MARINE GEOLOGY & GLACIOLOGY
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GLACIOLOGY |
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Research group
Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm -
apa@geus.dk
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| The Glaciology Group carries out glaciological research, monitoring and applied glaciology, with a main focus on the Greenland ice sheet margin and local ice masses. | |
Current Projects
MONITORING
PROMICE
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The main task of this monitoring effort is to quantify the annual mass
loss
from the Greenland Ice Sheet, with an explanation as to its cause. A secondary aim of the programme is to utilize the data collected to gain insight in the mass balance processes and how they connect to the surrounding climate and environment. PROMICE maintains a geographically distributed network of automatic weather stations on the ice sheet margin, carries out repeated airborne surveys and works extensively with radar and optical satellite data. Period: 2007 - onwards Project leader: Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm Funders: Danish Energy Agency, Ministry of Climate and Energy Collaborators: Greenland Survey (ASIAQ), National Space Institute (DTU Space) Website: http://promice.org |
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- an extensive network of automatic mass-balance stations positioned in situ on the Greenland ice margin (established 2007 to 2010)
- repeated airborne surveys of the entire ice margin to obtain surface elevation and ice thickness (2007 and 2010 planned)
- an ongoing effort to process satellite radar data to determine ice sheet surface velocity (from 2009 onwards)
- modelling of the climatic and dynamic mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet
- maintenance of an open access database (from 2008 onwards)
The programme demonstrates the Danish responsibility and will to monitor the development of the Greenland ice sheet in a changing climate.
GLIMS
The group participates in the
worldwide effort
to monitor land ice masses,
Global Land Ice Measurements from Space
- GLIMS (
www.glims.org). Within this framework, GEUS acts as the GLIMS Regional Center for Greenland (RC1) and formally coordinates the GLIMS activities in Greenland through contact with regional stewards working in different parts of Greenland. The Glaciology Group actively works to submit data to the
GLIMS database
within the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet Margin (PROMICE).
GlacioBasis monitoring programme at the A.P. Olsen Ice Cap (GlacioBasis)
Description: GlacioBasis monitors glacier mass balance through quantitative field observations from the A.P. Olsen Ice Cap (Northeast Greenland) and from the outlet glacier discharging into the Zackenberg River drainage basin. Three automatic weather stations collect data for surface energy balance and melt modelling from different elevations in the ablation zone. GlacioBasis maintains a network of 15 ablation stakes, and carries out repeated differential GPS surveys and ground penetrating radar surveys of snow depth, calibrating accumulation with density profiles from snow pits. Satellite remote sensing based on optical, thermal infrared, and laser altimetry products from a suite of different satellites and instruments is used to monitor the changes of the ice surface and its physical properties, and to detect the recurrent glacier outburst floods from a glacier dammed lake into the Zackenberg River.Period: 2008 -
Project leader: Michele Citterio
Funders: Danish Energy Agency (DEA)
Collaborators: National Environment Research Institute (NERI)
Website: http://www.zackenberg.dk/Monitoring/GlacioBasis
Monitoring the outlet glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet (IVEL)
Description: This project aims to quantify the seasonal velocity variation of a number of key outlet glaciers from the Greenland Ice Sheet. This will improve the overall calculation of iceberg calving and bottom melting from the Greenland Ice Sheet, that is the part of the mass loss not due to surface melting. This is accomplished by a combination of photogrammetry from EIS camera systems and GPS's deployed on the tongues of the outlet glaciers.Period: 2010 - 2011
Project leader: Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm
Funders: Danish Energy Agency, Ministry of Climate and Energy
Collaborators: Byrd Polar Research Institute – Ohio State University, Alberto Behar, Extreme Ice Survey (EIS)
Website: http://promice.org
GLACIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Stability and Variations of Land Ice (SVALI)
Description: The Nordic Centre of Excellence SVALI will study basic cryospheric processes using remote sensing, airborne and in-situ measurements, and carry out advanced Earth System Modelling with focus on land ice in the Arctic/North-Atlantic area. The ultimate goal is to answer these key questions: How fast is land ice volume in the Arctic and North-Atlantic area changing, and why? Will these processes continue to accelerate? What are the consequences for sea-level and ocean circulation? What are the implications for society? GEUS will be involved in observing the present state of the cryosphere, process studies and head the outreach activity of the centre.Period: 2010 - 2015
Project leader: Signe Bech Andersen
Funders: Norden – Top Level Research Initiative
Collaborators: University of Oslo, Norwegian Polar Institute, CSC - IT Center for Science Ltd., University of Copenhagen, Danish Meteorological Institute, Uppsala University, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, University Centre in Svalbard, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Icelandic Meteorological Office, University of Iceland, Arctic Centre - University of Lapland, Climate Research Centre Greenland, Norwegian Water Resources and Energy, University of Stockholm
Website : http://ncoe-svali.org
Imglaco
Impact of Glaciers near the Coast (Imglaco)
Description:
From GEUS' perspective Imglaco is a continuation of the FreshLink project, in which automatic weather stations and regional climate modelling are used to estimate past and future meltwater run-off into the Nuuk Fjord in Greenland. One additional weather station was constructed in 2010 to investigate the along-slope gradients of factors influencing the surface mass budget. GEUS also supports the ice-dynamics investigations within the project by determining ice velocities using GPS, cameras and satellite imagery, and ice thickness by airborne laser and radar surveys.
Period:
2010 -
Project leader:
Dirk van As
Funders:
Greenland Climate Research Centre (GCRC), established by the Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland (KVUG), the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, the University of Greenland.
Collaborators: Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), Greenland Survey (Asiaq), National Space Institute (DTU Space), Niels Bohr Institute (NBI), University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
Website: -
GAP
Greenland Analogue Project (GAP)
Description:
Within sub-project A of GAP detailed investigations of the sub-glacial hydrology in the Kangerlussuaq region of the Greenland Ice Sheet are conducted. GEUS is responsible for determining the spatial and temporal variability in surface meltwater production. For this purpose four automatic weather stations were placed at different elevations; three on ice, one on land.
Period:
2008 - 2013
Project leader:
Dirk van As
Funders:
Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company (SKB), Posiva Oy, Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO)
Collaborators
: Sub-project A: Aberystwyth University, Stockholm University, Uppsala University
Website:
http://www.skb.se
ICE2SEA
Description:
Ice2sea aims to improve projections of the contribution of ice to future sea-level rise. GEUS participates in ice2sea on several levels: GEUS leads work package 3 (Foundation and validation data) with an overall aim of providing the basic observational data for building and validating the glaciological models applied in ice2sea. Additionally, GEUS participates in work package 2.2 (Basal lubrication by surface melt) where the aim is to obtain a new continuous velocity data set for selected major outlet glaciers from the Greenland ice sheet in order to resolve the annual velocity cycle. GEUS also participates in work package 2.3 (Tidewater glacier calving and ice-ocean interaction) where we will refine estimates of current calving flux and set up a calving model for selected outlet glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet.
Period
: 2009 - 2013
Project leader
: Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm
Funders:
European Union Framework-7
Collaborators: British Antarctic Survey (NERC-BAS), Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar und Meeresforschung (AWI), CSC - Tieteellinen Laskenta Oy (CSC), Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), DTU-Space, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Iceland (HI), Universiteit Utrecht (UU), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), UK Met Office – Hadley Centre (MOHC), University of Oslo (UIO), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Universita' degli Studi di Urbino (UNIURB), University of Bristol (UOB), The University of Leeds (UOL), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), University of Copenhagen, Niels Bohr Institute (UCPH), University of Liège (ULG), University of Zurich (UZH), University of Silesia (US), Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECS), Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l'Energia e l'Ambiente (ENEA), Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI), Instytut Geofizyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk (IGF-PAS)
Website:
http://www.ice2sea.eu
Linking Ice Sheet Thinning and Changing Climate (FreshLink)
Description:
The project aims to determine all freshwater fluxes into the Nuuk Fjord (Southwest Greenland), and see if the total budget is in agreement with estimates from oceanographic measurements in the fjord. In 2007, GEUS constructed two automatic weather stations on Qamanarssup Sermia/Glacier, which have since been used to calculate the meltwater discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet into the fjord. The same surface energy budget model has been run for a future scenario with regional climate model data from DMI.
Period:
2007 - 2010
Project leader:
Dirk van As
Funders:
Commission for Scientific Research in Greenland (KVUG) and the Danish Energy Agency (DEA)
Collaborators:
Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), Greenland Survey (Asiaq), National Space Institute (DTU Space), University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS), University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)
Website:
http://freshlink.natur.gl
APPLIED GLACIOLOGY
Glaciological investigations at the Malmbjerg molybdenum prospect
Description: The planned development of the Malmbjerg molybdenum prospect (Stauning Alps, East Greenland) into an operational open pit mine requires to address the technical aspects connected with the adjacent Arcturus and Schuchert Glaciers. The main issues addressed are the interaction of a planned waste rock pile with Arcturus Glacier, the options and impacts of a road over the glacier, the potential for surge events to occur during the planned lifetime of the mine and the impacts of lowering surface albedo from rock dust and debris on meltwater discharge. Modelling of surface mass and energy balance, ice dynamics, surface darkening and differential ablation has been performed based on data collected by an automatic weather station on the ice, a network of ablation stakes, snow pits, ground penetrating radar surveys of glacier thickness, differential GPS surveys of stakes positions and remote sensing investigations of surface velocity by optical feature tracking.
Period: 2008 - 2010
Project leader: Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm (2008), Michele Citterio (2009-2010)
Funders: Quadra Mining Ltd. (2008-2009), QuadraFNX Mining Ltd. (2010)
Collaborators: -
Website:
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Glaciological hydropower feasibility study near Qasigiannguit (QasiPower)
Description:
The potential for hydropower development of a highly glacierized hydrological catchment in the Qasigiannguit area (West Greenland) is investigated by modelling the surface mass balance and meltwater discharge from downscaling of regional climate model scenario time slice runs over the current century and calibrations with observational datasets. The impact of future geometry changes of the ice sheet margin on the delineation of the hydrological catchment and on the amount and routing of meltwater discharge is assessed by 3D numerical modelling of ice flow coupled with the modelled surface mass balance. The present-day elevation of the ice surface and of the underlying bedrock are obtained from airborne lidar and ground penetrating radar (GPR), and surface velocity field from satellite synthetic aperture radar (SAR) products.
Period: 2010 - 2011
Project leader : Michele Citterio
Funders : Greenland Survey (Asiaq)
Collaborators: Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), IT Center for Science (CSC, Finland), Greenland Survey (Asiaq)
Website: -
ISSKOLEN (The ICE SCHOOL)
Description: Outreach activity to create web-based educational material about the Greenland Ice Sheet and Climate Change. The target audiences are Danish teachers and school children, age 10-16.Period: 2010 - 2011
Project leader: Signe Bech Andersen
Funders: Danish Ministry of Education - Rådighedspuljen
Collaborators: Krebs Skole and Context Consulting
Website : http://www.isskolen.dk
Suitability of different ice facies for the production of high quality water
Description: Successful production of high quality water from natural ice for commercialization as bottled mineral water and as ingredient in the cosmetics industry relies on the qualities of the raw material. A report is produced providing information on the characteristics and appearance of the different ice types occurring in the calved ice from outlet glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet. The focus is on the implications in terms of age, origin and purity of the ice, and on the related issues of quality consistency, sustainability of the production, and availability of the ice.Period: 2009
Project leader: Michele Citterio
Funders: NIRAS Greenland a/s
Collaborators:
Website: http://www.iceandwater.gl
