Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Glacial ice flow'

Ice streams are the dominant drainage pathways of contemporary ice sheets and their location and behaviour are viewed as key controls on ice sheet stability. Identifying palaeo-ice streams is of paramount importance if we are to produce accurate reconstructions of former ice sheets and examine their critical role in the oceanclimate system. Many workers have invoked palaeo-ice streams from a variety of former ice sheets, despite a limited understanding of their glacial geomorphology. This thesis addresses the problem by predicting several diagnostic geomorphological criteria indicative of ice stream activity. These are developed objectively from the known characteristics of contemporary ice streams and can be summarised as: large flow-set dimensions (>20 km wide and >150 km long), highly convergent flow patterns, highly attenuated subglacial bedforms (length:width >10: 1), Boothia-type dispersal plumes, abrupt lateral margins «2 km), ice stream marginal moraines, evidence of pervasively deformed till, and submarine sediment accumulations (marine-terminating ice streams only). Collectively, the criteria are used to construct conceptual landsystems of palaeo-ice stream tracks. Using satellite imagery and aerial photography to map glacial geomorphology, identification of the criteria is used to validate the location of a previously hypothesised ice stream and identify a hitherto undetected palaeo-ice stream from the former Laurentide Ice Sheet. Implications for ice stream basal processes are explored and their ice sheet-wide significance is assessed. On Victoria Island (Arctic Canada) five of the geomorphological criteria are identified and the extent of the marine-based M'Clintock Channel Ice Stream is reconstructed at 720 km in length and 140 km in width. The ice stream (operating between 10,400 and 10,000 yr BP) was located within a broad topographic trough, but internal glaciological processes, rather than properties of the bed controlled the margin locations. It eroded into pre-existing unconsolidated sediments and left a spectacular pattern of subglacially-produced landforms, recording a snapshot view of the bed prior to ice stream shut-down. Sediment availability appears critical to its functioning (deformable bed?) and the debris flux of the ice stream is inferred to have been high. Frictional shut-down occurred once down-cutting through sediments reached hard bedrock close to the terminus. The presence of four of the geomorphological criteria are used to identify a terrestrial ice stream which drained the Keewatin Sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet between ca. 10,000 and 8,500 yr BP. Its size is reconstructed at over 450 km in length and 140 km in width, and it left behind a subglacial bedform pattern consisting of highly attenuated drumlins (length:width ratios up to 48: 1) displaying exceptional parallel conformity. This represents an isochronous bedform pattern and variations in lineament elongation ratio are thought to be a useful proxy for ice velocity. Highest elongation ratios occur immediately downstream of a topographic step where the ice stream entered a sedimentary basin. It is inferred that the ice stream was triggered by climatic warming which altered the ice sheet configuration and the thermal state of the bed. A switch from cold to warm-based conditions probably triggered rapid basal sliding. The ice stream (and a tributary) shut down when it ran out of ice, causing widespread thinning of the ice sheet and subsequent deglaciation. These ice streams denote considerable ice sheet instability over both hard and soft (deformable) beds and emphasise the enormous effects that ice streams had in controlling the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Glacial floods and mass movements of ice, rock or debris are a significant hazard in many populated mountainous regions, often with devastating impacts upon human settlements and infrastructure. In response to atmospheric warming, glacial retreat and permafrost thaw are expected to alter high mountain geomorphic processes, and related instabilities. In the Aoraki/Mount Cook region of New Zealand's Southern Alps, a first investigation of geomorphic hazards associated with glacial change is undertaken and is based primarily on the use of remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for mapping, modelling, and analysing related processes and terrain. Following a comprehensive review of available techniques, remote sensing methods involving the use Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Radiometer (ASTER) imagery were applied to map glacial ice, lakes and debris accumulations in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region. Glacial lakes were mapped from two separate classification techniques using visible near infrared wavelengths, capturing highly turbid and clearer water bodies. Large volume (10⁶– 10⁸ m³) proglacial lakes have developed rapidly over recent decades, with an overall 20 % increase in lake area recorded between 2002 and 2006, increasing the potential for large mass movement impacts and flooding from displaced water. Where significant long-term glacial recession has occurred, steep moraines have been exposed, and large talus slopes occupy formerly glaciated slopes at higher elevations. At the regional-scale, these potential source areas for debris instabilities were distinguished from surrounding bedrock slopes based on image texture variance. For debris and ice covered slopes, potentially unstable situations were classified using critical slope thresholds established from international studies. GIS-based flow routing was used to explore possible intersections between zones of human use and mass movement or flood events, assuming worst-case, probable maximum runout distances. Where glacial lakes are dammed by steep moraine or outwash gravel, primarily in cirque basins east of the Main Divide, modelled debris flows initiated by potential flood events did not reach any infrastructure. Other potential peri- and para-glacial debris flows from steep moraines or talus slopes can reach main roads and buildings. The direct hazard from ice avalanches is restricted to backcountry huts and walking tracks, but impacts into large glacial lakes are possible, and could produce a far reaching hazard, with modelled clear water flood-waves capable of reaching village infrastructure and main roads both east and west of the Main Divide. A numerical modelling approach for simulating large bedrock failures has been introduced, and offers potential with which to examine possible lake impacts and related scenarios. Over 500 bedrock slope failures were analysed within a GIS inventory, revealing distinct patterns in geological and topographic distribution. Rock avalanches have occurred most frequently from greywacke slopes about and east of the Main Divide, particularly from slopes steeper than 50°, and appear the only large-magnitude failure mechanism above 2500 m. In the schist terrain west of the Main Divide, and at lower elevations, other failure types predominate. The prehistoric distribution of all failure types suggests a preference for slopes facing west to northwest, and is likely to be strongly influenced by earthquake generated failures. Over the past 100 years, seismicity has not been a factor, and the most failures have been as rock avalanches from slopes facing east to southeast, particularly evident from the glaciated, and potentially permafrost affected hangingwall of the Main Divide Fault Zone. An initial estimate of permafrost distribution based on topo-climatic relationships and calibrated locally using mean annual air temperature suggested permafrost may extend down to elevations of 3000 m on sunny slopes, and as low as 2200 m on shaded slopes near the Main Divide. A network of 15 near-surface rock temperature sensors was installed on steep rock walls, revealing marginal permafrost conditions (approaching 0 °C) extending over a much larger elevation range, occurring even where air temperature is likely to remain positive, owing to extreme topographic shading. From 19 rock failures observed over the past 100 years, 13 detachment zones were located on slopes characterized by marginal permafrost conditions, including a sequence of 4 failures that occurred during summer 2007/08, in which modelled bedrock temperatures near the base of the detachments were in the range of 1.4 to +2.5 °C. Ongoing monitoring of glacial and permafrost conditions in the Aoraki/Mount Cook region is encouraged, with more than 45 km2 of extremely steep slopes (>50°) currently ice covered or above modelled permafrost elevation limits. Approaches towards modelling and analysing glacial hazards in this region are considered to be most applicable within other remote mountain regions, where seismicity and steep topography combine with possible destabilizing influences of glacial recession and permafrost degradation.

Mass changes of polar ice sheets have an important societal impact, because they affect global sea level. Estimating the current mass budget of ice sheets is equivalent to determining the balance between the surface mass gain through precipitation and the outflow across the grounding line. In Antarctica, the latter is mainly governed by oceanic processes and outlet glacier dynamics.

In this thesis, we assess the mass balance of a part of eastern DronningMaud Land via an input/output method. Input is given by recent surface accumulation estimations of the whole drainage basin. The outflow at the grounding line is determined from the radar data of a recent airborne survey and satellite-based velocities using a flow model of combined plug flow and simple shear. We estimate the regional mass balance in this area to be between 1.88±8.50 and 3.78±3.32 Gt a−1 depending on the surface mass balance (SMB) dataset used. This study also reveals that the plug flow assumption is acceptable at the grounding line of ice streams.

The mass balance of drainage basins is governed by the dynamics of their outlet glaciers and more specifically the flow conditions at the grounding line. Thanks to an airborne radar survey we define the bed properties close to the grounding line of the West Ragnhild Glacier (WRG) in the Sør Rondane Mountains. Geometry and reflectivity analyses reveal that the bed of the last 65 km upstream of the grounding line is sediment covered and saturated with water. This setting promotes the dominance of basal motion leading to a change in the flow regime: in the interior flow is governed by internal deformation while its relative importance decreases to become driven by basal sliding.

Subsequently we present the results of the reconstruction of the SMB across an ice rise through radar data and inverse modelling. The analysis demonstrates that atmospheric circulation was stable during the last millennium. Ice rises induce an orographic uplift of the atmospheric flow and therefore influence the pattern of the SMB across them, resulting in an asymmetric SMB distribution. Since the geometry of the internal reflection horizons observed in radar data depends on the SMB pattern, the asymmetry observed in radar layers reveals the trajectories of air masses at the time of deposit. We present an original and robust method to quantify this SMB distribution. Combining shallow and deep radar layers, SMB across Derwael Ice Rise is reconstructed. Two methods are employed as a function of the depth of the layers: i.e. the shallow layer approximation for the surface radar layers and an optimization technique based on an ice flow model for the deeper ones. Both methods produce similar results. We identify a difference in SMB magnitude of 2.5 between the flanks and the ice rise divide, as well as a shift of ≈4 km between the SMB maximum and the crest. Across the ice rise, SMB exhibits a very large variability, ranging from 0.3 to 0.9 mw.e. a−1. This anomaly is robust in time.

Finally we draw a comprehensive description of the Sør Rondane Mountains sector. The glacial system is close to the equilibrium and seems stable but evidences suggest that it is a fragile equilibrium. The proximity of the open ocean certainly favours the interaction between warm water and the ice shelf cavity conducting to potential important melting. The thinning associated with this melting can detach the ice shelf from pinning points. This will reduce the buttressing from the ice shelf, outlet glaciers will accelerate and mass transfer toward the ocean will increase. Therefore, the future of Antarctic Ice Sheet directly depends on the changes affecting its boundaries and assessing the sensitivity of the ice sheets is essential to quantify and anticipate the future variation of mass balance.
Doctorat en Sciences
info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The aim of this study was to map and date glacial flutings with ice flows deviating from the predominating northwesterly ice flow direction in the southern part of Norrbotten County in northern Sweden, and also to investigate if parts of the glacial landscape are older than previously thought. The traditional view is that most landforms in the area were formed during the late Weichselian (W3). Analysis of the new high resolution elevation model (2 m grid) derived from laser scanning was performed after treating the data with a hillshade tool in ArcMap to reveal terrain features such as flutings. The analysis resulted in a map showing four main groups of deviating ice flows (N-S, NO-SV, SO-NV and S-N) and several westerly ice flows. The majority of flutings with deviating ice flows were found in low terrain. This, together with studies suggesting a cold based late Weichselian ice sheet in Norrbotten, implies an old age of the deviating ice flows. The deviating ice flows are interpreted to originate from the first early Weichselian (W1), or predate the onset of the Weichselian glaciation. Some NV-SO flutings were located in high terrain, which implies a younger age relative to the low terrain flutings. They represent the youngest ice flow found in the area, possibly from the second early Weichselian (W2). The new elevation model clearly offers new possibilities for studying small scale landforms and shows that the traditional view of the Weichselian glaciation in northern Swedish needs to be reconsidered.

This thesis contributes to the understanding of glacier response to climate change by ice dynamical studies on Storglaciären, Sweden, and Bonnevie-Svendsenbreen, Kibergbreen and Plogbreen in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Ice surface velocities, ice geometry and temperature information is fed through a force budget model to calculate ice mass outflux of these glacial systems via three-dimensional stress distributions for a flux-gate.

Field data were collected through repeated DGPS and GPR observations on Storglaciären between July 2000 to September 2001 and on Kibergbreen and Plobreen during the SWEDARP 2002/03 expedition to Antarctica. The work was strongly supported by remotely-sensed information.

The results from Storglaciären show a strength in the force budget model to discern both spatial and temporal variability in ice dynamical patterns. It highlights the influence of seasonality and bedrock topography upon glacier flow. A modeling experiment on Bonnevie-Svendsenbreen suggested that ice temperature increases substantially under conditions of high stress (≥0.4 MPa) due to strain-heating. This provides a positive feedback loop, increasing ice deformation, as long as it overcomes the advection of cool ice from the surface. These results explain, to some extent, the mechanism behind fast flowing ice streams. Mass flux caclulations from Bonnevie-Svendsenbreen suggest that the outflux given from force budget calculations can be used as a gauge for influx assuming steady state conditions. Plogbreen receives an influx of 0.48±0.1 km³ a^-1 and expedites a discharge volume of 0.55±0.05 km³ a^-1. This indicative negative mass balance is explained by a falling trend in upstream accumulation and the recent rise in global sea level, as it is likely to induce glacier acceleration due to a reduction in resistive forces at the site of the gate. This result is comparable with other Antarctic studies reporting negative mass balances, e.g. from WAIS, as caused by changes in the global atmospheric circulation pattern.

Les vallées tunnels sont les structures de drainage d'eau de fonte les plus imposantes de l'environnement sous-glaciaire. L'inaccessibilité des milieux sous-glaciaires actuels limitent nos connaissances des mécanismes impliqués dans leurs formations, des paramètres contrôlant leur morphologie et de leurs influences sur la dynamique glaciaire. Ce travail présente une nouvelle approche expérimentale visant à mieux contraindre la formation et le fonctionnement des systèmes de vallées tunnels. Cette approche repose sur le développement d'un nouveau dispositif expérimental simulant la circulation d'eau pressurisée au sein d'un substrat poreux et perméable sous une couverture visqueuse. Les résultats des expériences menées avec ce dispositif ont permis de déterminer des relations étroites entre les paramètres du substrat et les modalités de l'écoulement d'eau sur la formation et la morphologie des vallées tunnels. Les résultats issus des expériences démontrent que ce dispositif permet de recréer des systèmes de vallées tunnels. L'étude de ces vallées expérimentales suggèrent que la topographie du substrat et la production d'eau de fonte joue un rôle primordial sur la genèse des vallées tunnels et sur leurs morphologies. Deux morphotypes de vallées tunnels ont pu être identifiés avec des morphologies et des mécanismes de formation indépendants. L'analyse de la dynamique de la calotte sus-jacente a permis de mettre en évidence un lien étroit entre le développement des vallées tunnels et la dynamique des "ice streams". L'évolution de la capacité de drainage des vallées tunnels semble contrôler la dynamique glaciaire en régulant le flux de glace transitant dans les "ice streams"
Tunnel valleys are major components of the subglacial meltwater drainage system. The inaccessibility of modern subglacial environments reduces our knowledge on the mechanisms involved in tunnel valleys formation, the parameters controlling their morphology and their influence on ice-sheet dynamics. This work presents a new experimental approach aiming to better assess the processes of tunnel valleys development. This approach relies on the development of a new experimental device simulating a pressurized water flow within a porous and permeable substratum underneath a viscous layer simulating the ice-sheet. The main results of the experiments conducted with this device have demonstrated the influence of both substratum properties and meltwater drainage on tunnel valleys formation and morphology. Using the device, we first manage to reproduce tunnel valley systems experimentally. Analyses conducted on these valleys experimental valleys suggest that the substratum topography and meltwater production play a key role on tunnel valleys genesis and morphology. Two tunnel valleys morphotypes have been identified, each one being charaterized by a unique morphology and mechanism of formation. Monitoring of the experimental ice sheet during tunnel valley formation shows close relationship between tunnel valleys development and "ice streams" dynamics. The evolution of tunnel valley drainage capacity seems to have a strong influence on ice sheet stability by regulating ice flux within "ice stream corridors"

Les glaciers de montagne ont un impact sociétal important que ce soit à l'échelle locale où ils influencent les ressources en eau et l'attractivité touristique d'une région, ou à l'échelle mondiale en contribuant au niveau des océans. Par ailleurs, les glaciers de montagne sont extrêmement sensibles aux variations climatiques et sont donc des indicateurs pertinents des évolutions climatiques passées et présentes, en particulier du réchauffement global.Une meilleure compréhension de la réponse des glaciers à ces changements, ou dynamique, est nécessaire afin d'estimer leur contribution au système Terre et leur évolution future. Les satellites d'observation de la Terre, par leur couverture globale et des acquisitions régulières, représentent un atout formidable pour suivre l'évolution des glaciers. L'archive à disposition est considérable et celle à venir promet d'être encore plus importante. Il est donc indispensable de développer des méthodes pour traiter cette masse de données.L'objectif de cette thèse est de mieux comprendre la réponse dynamique des glaciers du Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya (PKH) et des Alpes aux changements climatiques actuels en mettant à profit les 40 années de données satellitaires disponibles. Dans un premier temps, nous avons développé une chaine de traitement semi-automatique qui permet de mesurer les vitesses annuelles de surface d'écoulement des glaciers par corrélation d'images à partir d'une archive satellitaire. Grâce à la redondance des acquisitions, il est possible d'obtenir des champs de vitesse plus complets, plus robustes et d'estimer statistiquement l'incertitude. L’application de ce traitement à l’archive Landsat a permis d’obtenirdes champs de vitesse pour l’ensemble de la région du PKH (~92 000 km2) sur la période 1998-2014et sur les Alpes (~2 000 km2, période 1999-2014) avec une couverture de 60-80 % et une incertituded’environ 4 m/an. Des champs de vitesse ont également été obtenus de manière moins systématique sur la période 1972-1998 pour le PKH. Dans un second temps, l'analyse des variations de vitesse sur ces périodes a montré un ralentissement des glaciers sur l'ensemble des deux chaines de montagne, en lien avec un amincissement des glaciers sur la même période. Les variations de vitesse sont très contrastées spatialement et sont cohérentes avec les motifs observés pour les variations d'épaisseur. En particulier, les glaciers du Karakoram et du Kunlun qui sont stables ou gagnent de la masse sur cette période montrent également des signes d'accélération, alors que les zones d'amincissement le plus important (Himalaya occidental, Nyenchen Tangla, Alpes) sont celles ou le ralentissement observé est le plus fort. Il semble donc que les variations de vitesse observées soient conditionnées au premier ordre par un signal climatique
Mountain glaciers have a high societal impact, first at a local scale since they influence the water ressources and the touristic attractivity of a region, but also at a global scale, being major contributors to the present sea-level rise. Moreover, mountain glaciers are sensitive to climate forcing and are thus relevant indicators of past and present climate change and particularly present global warming. It is thus important to analyse the dynamic of these glaciers and quantify the changes that are affecting them so that their contribution to the Earth system and their future evolution can be better estimated. Satellite Earth Observation imagery, with its global coverage and repeated acquisition, represents a unique tool to quantify temporal changes affecting glaciers. The available archive is huge and the flux of new data will increase it even more.It is thus necessary to develop new methods to process this large archive.The objective of this thesis is to quantify the dynamic response of mountain glaciers in the Pamir-Karakoram-Himalaya (PKH) and in the Alps to a changing climate, with the use of the 40-year long satellite archive. We first developped a semi-automated processing chain to derive annual ice flow velocities from feature-tracking of satellite images. The chain takes advantage of the redundancy in the archive to obtain more spatially complete and robust velocity fields and to statistically estimate the uncertainty. Application to the Landsat archive leads to the determination of an unprecedented velocity field for the entire PKH region (~92 000 km2) for the period 1998-2014 and over the Alps (2 000 km2, period 1999-2014) with a coverage of 60-80 % and a mean uncertainty of 4 m/yr.. Flow velocities have been derived less systematically for the period 1972-1998 over the PKH. Secondly, the analysis of velocity changes show a slow-down of the glaciers for most of the 2 regions. The velocity changes are spatially contrasted and coherent with the patterns of elevation changes. In particular, glaciers in the Karakoram and West Kunlun that are stable or advancing show also a clear speed-up, whereas regions where thinning is the most important (Western Himalaya, Nyenchen Tangla, Alps) show the most important slow-down. The observed velocity changes is thus primarily determined by a climatic signal

The aim of this study is to understand the extent, depth, magnitude and significance of subglacial sediment deformation. It will examine the role of this deformation in controlling glacier dynamics and landform generation in glaciers in general, and polythermal glaciers in particular. A detailed multi-dimensional approach is used to study recently exposed glacigenic sediments on the forefields of three polyglaciers in the Tarfala Valley, northern Sweden. Overridden fluted moraines and diamicton plains occur in each forefield. These palimpsest landforms consist of multiple subglacial traction tills. Flutes have quasi-regular geometry and about half of those studied have no initiating boulder. It is suggested here that flute formation by forced-mechanisms was superimposed on flute formation related to a topographically-induced flow instability. In each forefield the depth of the deforming-bed averaged between 0.2m and 0.6m thickness. Detailed clast fabric data suggest the diamicton plain is composed of thin layers of traction tills that accreted over time as the zone of deformation moved upwards. Laboratory shear box tests show that subglacial deformation required elevated pore-water pressures, which suggests deforming-bed conditions and flute formation were restricted to the temperate zones of polythermal glaciers. Magnetic fabrics suggest strain magnitudes were moderate (≤10), rather than the very high strain magnitudes (>10²) required by the deforming-bed model. The application of the micro-structural mapping technique demonstrates that subglacial deformation was multi-phase, heterogeneous, and partitioned into the softer and more easily deformed parts of the matrix. Consequently, deformation is controlled by variations in sediment granulometry and pore-water pressure, and is likely to have been spatially and temporally variable, a finding that supports the ice-bed mosaic model. The strain magnitudes and deforming-bed thickness suggest that soft-bed deformation did not exert a major control on glacier dynamics during the Little Ice Age advance.

Future sea level rise associated to global warming is one of the greatest societal and environmental challenges of tomorrow. A large part of the contribution comes from glaciers and ice sheets discharging ice and meltwater into the ocean and the recent worldwide increase is worrying. Future predictions of sea level rise try to encompass the complex processes of ice dynamics through glacier modelling but there are still large uncertainties due to the lack of observations or too coarse parameterisation, particularly for processes occurring at the glacier interfaces with the bed (sliding) and with the ocean (calving). This thesis focuses on modelling these processes from two marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard, Kronebreen and Tunabreen. By inverting three years of high temporal resolution time-series of surface velocities on Kronebreen, basal properties are retrieved with the ice flow model Elmer/Ice in Paper I. Results suggest that surface melt during the summer greatly influences the dynamics of the following season and that sliding laws for such glaciers should be adapted to local and global processes changing in space and time. The subglacial drainage system, fed by the surface melt, is modelled in Paper II during two melting seasons. Results show different configurations of efficient and inefficient drainage systems between years and the importance of using a sliding law dependent on spatio-temporal changes in effective pressure. The interaction with the ocean is incorporated in Paper III by combining a series of models, including an ice flow model, a plume model and a particle model for discrete calving and compares the output with observations. Results show the importance of glacier geometry, sliding and undercutting on calving rate and location. However, more observations and analytic methods are needed. Time-lapse imagery placed in front of Tunabreen have been deployed and a method of automatic detection for iceberg calving is presented in Paper IV. Results show the influence of the rising plume in calving and the front destabilisation of the local neighbourhood.

Mit der Weiterentwicklung von Sensoren und Methoden hat die Satellitenfernerkundung innerhalb der letzten 20 Jahre nicht nur einen großen Stellenwert in der Polarforschung errungen, sondern vor allem die Herangehensweisen an eine Vielzahl glaziologischer Probleme grundlegend verändert. RADAR-Sensoren (Radio Detection and Ranging) sind dabei besonders bei der Erkundung vereister Regionen hilfreich und tragen stark zur Ableitung klimasensitiver Parameter im Bereich der Antarktis bei. Nach einem einführenden Überblick im ersten wird im zweiten Kapitel mit Darstellungen zur Nutzung von RADAR-Messungen für Fernerkundungszwecke begonnen. Die zur Erhöhung der räumlichen Auflösung verwendete SAR-Prozessierung (Synthetic Aperture Radar) wird daraufhin kurz umrissen, bevor zu den Grundlagen der interferometrischen Auswertung (InSAR) übergeleitet wird. Bei dieser werden Phasendifferenzen unterschiedlicher Aufnahmen für Messzwecke eingesetzt. In den Beschreibungen wird aufgezeigt, wie sich derartige Messungen für die Ermittlung von Oberflächentopographie und Fließverhalten in polaren Regionen nutzen lassen. Eine Darstellung der ebenfalls benötigten Methoden zur Bestimmung von Verschiebungen in Bildpaaren und das Messprinzip der Laseraltimetrie beenden diesen Theorieteil. Das dritte Kapitel der Arbeit ist der Vorstellung des Arbeitsgebietes und der genutzten Datensätze gewidmet. Nach der geographischen Einordnung des Untersuchungsgebietes werden die wichtigsten glaziologischen Gegebenheiten vorgestellt. In der sich anschließenden Beschreibung genutzter Datensätze werden vor allem die für diese Region verfügbaren Höhen- und Ozeangezeitenmodelle intensiver besprochen. Die Bestimmung der Oberflächentopographie durch differentielle SAR-Interferometrie (DInSAR) ist Thema des vierten Kapitels. Nachdem die nötigen technischen Aspekte des Prozessierungsablaufes knapp erläutert wurden, werden die Unterschiede bei der Doppeldifferenzbildung benachbarter und identischer Wiederholspuren herausgearbeitet. Danach wird am Beispiel gezeigt, wie mithilfe von ICESat-Daten (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) eine Basislinienverbesserung zur genaueren Höhenbestimmung durchgeführt werden kann. Die ursprünglich separat abgeleiteten Höhenmodelle werden dann zu einer gemeinsamen Lösung kombiniert, welche abschließend hinsichtlich ihrer Genauigkeit besprochen und anderen Modellen vergleichend gegenübergestellt wird. Die Ableitung von Fließgeschwindigkeiten mit dem Hintergrund einer späteren Berechnung von Massenflüssen ist Gegenstand des fünften Kapitels, wobei drei unterschiedliche Methoden genutzt werden. Im ersten Fall wird das für RADAR-Bilder typische, hochfrequente Rauschen zur Bestimmung von Verschiebungen in ALOS-Daten (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) genutzt. Mit dieser Methode können durchgehende Fließgeschwindigkeitsfelder vom aufliegenden Bereich über die Aufsetzzone bis auf das Schelfeis ermittelt werden. DesWeiteren werden aus ERS-Daten (European Remote Sensing Satellite), die über einen Zeitraum von reichlich 13 Jahren vorliegen, Verschiebungen durch die Verfolgung von unveränderten, aber sich bewegenden Eisstrukturen bestimmt. Bei der als Drittes angewendeten, interferometrischen Methode werden aufsteigende und absteigende Satellitenspuren kombiniert, um die Fließinformationen zu rekonstruieren. In den jeweiligen Sektionen wird neben der Vorstellung der Ergebnisse auch deren Genauigkeit diskutiert. Das letzte große, sechste Kapitel untergliedert sich in zwei Teile. Im ersten dieser beiden Abschnitte wird gezeigt, wie InSAR und DInSAR zur Lagekartierung der Aufsetzzone eingesetzt werden können. Dabei werden die auf diese Weise ermittelten Ergebnisse dargestellt und diskutiert. Im zweiten, umfangreicheren Teil werden die zuvor gewonnenen Höhen- und Geschwindigkeitsinformationen genutzt, um deren Einfluss aus den InSAR-Messungen zu eliminieren, wodurch vertikale Höhenunterschiede mittels InSAR bestimmt werden können. Dies ist besonders für den Bereich der Aufsetzzone und des Schelfeises von Interesse, da diese Areale teilweise oder vollständig von Ozeangezeiten beeinflusst werden. Nach einer Luftdruckkorrektion werden den ermittelten Höhenunterschieden (entlang selektierter Profile) die Prädiktionen zwölf verfügbarer Ozeangezeitenmodelle gegenübergestellt. Die RMS-Werte dieser Differenzen werden abschließend genutzt, um die Qualität der Ozeangezeitenmodelle für die Region des Arbeitsgebietes einzustufen. Zum Abschluss werden in einer Zusammenfassung noch einmal die wichtigsten Ergebnisse aller Kapitel resümiert und bewertet
The development of new satellite sensors within the last 20 years along with changes towards more sophisticated processing strategies has not only given a new impetus to remote sensing data in view of polar research but also changed how a variety of glaciological problems are being addressed today. Particularly RADAR (radio detection and ranging) sensors are well-suited for the observation of glaciated areas and have already helped to retrieve a vast amount of climate sensitive parameters from the area of Antarctica. After an introductive overview at the beginning, the second chapter continues with the description of how RADAR measurements can be used to generate remote sensing images. The principle of synthetic aperture RADAR (SAR) which allows a better focusing of the RADAR measurements and therewith a rigorous increase of the spatial resolution of the images is outlined generally before more precise descriptions explain how interferometric SAR (InSAR) analyses can be used for the determination of surface topography heights and area-wide flow velocities. Two other techniques, namely matching methods for the determination of shifts between two images as well as the laser satellite altimetry are explained at the end of this chapter which closes the theoretical basics. The next section introduces the area of interest along with data sets which were used for validation purposes. After a careful exposure of the geographical situation, single objects such as ice streams and ice shelves are described in more detail. The following part, the data set introduction, has besides the description of other measurements its focus on topography and ocean tide models which are available for the area of investigation. Chapter four deals with the estimation of surface topography heights from differential InSAR (DInSAR) analyses. Therein the major differences for the usage of similar repeat tracks in contrast to neighboring, overlapping tracks will be shown and thoroughly discussed. The example of one track will be used to demonstrate how the required baseline estimation can be achieved if ICESat (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) profiles are used as tie points. Afterwards, all separately derived height models will be combined to obtain one final solution followed by an error analysis. A comparison to other available elevation models visualizes the spatial resolution of the derived model. The utilization of three different methods for the estimation of surface flow velocities (with the background of possible mass flux determinations) is the topic of the fifth chapter. The first case describes the usage of the high frequent noise contained in RADAR images for the tracking of horizontal surface displacements. Based on ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) data a flow velocity field which extends from the interior of the ice sheet across the grounding zone up to the ice shelf will be presented. Secondly, geocoded ERS (European Remote Sensing Satellite) images covering a time span of more than 13 years are used to track the motions of well-structured flat areas (ice shelf and glacier tongue). In the third approach used descending and ascending satellite passes will be combined in conjunction with a surface parallel flow assumption to interferometrically derive flow velocities in grounded areas. In each section respective errors will be discussed in order to evaluate the accuracy of the performed measurements. The last bigger chapter, number six, is divided into two sections. In the first one the adoption of SAR and InSAR with respect to the mapping of the grounding line location will be demonstrated. Results of the entire working area will be presented and compared to other data. The second section deploys the results of topography heights and flow velocities to remove both effects from the InSAR measurements which then allows to also measure height changes. This is of particular interest for the floating areas of ice shelf which are fully affected by ocean tides as well as for the grounding zone locations which partially experience deformations due to these height changes. After the correction for air pressure, changes between the image acquisitions, height changes along selected profiles are compared to twelve different ocean tide models. The RMS values of the differences are then used to evaluate the quality of these models for the working area. The most important results and conclusions are summarized in the last chapter

Glaciers cover ca 10% of the Earth's land and are found in the high altitudes and latitudes. They are important components of environmental systems due to the multiple feedbacks linking them with the atmosphere, hydrosphere and periglacial landscapes. The cold sloping surfaces of glaciers change the patterns of atmospheric circulation at different scales and at the same time glaciers are largely controlled by climate. They are commonly used as climatic archives for reconstruction of the past environmental changes based on evidences from the areas affected by glaciation at the moment and in the past. Glaciers are the largest fresh-water reservoirs on our planet and runoff thereof significantly affects the global sea level and life in glaciated catchments. However, melt- and rain-induced runoff from glaciers greatly depends on the subsurface conditions which thus need to be taken into account, particularly in a changing climate. This thesis focuses on the processes of subsurface mass and energy exchange in the accumulation zones of glaciers, which are largely driven by the climate at the surface. Results are largely based on empirical data from Lomonosovfonna ice cap, Svalbard, collected during field campaigns in 2012-2017. Observations of subsurface density and stratigraphy using shallow cores, video records from boreholes and radar surveys returned detailed descriptions of the snow and firn layering. The subsurface temperature data collected using multiple thermistor strings provided insights into several subsurface processes. The temperature values measured during three summer seasons were used to constrain the suggested parameterization of deep preferential water flow through snow and firn. The part of data recorded during the cold seasons was employed for an inverse modelling exercise resulting in optimized values of effective thermal conductivity of the subsurface profile. These results are then used to compute the subsurface water content by comparing the simulated and measured rates of freezing front propagation after the melt season in 2014. The field observations and quantitative estimates provide further empirical evidences of preferential water flow in snow/firn packs at glaciers. Results presented in the thesis call for implementation of description of the process in layered models simulating the subsurface fluxes of energy and mass at glaciers. This will result in a better understanding of glacier response to the past and future climatic changes and more accurate estimates of glacier runoff.
Stability and Variations of Arctic Land Ice (SVALI)

Mit der Weiterentwicklung von Sensoren und Methoden hat die Satellitenfernerkundung innerhalb der letzten 20 Jahre nicht nur einen großen Stellenwert in der Polarforschung errungen, sondern vor allem die Herangehensweisen an eine Vielzahl glaziologischer Probleme grundlegend verändert. RADAR-Sensoren (Radio Detection and Ranging) sind dabei besonders bei der Erkundung vereister Regionen hilfreich und tragen stark zur Ableitung klimasensitiver Parameter im Bereich der Antarktis bei. Nach einem einführenden Überblick im ersten wird im zweiten Kapitel mit Darstellungen zur Nutzung von RADAR-Messungen für Fernerkundungszwecke begonnen. Die zur Erhöhung der räumlichen Auflösung verwendete SAR-Prozessierung (Synthetic Aperture Radar) wird daraufhin kurz umrissen, bevor zu den Grundlagen der interferometrischen Auswertung (InSAR) übergeleitet wird. Bei dieser werden Phasendifferenzen unterschiedlicher Aufnahmen für Messzwecke eingesetzt. In den Beschreibungen wird aufgezeigt, wie sich derartige Messungen für die Ermittlung von Oberflächentopographie und Fließverhalten in polaren Regionen nutzen lassen. Eine Darstellung der ebenfalls benötigten Methoden zur Bestimmung von Verschiebungen in Bildpaaren und das Messprinzip der Laseraltimetrie beenden diesen Theorieteil. Das dritte Kapitel der Arbeit ist der Vorstellung des Arbeitsgebietes und der genutzten Datensätze gewidmet. Nach der geographischen Einordnung des Untersuchungsgebietes werden die wichtigsten glaziologischen Gegebenheiten vorgestellt. In der sich anschließenden Beschreibung genutzter Datensätze werden vor allem die für diese Region verfügbaren Höhen- und Ozeangezeitenmodelle intensiver besprochen. Die Bestimmung der Oberflächentopographie durch differentielle SAR-Interferometrie (DInSAR) ist Thema des vierten Kapitels. Nachdem die nötigen technischen Aspekte des Prozessierungsablaufes knapp erläutert wurden, werden die Unterschiede bei der Doppeldifferenzbildung benachbarter und identischer Wiederholspuren herausgearbeitet. Danach wird am Beispiel gezeigt, wie mithilfe von ICESat-Daten (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) eine Basislinienverbesserung zur genaueren Höhenbestimmung durchgeführt werden kann. Die ursprünglich separat abgeleiteten Höhenmodelle werden dann zu einer gemeinsamen Lösung kombiniert, welche abschließend hinsichtlich ihrer Genauigkeit besprochen und anderen Modellen vergleichend gegenübergestellt wird. Die Ableitung von Fließgeschwindigkeiten mit dem Hintergrund einer späteren Berechnung von Massenflüssen ist Gegenstand des fünften Kapitels, wobei drei unterschiedliche Methoden genutzt werden. Im ersten Fall wird das für RADAR-Bilder typische, hochfrequente Rauschen zur Bestimmung von Verschiebungen in ALOS-Daten (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) genutzt. Mit dieser Methode können durchgehende Fließgeschwindigkeitsfelder vom aufliegenden Bereich über die Aufsetzzone bis auf das Schelfeis ermittelt werden. DesWeiteren werden aus ERS-Daten (European Remote Sensing Satellite), die über einen Zeitraum von reichlich 13 Jahren vorliegen, Verschiebungen durch die Verfolgung von unveränderten, aber sich bewegenden Eisstrukturen bestimmt. Bei der als Drittes angewendeten, interferometrischen Methode werden aufsteigende und absteigende Satellitenspuren kombiniert, um die Fließinformationen zu rekonstruieren. In den jeweiligen Sektionen wird neben der Vorstellung der Ergebnisse auch deren Genauigkeit diskutiert. Das letzte große, sechste Kapitel untergliedert sich in zwei Teile. Im ersten dieser beiden Abschnitte wird gezeigt, wie InSAR und DInSAR zur Lagekartierung der Aufsetzzone eingesetzt werden können. Dabei werden die auf diese Weise ermittelten Ergebnisse dargestellt und diskutiert. Im zweiten, umfangreicheren Teil werden die zuvor gewonnenen Höhen- und Geschwindigkeitsinformationen genutzt, um deren Einfluss aus den InSAR-Messungen zu eliminieren, wodurch vertikale Höhenunterschiede mittels InSAR bestimmt werden können. Dies ist besonders für den Bereich der Aufsetzzone und des Schelfeises von Interesse, da diese Areale teilweise oder vollständig von Ozeangezeiten beeinflusst werden. Nach einer Luftdruckkorrektion werden den ermittelten Höhenunterschieden (entlang selektierter Profile) die Prädiktionen zwölf verfügbarer Ozeangezeitenmodelle gegenübergestellt. Die RMS-Werte dieser Differenzen werden abschließend genutzt, um die Qualität der Ozeangezeitenmodelle für die Region des Arbeitsgebietes einzustufen. Zum Abschluss werden in einer Zusammenfassung noch einmal die wichtigsten Ergebnisse aller Kapitel resümiert und bewertet.
The development of new satellite sensors within the last 20 years along with changes towards more sophisticated processing strategies has not only given a new impetus to remote sensing data in view of polar research but also changed how a variety of glaciological problems are being addressed today. Particularly RADAR (radio detection and ranging) sensors are well-suited for the observation of glaciated areas and have already helped to retrieve a vast amount of climate sensitive parameters from the area of Antarctica. After an introductive overview at the beginning, the second chapter continues with the description of how RADAR measurements can be used to generate remote sensing images. The principle of synthetic aperture RADAR (SAR) which allows a better focusing of the RADAR measurements and therewith a rigorous increase of the spatial resolution of the images is outlined generally before more precise descriptions explain how interferometric SAR (InSAR) analyses can be used for the determination of surface topography heights and area-wide flow velocities. Two other techniques, namely matching methods for the determination of shifts between two images as well as the laser satellite altimetry are explained at the end of this chapter which closes the theoretical basics. The next section introduces the area of interest along with data sets which were used for validation purposes. After a careful exposure of the geographical situation, single objects such as ice streams and ice shelves are described in more detail. The following part, the data set introduction, has besides the description of other measurements its focus on topography and ocean tide models which are available for the area of investigation. Chapter four deals with the estimation of surface topography heights from differential InSAR (DInSAR) analyses. Therein the major differences for the usage of similar repeat tracks in contrast to neighboring, overlapping tracks will be shown and thoroughly discussed. The example of one track will be used to demonstrate how the required baseline estimation can be achieved if ICESat (Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite) profiles are used as tie points. Afterwards, all separately derived height models will be combined to obtain one final solution followed by an error analysis. A comparison to other available elevation models visualizes the spatial resolution of the derived model. The utilization of three different methods for the estimation of surface flow velocities (with the background of possible mass flux determinations) is the topic of the fifth chapter. The first case describes the usage of the high frequent noise contained in RADAR images for the tracking of horizontal surface displacements. Based on ALOS (Advanced Land Observing Satellite) data a flow velocity field which extends from the interior of the ice sheet across the grounding zone up to the ice shelf will be presented. Secondly, geocoded ERS (European Remote Sensing Satellite) images covering a time span of more than 13 years are used to track the motions of well-structured flat areas (ice shelf and glacier tongue). In the third approach used descending and ascending satellite passes will be combined in conjunction with a surface parallel flow assumption to interferometrically derive flow velocities in grounded areas. In each section respective errors will be discussed in order to evaluate the accuracy of the performed measurements. The last bigger chapter, number six, is divided into two sections. In the first one the adoption of SAR and InSAR with respect to the mapping of the grounding line location will be demonstrated. Results of the entire working area will be presented and compared to other data. The second section deploys the results of topography heights and flow velocities to remove both effects from the InSAR measurements which then allows to also measure height changes. This is of particular interest for the floating areas of ice shelf which are fully affected by ocean tides as well as for the grounding zone locations which partially experience deformations due to these height changes. After the correction for air pressure, changes between the image acquisitions, height changes along selected profiles are compared to twelve different ocean tide models. The RMS values of the differences are then used to evaluate the quality of these models for the working area. The most important results and conclusions are summarized in the last chapter.