Cryospheric Sciences

Image of the Week – Satellite Measurements of Arctic Sea Ice

David Docquier September 16, 2016

The map above shows the region around Fram Strait that separates Greenland and Svalbard (Spreen et al., 2009) . The colours show the amount (volume flux) of sea ice that was moving from the Artic Basin and south in October/November 2006 as measured by satellites. The arrows show the direction of sea ice.

Sea ice is an important part of the Earth’s climate system. When sea ice forms, it releases heat and salt. When sea ice melts, it takes up heat and adds freshwater to the salty ocean water. It is also important for the exchange of energy between the atmosphere and the ocean surface, and for the ocean currents that transport warm and cold water from the equator to the poles and back. The main route ...[Read More]

Water Masses “For Dummies”

Céline Heuzé September 14, 2016

Polar surface water, circumpolar deep water, dense shelf water, North Atlantic deep water, Antarctic bottom water… These names pop in most discussions about the ice-ocean interaction and how this will change in a warming climate, but what do they refer to? In our second “For Dummies” article, we shall give you a brief introduction to the concept of “water mass”, explain how to differentiate water ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – Yes, you’re looking at one of Peru’s most dangerous glacial lakes!

David Rounce September 9, 2016

Lake Palcacocha is one of Peru’s most dangerous glacial lakes due to the threat of an avalanche entering the lake and causing a glacial lake outburst flood. The siphons installed in 2011 lowered the level of the lake by 3-5 m in an attempt to reduce the flood hazard of the lake. [Credit: David Rounce]

As mountain glaciers melt and recede, they often leave behind large glacial lake that are contained by the glaciers’ old terminal moraines. These glacial lakes are found throughout the world and can pose a significant flood hazard to downstream communities and infrastructure. The image of this week focuses on Lake Palcacocha, a large glacial lake located in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca at an elevation ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – The Journey of a Snowflake

Clara Burgard September 2, 2016

Figure 1: Snowflakes viewed with a low temperature scanning electron microscope (SEM). [ Credit : Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture via Wikimedia ]

You remember last winter, when everything was white and you had so much fun building a snowman with your friends? What you see on this image above, is what you would see, if you took a tiny tiny piece of your snowman and put it under a low-temperature scanning electron microscope (SEM). The colours are called “pseudo colours”, they are computer generated based on the number of electron ...[Read More]

Image of The Week – 100 years of Endurance!

Emma C. Smith August 26, 2016

Shakleton's Endurance finally sinks to the bottom of the Weddell sea in November 1915. [Credit: Royal Geographical Society via Wikimedia Commons]

The 30th August 2016 marks 100 years since the successful rescue of all (human) member of Shackleton’s Endurance crew from their temporary camp on Elephant Island (see map). Nearly a year prior to their rescue they were forced to abandon their ship – The Endurance – after it became stuck in thick drifting sea ice, known as pack ice, trying to navigate the Weddell Sea. It was the last major e ...[Read More]

Image of the Week — Where do people stay in the “coolest” place on earth?

Sophie Berger August 19, 2016

The 82 research stations in the Antarctic. The world map below shows which countries are operating a station in Antarctica. Source: COMNAP Antarctic Facilities (Updated February 2014) - [Credit: Sophie Berger]. Click here here to enlarge the image.

What word would you use to characterise the Antarctic ? White? Windy? Remote? Empty? Inhospitable? Wild? Preserved? While all of these are true it may surprise you to find out that the Antarctic is occupied by humans all year round with almost half of its 82 research stations operating 365.25 days a year! Just a few hours before the launch of the biennial Antarctic meeting held by the Science Comm ...[Read More]

Image of the Week – Hidden Beauty on a Himalayan Glacier

Arindan Mandal August 12, 2016

Supraglacial lake on the surface of Chhota Shigri Glacier at ~4900 m above sea level in the ablation zone (Credit: Anurag Linda).

Today’s image of the week comes from stunning setting of Chhota Shigri Glacier in the Pir Panjal Range of northern India. The range is part of the Hindu-Kush Karakorum Himalaya region which is a notoriously challenging place to work as it is very remote and completely inaccessible during the winter months. However, when have these challenges ever stopped a hardy glaciologist?! Our image thi ...[Read More]

Image of the week – Our salty seas and how this affects sea ice growth

Chris Horvat August 5, 2016

Lines of constant density for sea water . Black lines show lines of constant density as a function of temperature (y-axis) and salinity (x-axis). The dashed black line indicates, for a given salinity, the temperature at which the water will freeze. Figure adapted from Timmermans and Jayne (2016) - with permission.

Earth’s oceans are not simply just water, they are a complicated multi-component fluid consisting of water and dissolved salts (ask anyone who has tried to drink it!). The existence of these salts has a significant impact on global ocean circulation. Nowhere is this more significant than in the polar oceans where it is one of the key factors influencing sea ice formation. In this week’s imag ...[Read More]

Image of the Week — Looking for ice inside a volcano !

Tommaso Santagata July 29, 2016

A phase of the laser scanning survey of the southernmost ice mass in Europe: the Ice Cave, Mount Etna,. [Credit: Alessio Romeo – Inside The Glaciers Project]

Who would think that one of the world’s most active volcano shelters the southernmost persistent ice mass in Europe!? Yes, you can find ice inside Mount Etna! Located at an altitude of about 2,040 m above sea level, the Ice Cave (Grotta del Gelo) is well known among Mt Etna’s volcanic caves due to the presence of columns of ice on its walls and floor which occupy about the 30% of the ...[Read More]

Fieldwork at 5,000 meters in altitude

David Rounce July 28, 2016

Field Site, Imja Lake, in November 2015 [Credit: D. Rounce]

Imja Lake is one of the largest glacial lakes in the Nepal Himalaya and has received a great deal of attention in the last couple decades due to the potential for a glacial lake outburst flood. In response to these concerns, the UNDP has funded a project that is currently lowering the level of the lake by 3 m to reduce the flood hazard. The aim of our research efforts is to understand how quickly ...[Read More]