Measuring Basal Force Fluctuations of Debris Flows Using Seismic Recordings and Empirical Green's Functions

We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m³) experimental flows at the U.S. Geological Survey debris‐flow flume that were recorded by dozens of three‐component seismic sensors. The seismically derived basal stress fluctuations compare well in amplitude and timing to independent force plate measurements within the valid frequency range (15–50 Hz). We show that although the high‐frequency seismic signals provide band‐limited forcing information, there are systematic relations between the fluctuating stresses and independently measured flow properties, especially mean basal shear stress and flow thickness. However, none of the relationships are simple, and since the flow properties also correlate with one another, we cannot isolate a single factor that relates in a simple way to the fluctuating forces. Nevertheless, our observations, most notably the gradually declining ratio of fluctuating to mean basal stresses during flow passage and the distinctive behavior of the coarse, unsaturated flow front, imply that flow style may be a primary control on the conversion of translational to vibrational kinetic energy. This conversion ultimately controls the radiation of high‐frequency seismic waves. Thus, flow style may provide the key to revealing the nature of the relationship between fluctuating forces and other flow properties

Measuring Basal Force Fluctuations of Debris Flows Using Seismic Recordings and Empirical Green's Functions

We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m³) experimental flows at the U.S. Geological Survey debris‐flow flume that were recorded by dozens of three‐component seismic sensors. The seismically derived basal stress fluctuations compare well in amplitude and timing to independent force plate measurements within the valid frequency range (15–50 Hz). We show that although the high‐frequency seismic signals provide band‐limited forcing information, there are systematic relations between the fluctuating stresses and independently measured flow properties, especially mean basal shear stress and flow thickness. However, none of the relationships are simple, and since the flow properties also correlate with one another, we cannot isolate a single factor that relates in a simple way to the fluctuating forces. Nevertheless, our observations, most notably the gradually declining ratio of fluctuating to mean basal stresses during flow passage and the distinctive behavior of the coarse, unsaturated flow front, imply that flow style may be a primary control on the conversion of translational to vibrational kinetic energy. This conversion ultimately controls the radiation of high‐frequency seismic waves. Thus, flow style may provide the key to revealing the nature of the relationship between fluctuating forces and other flow properties

Hydrological and Biogeochemical Modeling of Taylor Valley Lakes, East Antarctica

Taylor Valley, McMurdo Dry Valleys, East Antarctica contains three perennially ice-covered lakes located in closed basins. The lakes respond to climatic changes on seasonal and decadal scales due to their existence on a very narrow climatic spectrum. The climate has to be sufficiently warm during the austral summer to induce glacial melt yet cold enough to maintain the ice covers year round. This thesis is focused on better understanding and constraining the sensitivity of past and present lakes to changes in climatic forcings. Melt water generation for large proglacial lakes, that existed during the Last Glacial Maximum, is attributed to strong westerly winds that increase surface air temperature above freezing, prolonging the melt season. The high frequency of westerly winds during the Last Glacial Maximum, based on the ice core record from Taylor Dome, is responsible for generation of enough glacial melt to sustain large proglacial lakes during this time period, suggesting that summer surface air temperatures were as warm as present day. Contemporary lakes are much smaller, however, the effect of strong westerly winds on modern lakes is equally profound. Strong winds are responsible for aeolian sediment deposition on the surface of the ice covers. The deposited sediment, on the other hand, absorbs more solar radiation and preferentially decreases the ice thickness around it. The localized ice thinning allows a greater amount of light penetration into the water column, which is negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a concentration. This negative correlation does not indicate changes in biomass; rather, it is a result of the short-term photo-adaptation of phytoplankton to the light intensity by increasing/decreasing light harvesting antenna size. The ice thicknesses in Taylor Valley lakes have been fluctuating since the first measurements were obtained. A one-dimensional physics-based ice thickness model was developed capable of reproducing 16 years of ice thickness trends for two different lakes. The model is based on surface radiative fluxes while considering heat fluxes from the water column. Deep lakes with well-developed temperature maximum can facilitate or hinder ice thickness growth/decay due to the heat flux from the underlying water column. This finding suggests that not all perennially ice-covered lakes can be used as a proxy for climatic changes

Drivers of Solar Radiation Variability in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

Annually averaged solar radiation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica has varied by over 20 W m−2 during the past three decades; however, the drivers of this variability are unknown. Because small differences in radiation are important to water availability and ecosystem functioning in polar deserts, determining the causes are important to predictions of future desert processes. We examine the potential drivers of solar variability and systematically eliminate all but stratospheric sulfur dioxide. We argue that increases in stratospheric sulfur dioxide increase stratospheric aerosol optical depth and decrease solar intensity. Because of the polar location of the McMurdo Dry Valleys (77–78°S) and relatively long solar ray path through the stratosphere, terrestrial solar intensity is sensitive to small differences in stratospheric transmissivity. Important sources of sulfur dioxide include natural (wildfires and volcanic eruptions) and anthropogenic emission

High-Resolution Ground-Penetrating Radar Profiles of Perennial Lake Ice in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: Horizon Attributes, Unconformities, and Subbottom

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is not commonly used to study lake ice, and in general, the ground-based use of radar frequencies greater than 500 MHz in cryosphere geophysics is rare, due to a general interest in deeper stratigraphy and the difficulty of extensive profiling over rough snow surfaces. Our goal was to find further information on the origin of the deposition and formation of intra-ice layers, bottom topography, and subbottom deposits using GPR with pulses centered near 850 MHz on two permanently ice-covered lakes in the Mc- Murdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. The profiles were obtained using a one-person sled operation over Lake Bonney, which is typical of lakes in the region, having an ice thickness that ranges between 3 and 5 m, and Lake Vida, where the maximum ice depth is at least 27 m. Lake Bonney exhibits a semicontinuous sediment horizon at approximately a 2-m depth and several minor horizons. In contrast, Lake Vida contains unconformably eroded and folded continuous reflection horizons, packages of minor horizons between major horizons, evidence of incised fluvial deposition along the bottom, and subbottom penetration of at least 4.5 m in some areas. Where the ice thickness is less than 20 m, the lake is frozen to the bottom. Most horizon waveform phase attributes indicate relatively lower permittivity than in the surrounding matrix. Consequently, we interpreted these strata to be caused by layers of pure ice embedded within a salty and dirty ice matrix, which were formed during minor flooding. These findings supported previous conclusions that Lake Vida ice formed from surface runoff in combination with periods of ablation

Climate From the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, 1986–2017: Surface Air Temperature Trends and Redefined Summer Season

The weather of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, the largest ice‐free region of the Antarctica, has been continuously monitored since 1985 with currently 14 operational meteorological stations distributed throughout the valleys. Because climate is based on a 30‐year record of weather, this is the first study to truly define the contemporary climate of the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Mean air temperature and solar radiation based on all stations were −20°C and 102 Wm−2, respectively. Depending on the site location, the mean annual air temperatures on the valleys floors ranged between −15°C and −30°C, and mean annual solar radiation varied between 72 and 122 Wm−2. Surface air temperature decreased by 0.7°C per decade from 1986 to 2006 at Lake Hoare station (longest continuous record), after which the record is highly variable with no trend. All stations with sufficiently long records showed similar trend shifts in 2005 ±1 year. Summer is defined as November through February, using a physically based process: up‐valley warming from the coast associated with a change in atmospheric stability

Growth Dynamics of a Laminated Microbial Mat in Response to Variable Irradiance in an Antarctic Lake

1. Laminated microbial mats are important ecosystem components of perennially ice-coveredAntarctic dry valley lakes. In order to understand better their response to changing environment, wemade observations and carried out a manipulation experiment to determine their response tovariations in irradiance in Lake Hoare (77°380S, 162°530E). 2. Ice transparency was the most variable parameter that affected benthic light dose, both spatiallyand between years. Patterns of lamina accrual corresponded to irradiance history, with laminae thatwere initiated in high transmission years thicker than those from low transmission years. 3. A shading experiment confirmed that accrual of lamina thickness, calcite precipitation and ash-free dry mass were determined by irradiance, but photosynthetic biomass and phototrophic speciescomposition were less affected. 4. Buried laminae decomposed only slowly over time, with potentially viable phototrophs manylaminae down into the microbial mat. Decay rate increased only slightly with shading. 5. We conclude that the microbial mats in Lake Hoare are characterised by remarkable stability, withslow accumulation rates and turnover of biomass over time. Photosynthetic biomass and speciescomposition appeared to be stable across long time periods, with interannual variation in laminationpattern due to differential accumulation of extracellular polysaccharide and representing the visibleexpression of annual growth conditions

Sediment transport dynamics on an ice-covered lake: The \u27floating\u27 boulders of Lake Hoare, Antarctica

© © Antarctic Science Ltd 2014. Between 1995 and 2011 a global positioning system survey of 13 boulders and three ablation stakes (long stakes frozen in the ice) on the frozen surface of Lake Hoare was undertaken. Data interpretation illustrates complexities of post-depositional transport dynamics of boulders. Earlier studies on comparable datasets have suggested linear \u27conveyor\u27 type transport mechanisms for lake surface boulders. Yet explanations for non-linear boulder displacements or \u27walks\u27 and the mechanisms responsible for movements are inadequate. Two modes of boulder specific movement were observed. First, localized changes in the ice surface promote individual boulder movement (rolling). Second, ice rafting, which indicates the displacement of \u27plates\u27 of lake ice on which the boulder is located. Ablation stakes used as fixed survey control points support the hypothesis that ice cover moves as discrete plates rather than as a single homogenous mass. Factors that create the conditions to generate either of the two modes of movement may be related to location specific energy budgets. A relationship between average orientations and prevailing wind direction was also observed. The investigation describes the local-scale behaviour of surveyed boulders, and offers methodologies and interpretive frameworks for additional studies of modern and ancient sediment transportation dynamics in Antarctic lacustrine environments

The physical limnology of a permanently ice-covered and chemically stratified Antarctic lake using high resolution spatial data from an autonomous underwater vehicle

© 2018 The Authors Limnology and Oceanography published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography We used an Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic ANtarctic Explorer to make measurements of conductivity and temperature in Lake Bonney, a chemically stratified, permanently ice-covered Antarctic lake that abuts Taylor Glacier, an outlet glacier from the Polar Plateau. The lake is divided into two lobes – East Lobe Bonney (ELB) and West Lobe Bonney (WLB), each with unique temperature and salinity profiles. Most of our data were collected in November 2009 from WLB to examine the influence of the Taylor Glacier on the structure of the water column. Temperatures adjacent to the glacier face between 20 m and 22 m were 3°C colder than in the rest of WLB, due to latent heat transfer associated with melting of the submerged glacier face and inflow of cold brines that originate beneath the glacier. Melting of the glacier face into the salinity gradient below the chemocline generates a series of nearly horizontal intrusions into WLB that were previously documented in profiles measured with 3 cm vertical resolution in 1990–1991. WLB and ELB are connected by a narrow channel through which water can be exchanged over a shallow sill that controls the position of the chemocline in WLB. A complex exchange flow appears to exist through the narrows, driven by horizontal density gradients and melting at the glacier face. Superimposed on the exchange is a net west-to-east flow generated by the higher volume of meltwater inflows to WLB. Both of these processes can be expected to be enhanced in the future as more meltwater is produced