Sensitivity of a distributed temperature-radiation index melt model based on AWS observations and surface energy balance fluxes, Hurd Peninsula glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica

We use an automatic weather station and surface mass balance dataset spanning four melt seasons collected on Hurd Peninsula Glaciers, South Shetland Islands, to investigate the point surface energy balance, to determine the absolute and relative contribution of the various energy fluxes acting on the glacier surface and to estimate the sensitivity of melt to ambient temperature changes. Long-wave incoming radiation is the main energy source for melt, while short-wave radiation is the most important flux controlling the variation of both seasonal and daily mean surface energy balance. Short-wave and long-wave radiation fluxes do, in general, balance each other, resulting in a high correspondence between daily mean net radiation flux and available melt energy flux. We calibrate a distributed melt model driven by air temperature and an expression for the incoming short-wave radiation. The model is calibrated with the data from one of the melt seasons and validated with the data of the three remaining seasons. The model results deviate at most 140 mm w.e. from the corresponding observations using the glaciological method. The model is very sensitive to changes in ambient temperature: a 0.5 ◦ C increase results in 56 % higher melt rates

Preliminary results of the relation between ice viscosity and water content using an inverse method

One of the outstanding problems of the modelling of temperate ice dynamics is the limited knowledge on the rheology of temperate ice and, in particular, on how the rate factor depends on the liquid water content. Though it is well known that the rate factor depends strongly on the water content, in practice the only available experimentally-based relationship is that by Duval (1977), which is only valid for water contents up to 1%. However, actual water contents found in temperate and polythermal glaciers are sometimes substantially larger

Radioglaciological studies on Hurd Peninsula glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica

We present the results of several radio-echo sounding surveys carried out on Johnsons and Hurd Glaciers, Livingston Island, Antarctica, between the 1999/2000 and 2004/05 austral summer campaigns, which included both radar profiling and common-midpoint measurements with low (20- 25 MHz)- and high (200MHz)-frequency radars. The latter have allowed us to estimate the radio-wave velocity in ice and firn and the corresponding water contents in temperate ice, which vary between 0 and 1.6% depending on the zone. Maximum ice thickness is ~200 m, with a mean value of 93.6 ± 2.5 m. Total ice volume is 0.968 ± 0.026 km3, for an area of 10.34 ± 0.03 km2. The subglacial relief of Johnsons Glacier is quite smooth, while that of Hurd Glacier shows numerous overdeepenings and peaks. The radar records suggest that Hurd Glacier has a polythermal structure, contrary to the usual assumption that glaciers in Livingston Island are temperate. This is also supported by other dynamical and geomorphological evidence

Modelling experiments of the variations of the calving front position of Hansbreen, Svalbard

Hansbreen is a tidewater glacier in Svalbard, with grounded tongue, about 16 km in length and ca. 2.5 km in width at its tongue. The calving front position has shown, over the recent decades, a general retreating trend, often rather smooth but with some occasional abrupt changes. We apply a full-Stokes model of glacier dynamics, incorporating a crevasse-depth calving model, with the aim of reproducing the glacier front positions observed since 1936 and analyzing the sensitivity of the model to environmental parameters

On the errors involved in the estimate of glacier ice volume from ice thickness data

The assessment of the glacier thickness is one of the most widespread applications of radioglaciology, and is the basis for estimating the glacier volume. The accuracy of the measurement of ice thickness, the distribution of profiles over the glacier and the accuracy of the boundary delineation of the glacier are the most important factors determining the error in the evaluation of the glacier volume. The aim of this study is to get an accurate estimate of the error incurred in the estimate of glacier volume from GPR-retrieved ice-thickness data

View planning for efficient contour-based 3D object recognition

This paper presents a method for capture planning in view based 3D recognition. Views are represented by their contours, encoded into curvature functions, which are reduced into compact feature vectors by Principal Component Analysis. These vectors are very resistant against transformations, so they can be assumed to be distributed over the surface of a sphere with the object in its center. After clustering these vectors, 3D objects are represented via Hidden Markov Models where classes are states. To recognize an object in a minimum number of steps, we propose to align candidate cluster representations and then subtracting their cluster maps to decide in which locations they differ the most. Then, a TSP is used to decide in which order these distinctive locations are visited. The proposed approach has been successfully tested with several artificial 3D object databases, even though it still presents some errors in objects with strong symmetries.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) project TEC-2008-06734 Junta de Andalucia (JA) project TIC-0310

A three-dimensional dynamical model of Amundsenisen icefield, Svalbard.

Amundsenisen is an ice field, 80 km2 in area, located in Southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard. Radio-echo sounding measurements at 20 MHz show high intensity returns from a nearly flat basal reflector at four zones, all of them with ice thickness larger than 500m. These reflections suggest possible subglacial lakes. To determine whether basal liquid water is compatible with current pressure and temperature conditions, we aim at applying a thermo mechanical model with a free boundary at the bed defined as solution of a Stefan problem for the interface ice-subglaciallake. The complexity of the problem suggests the use of a bi-dimensional model, but this requires that well-defined flowlines across the zones with suspected subglacial lakes are available. We define these flow lines from the solution of a three-dimensional dynamical model, and this is the main goal of the present contribution. We apply a three-dimensional full-Stokes model of glacier dynamics to Amundsenisen icefield. We are mostly interested in the plateau zone of the icefield, so we introduce artificial vertical boundaries at the heads of the main outlet glaciers draining Amundsenisen. At these boundaries we set velocity boundary conditions. Velocities near the centres of the heads of the outlets are known from experimental measurements. The velocities at depth are calculated according to a SIA velocity-depth profile, and those at the rest of the transverse section are computed following Nye’s (1952) model. We select as southeastern boundary of the model domain an ice divide, where we set boundary conditions of zero horizontal velocities and zero vertical shear stresses. The upper boundary is a traction-free boundary. For the basal boundary conditions, on the zones of suspected subglacial lakes we set free-slip boundary conditions, while for the rest of the basal boundary we use a friction law linking the sliding velocity to the basal shear stress,in such a way that, contrary to the shallow ice approximation, the basal shear stress is not equal to the basal driving stress but rather part of the solution

Ground-penetrating radar surveys and ice volume estimates of Wedel Jarlsberg Land glaciers, Svalbard

We present volume calculations, with detailed error estimates, for eight glaciers on Wedel Jarlsberg Land, southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard, and compare them to those obtained from area-volume scaling relationships. The volume estimates are based upon a dense net of GPR-retrieved ice thickness data collected over several field campaigns spanning the period 2004-2011

Development and Characterization of a Tacrolimus/Hydroxypropyl-β-Cyclodextrin Eye Drop

Uveitis is a vision inflammatory disorder with a high prevalence in developing countries. Currently, marketed treatments remain limited and reformulation is usually performed to obtain a tacrolimus eye drop as a therapeutic alternative in corticosteroid-refractory eye disease. The aim of this work was to develop a mucoadhesive, non-toxic and stable topical ophthalmic formulation that can be safely prepared in hospital pharmacy departments. Four different ophthalmic formulations were prepared based on the tacrolimus/hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) inclusion complexes’ formation. Phase solubility diagrams, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and molecular modeling studies showed the formation of 1:1 and 1:2 tacrolimus/HPβCD inclusion complexes, being possible to obtain a 0.02% (w/v) tacrolimus concentration by using 40% (w/v) HPβCD aqueous solutions. Formulations also showed good ophthalmic properties in terms of pH, osmolality and safety. Stability studies proved these formulations to be stable for at least 3 months in refrigeration. Ex vivo bioadhesion and in vivo ocular permanence showed good mucoadhesive properties with higher ocular permanence compared to the reference pharmacy compounding used in clinical settings (t1/2 of 86.2 min for the eyedrop elaborated with 40% (w/v) HPβCD and Liquifilm® versus 46.3 min for the reference formulation). Thus, these novel eye drops present high potential as a safe alternative for uveitis treatment, as well as a versatile composition to include new drugs intended for topical ophthalmic administrationThis research was partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (RTI2018-099597-B-100), the ISCIII (PI17/00940, RETICS Oftared, RD16/0008/0003 and RD12/0034/0017) and by Xunta de Galicia, grant numbers GPC2013/015 and GRC2017/015S

Ice volume estimates from ground-penetrating radar surveys, Wedel Jarlsberg Land glaciers, Svalbard

One of the aims of the SvalGlac project is to obtain an improved estimate, with reliable error estimates, of the volume of Svalbard glaciers and their potential contribution to sea level rise. As part of this work, we present volume calculations, with detailed error estimates, for eight glaciers on Wedel Jarlsberg Land, southern Spitsbergen, Svalbard. The volume estimates are based upon a dense net of GPR-retrieved ice thickness data collected over several field campaigns spanning the period 2004-2011. The total area and volume of the ensemble are 502.9±18.6 km2 and 80.72±2.85 km3, respectively. Excluding Ariebreen (a tiny glacier, menor que 0.4 km2 in area), the individual areas, volumes and average ice thickness lie within 4.7-141.0 km2, 0.30-25.85 km3 and 64-183 m, respectively. The maximum recorded ice thickness, ca. 619±13 m, is found in Austre Torellbreen. To estimate the ice volume of small non-echo-sounded tributary glaciers, we used a function providing the best fit to the ice thickness along the centre line of a collection of such tributaries where echo-soundings were available, and assuming parabolic cross-sections. We did some tests on the effect on the measured ice volumes of the distinct radio-wave velocity (RWV) of firn as compared to ice, and cold versus temperate ice, concluding that the changes in volume implied by such corrections were within the error bounds of our volume estimate using a constant RWV for the entire glacier inferred from common mid-point measurements on the upper ablation area