Characterization of the coastal marine environment in the vicinity of a grounded iceberg, Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Cited by 3 publications

References 103 publications

The Aftermath of Petermann Glacier Calving Events (2008–2012): Ice Island Size Distributions and Meltwater Dispersal

The Aftermath of Petermann Glacier Calving Events (2008–2012): Ice Island Size Distributions and Meltwater Dispersal

Ice island deterioration

Modelling ice island calving events with Finite Element Analysis

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