Quantifying the basal conditions of a mountain glacier using a targeted full-waveform inversion: Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA

Quantifying the Basal Conditions of a Mountain Glacier Using a Targeted Full-Waveform Inversion: Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA

Glacier dynamics are inextricably linked to the basal conditions of glaciers. Seismic reflection methods can image the glacier bed under certain conditions. However, where a seismically thin layer of material is present at the bed, traditional analyses may fail to fully characterize bed properties. We use a targeted full-waveform inversion algorithm to quantify the basal-layer parameters of a m...

Basal conditions and glacier motion during the winter/spring transition, Worthington Glacier, Alaska, U.S.A

Seasonal fluctuations in the advance of a tidewater glacier and potential causes: Hubbard Glacier, Alaska, USA

Satellite imagery has been used to acquire seasonal terminus positions of tidewater Hubbard Glacier, Alaska, USA, from 1992 to 2006. During this 15 year time period, the width-averaged advance of the entire terminus has been 620m at a mean rate of 35ma. Seasonal fluctuation of the terminus ranges from 150 to 200m on average and varies spatially. A section of the terminus, near a narrow gap wher...

Diurnal fluctuations in borehole water levels: configuration of the drainage system beneath Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA

Water levels were measured in boreholes spaced along the entire length of Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA, for a period in excess of 2 years. Instrumented boreholes were arranged as nine pairs along the center line of the glacier and an orthogonal grid of 16 boreholes in a 3600m region at the center of the ablation area. Diurnal fluctuations of the water levels were found to be restricted to the lat...

Diurnal water-pressure fluctuations: timing and pattern of termination below Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA

Observations from basal water-pressure sensors along the length of Bench Glacier, Alaska, USA, show that diurnal fluctuations of water pressure are seasonal and restricted to summer. Most notable about these fluctuations is their disappearance in the late summer and early autumn, long before the seasonal end of diurnal meltwater input. Here we present data documenting the end of diurnal water-p...