We present results from ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and seismic surveys for the Mullins Valley debris-covered glacier (Mullins Glacier), Antarctica, that yield local ice-thickness estimates of 80–110m in upper Mullins Valley and 150m in upper Beacon Valley. Englacial debris in upper Mullins Glacier occurs as scattered cobbles and as discrete layers. One extensive englacial debris layer, whic...

[1] An atmosphere/glacier modeling system is described for estimating the mass balances of glaciers in both current and future climate in order to estimate their probable future contributions to rising sea level. Dynamically downscaled output from a regional atmospheric model, driven by global atmospheric reanalysis, is used to force a precipitationtemperature-area-altitude (PTAA) glacier mass ...

The community structure of bacteria associated with the glacier ice worm Mesenchytraeus solifugus was analyzed by amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and their transcripts. Ice worms were collected from two distinct glaciers in Alaska, Harding Icefield and Byron Glacier, and glacier surfaces were also sampled for comparison. Marked differences were observed in bacterial community structures b...

We present spatial patterns of glacier fluctuations from the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, (glacier area, terminus elevations, median elevations and hypsography) at decadal timescales derived from 1970 aerial photography, 2003 SPOT5 satellite data, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and statistical analyses. We derived new glacier outlines from the 2003 SPOT images, and ingested them in the Global...

In order to develop and evaluate a method for the determination of glacier volume from ice-thickness data, the volume of Schaufelferner, Austria, is calculated (1) by manual interpolation of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data based on measurements at 36 locations in 1995, (2) by manual interpolation of 144 GPR measurements acquired for a higher-resolution estimate in 2003 and 2006, (3) by mult...

Worldwide, the rapid shrinking of glaciers in response to ongoing climate change is modifying the glacial meltwater contribution to hydrosystems in glacierized catchments. Determining the influence of glacial runoff to streams is therefore of critical importance to evaluate potential impact of glacier retreat on water quality and aquatic biota. This task has challenged both glacier hydrologists...

Ongoing glacial retreat is expected to lead to numerous changes in glacier-fed rivers. This study documents the development of community composition of the hitherto widely neglected micro- and meiobenthos (MMB: bacteria, fungi, algae, protists, and meiofauna) in glacier rivers in response to the distinct habitat conditions driven by different stages of (de)glacierization. Our model is based on ...

We characterize the seasonal variation in the geochemical and isotopic content of the outflow of the Green Lake 5 rock glacier (RG5), located in the Green Lakes Valley of the Colorado Front Range, USA. Between June and August, the geochemical content of rock glacier outflow does not appear to differ substantially from that of other surface waters in the Green Lakes Valley. Thus, for this alpine...

Abstract. Previous studies have established links between biodiversity and soil geochemistry in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica, where environmental gradients are important determinants of biodiversity. However, these not well central Transantarctic Mountains, which thought to represent some least hospitable Antarctic soils. We analyzed 220 samples from 11 ice-free areas along Shackleton Gl...

The spatial glaciochemical variability of snow samples collected along a transect from Zhongshan Station to Lambert Glacier Basin 69 (LGB69) in Antarctica was investigated. Sea-salt ion concentrations exponentially decreased with increasing distance the coast and/or altitude. observed high sea-salt within 20.6 km may be related preferential wet or dry deposition aerosols. Methanesulfonic acid (...