| Title | Analysis of deformation types in fast- moving glaciers |
| Author | Mayer, H.; Herzfeld, U.C.; Clarke, G.K.C. |
| Author Affil | Mayer, H., University of Colorado, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, Boulder, CO. Other: Universität Trier, Federal Republic of Germany; University of British Columbia, Canada |
| Source | Terra Nostra (Bonn), Vol.2004-4, p.273- 278, ; 8th annual conference of the International Association for Mathematical Geology; 2002 IAMG, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany, Sept. 15-20, 2002. Publisher: Alfred-Wegener-Stiftung, Bonn, Federal Republic of Germany. ISSN: 0946- 8978 |
| Publication Date | 2004 |
| Notes | In English. 7 refs. GeoRef Acc. No: 288361. CRREL Acc. No: 63000911 |
| Index Terms | climatic change; ecology; ecosystems; glaciers; global change; global warming; ice; models; velocity; Antarctica--Antarctic ice sheet; Greenland--Greenland ice sheet; algorithms; Antarctic ice sheet; Antarctica; Arctic region; climate change; Greenland; Greenland ice sheet; patterns; processes |
| Abstract | Fast-moving glaciers are relatively rare but important. Fast-moving outlet glaciers of the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets play a key role in any scenario of a possible break-up of the ice sheets, as is predicted by some ice-sheet models as a consequence of global warming. Rapidly accelerating ice during a glacier surge causes an environmental catastrophe. The phenomenon of fast-moving ice still presents unanswered questions to glaciologists. In glaciology, ice movement and deformation are commonly described and analyzed using continuum mechanics and measurements of ice velocities or strain rates. However, since many glaciers are located in remote areas, observations are often lacking, when rapid deformation occurs. In this talk, we present a different approach to the study of ice deformation based on principles of structural geology. Fast ice movement manifests itself in the occurrence of crevasses. Because crevasses remain after the deformation event and may be transported, overprinted or closed, their analysis based on aerial videography and photography or satellite data gives information on past deformation events and resulting strain states. Classes of ice- deformation types are derived from aerial images of ice surfaces using structural glaciology. For each type, the deformation gradient matrix is formed. Relationships between invariants used in structural geology and continuum mechanics and the singular value decomposition are established and applied to ice-surface classification. |
| Publication Type | conference paper or compendium article |
| Record ID | 85134 |