Expressions of Intent for International Polar Year 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

Snow and Ice Surface Roughness as Indicator for Climatic and Dynamic Changes in the Cryosphere  (Snow and Ice Surface Roughness – Arctic and Antarctica)

Outline
Snow and ice surface roughness is an important variable in the study of surface-atmosphere exchanges, including the investigation of melt processes at several scales from a local snowpack to ablation of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, wind transport and erosion, and modeling of climatic and atmospheric processes and their changes. Suncups, sastrugi, crevasses, and large dunes manifest themselves in the surface morphology of glaciers and snow fields at the millimeter to 10's-of-kilometer scale providing valuable but largely unused indicators of geophysical and environmental processes. Surface roughness is not only important in the reflectance and scatteringof remote-sensing signals, roughness information derived from satellite data may also provide useful glaciologic and climatic information.The objectives of this IPY idea are(1) to obtain surface measurements, aerial and satellite observations of spatial surface roughness of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves,(2) to analyze, model and interpret surface features and related processes in the cryosphere, atmosphere and oceans, and(3) to utilize surface roughness as a geophysical indicator variable for other, harder to observe variables at various scales in a suite of applications.The investigators hope that the IPY will provide a framework for internationally coordinated multi-instrument, multi-variable and multi-scale geophysical observations (including their own and those of other investigators).Fields of application include climatology, meteorology and atmospheric sciences (derivation of aerodynamic roughness length for calculation of energy fluxes and modeling ablation, consequences in a climatic warming scenario), physical glaciology (crevassing as indication of ice movement, catastrophic changes such as ice-shelf break-up and stability of the ice sheets), oceanography (relevance for ice-ocean interactions and sea-level rise).

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
This IPY idea is most relevant to Themes 1 and 2 of the IPY - present state of Arctic and Antarctic glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves and their changes. Surface roughness as a spatial variable contains the full description of the ice-atmosphere interface and as such provides a key to other, harder-to-access geophysical variables. Results and applications are expected to advance our understandingin glaciology, climatology, meteorology, atmospheric sciences, and oceanography and interrelationships of processes in the Earth System.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
Synergetic analysis of data from satellites from ESA, NASA, Canadian and Japanese Space AgenciesCollaboration of an international team of scientists open to participation by others

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Collection of observational data at several glaciers/ice streams: Overflights, surface data collection, and satellite data.Geographic regions of interest include fast-moving glaciers and ice streams and ice-stream-ice-shelf systems in Greenland and Antarctica, and areas where changes occur or may likely occur in the future.Greenland:Jakobshavns Isbrae, W-Greenland; Sermilik region, E-Greenland; North Greenland Glaciers (Humboldt, Petermann),Antarctica:Slessor Glacier, Stancomb-Wills Glacier, Jutulstraumen Glacier, Shirase Glacier, Lambert Glacier/Amery Ice Shelf, West Ice Shelf Glaciers, Denman Glacier, Vanderford Glacier, Mertz and Ninnis Glaciers, Rennick Glacier, David Glacier/Drygalski Ice Tongue, Thwaites Glacier, Pine Island Glacier

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: End of Arctic summer 2007      End of Arctic summer 2008      
Antarctic: End of Antarctic summer 2007/2008      End of Antarctic summer 2008/2009      

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
helicopters, fixed-wing geophysical platforms, fixed-wing transport aircraft, satellites, snow terrain vehicles

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
Consortium
Own national polar operator
National agency
Own support

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Not yet – but we plan to ask for endorsement.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?


Observations of some glaciers exist and are under way. It is expected that the IPY may provide the frame necessary for a larger, internationally coordinated multi-instrument observation project.

How will the project be organised and managed?
U.C. Herzfeld: overall coordination of project efforts in collaboration with co-investigators; logistics; glaciology, geomathematics, field observations; satellite data acquisition and analysis;G.K.C. Clarke: coordination of modeling efforts; smaller scale modeling (glaciers, ice streams) H. Mayer: field observations, structural glaciologyR. Greve: larger scale modeling (ice sheets and ice shelves)

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
involve graduate students and undergraduate assistants;lecture in schools and to the public;create a website

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document?
collaboration with World Data Center A for Glaciology (National Snow and Ice Data Center), Boulder, Colorado, USA

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Apply to national funding agenciesObtain data access from ESA, NASA, Japan Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
None

PROPOSER DETAILS

Prof. Dr. Ute Christina Herzfeld
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences
(CIRES) / National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC)
Boulder, Colorado

USA

Tel: +1 303 735 5164
Mobile: no
Fax: no
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation