Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Geospatial Analysis of Alpine Glacial Variability

博士论文研究：高山冰川变化的地理空间分析

• 批准号: 1812764
• 负责人: Yarrow Axford
• 金额: $ 1.8万
• 依托单位: Northwestern University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-04-01 至 2021-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1812764&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Geospatial; Analysis

This doctoral dissertation research improvement project will use geospatial analysis to evaluate the extent of changes in remote alpine glaciers from the early 20th century to the present. The analysis will use satellite images and an archive of recently recovered air-photos from historical expeditions. Findings from the study will contribute to the limited knowledge of alpine glacier histories in remote regions, with implications for future estimates of ice loss and global sea-level change. The research will capitalize on a unique collection of historical air-photos, which have been underutilized as a source of data, thereby providing an opportunity to assess alpine glacier change on a regional scale. This study will foster a new international collaboration with the Natural History Museum of Denmark and engage undergraduate students in polar geospatial research. The doctoral student and her advisor will develop workshops for K-12 STEM teachers from the Chicago public-school district. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.Most previous studies of remote glaciers have been restricted to the satellite era of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Thus, the long-term, Holocene, history of these glaciers and ice caps is generally not well known, despite their importance to global sea level. Of particular relevance to the future, their sensitivity to sustained periods of past warming is poorly understood. To facilitate improved estimates of past glacier activity as well as future glacier change, the doctoral student will utilize historical air-photos, Landsat and Worldview satellite data, as well as several open-sourced digital analytical tools to reconstruct historical glacier extent and area, and model glacier Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA). In combination with the related research which reconstructs long-term Holocene glacier histories using lake sediments in the same region, this complementary geospatial analysis will place 20th and 21th century glacier variability into a longer-term perspective. Although this research project will focus on alpine glaciers in South Greenland, it is highly relevant to understanding the impacts of global environmental change more broadly. The study aims to develop improved approaches for the historical analysis of glacial change, which will be useful for natural resource management in many other locations, including within the United States.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该博士学位论文研究改进项目将使用地理空间分析来评估从20世纪初到现在的偏远高山冰川变化的程度。 该分析将使用卫星图像和最近从历史探险中恢复过的空气射击的档案。 该研究的发现将有助于对偏远地区高山冰川历史的有限了解，这对未来对冰损失和全球海平面变化的估计有影响。这项研究将利用独特的历史空气仪集合，这些空气流量已被用作数据来源，从而提供了一个在区域范围内评估高山冰川变化的机会。 这项研究将促进与丹麦自然历史博物馆的新国际合作，并与本科生参与极地地理空间研究。 博士生和她的顾问将为来自芝加哥公立学校地区的K-12 STEM老师开设研讨会。 作为博士学位论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生能够建立强大的独立研究职业。对远程冰川的大多数研究都仅限于20世纪末和21世纪初的卫星时代。因此，尽管它们对全球海平面的重要性，但这些冰川和冰盖的长期，全新世，这些冰川的历史通常并不众所周知。与未来特别相关的是，它们对过去变暖的持续时期的敏感性知之甚少。为了促进对过去冰川活动以及未来冰川变化的改进估计，博士生将利用历史空气射击，Landsat和Worldview卫星数据，以及几种开源的数字分析工具来重建历史冰川范围和区域，并模型冰川平衡线（ELA）。 结合相关研究，该研究在同一地区使用湖泊沉积物重建长期全新世冰川历史，这种互补的地理空间分析将使20和21世纪的冰川变异性置于长期的角度。尽管该研究项目将重点放在格陵兰南部的高山冰川上，但它与更广泛地理解全球环境变化的影响密切相关。 该研究旨在为冰川变化的历史分析开发改进的方法，这对于许多其他地方（包括在美国）的自然资源管理将很有用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并被认为是值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛影响的评估标准来评估的。

项目成果

Local glaciers record delayed peak Holocene warmth in south Greenland

• DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2020.106421
• 发表时间: 2020-08
• 期刊: Quaternary Science Reviews
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: L. Larocca;Y. Axford;A. Bjørk;G. Lasher;Jeremy P. Brooks