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

基本信息

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

项目摘要

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.

该博士论文研究改进项目将利用地理空间分析来评估20世纪初至今偏远高山冰川的变化程度。该分析将使用卫星图像和最近从历史探险中恢复的航空照片档案。这项研究的结果将有助于补充对偏远地区高山冰川历史的有限了解，并对未来冰损失和全球海平面变化的估计产生影响。该研究将利用独特的历史航空照片集（这些照片作为数据来源尚未得到充分利用），从而提供评估区域范围内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，并让本科生参与极地地理空间研究。这位博士生和她的导师将为芝加哥公立学区的 K-12 STEM 教师举办研讨会。作为博士论文研究进步奖，该奖项还将为有前途的学生建立强大的独立研究生涯提供支持。以往大多数对偏远冰川的研究都仅限于20世纪末和21世纪初的卫星时代。因此，尽管这些冰川和冰盖对全球海平面很重要，但它们的全新世长期历史通常并不为人所知。与未来尤其相关的是，人们对过去持续变暖时期的敏感性知之甚少。为了更好地估计过去的冰川活动以及未来的冰川变化，博士生将利用历史航空照片、Landsat 和 Worldview 卫星数据以及一些开源数字分析工具来重建历史冰川范围和面积，并模型冰川平衡线高度（ELA）。结合利用同一地区的湖泊沉积物重建长期全新世冰川历史的相关研究，这种补充的地理空间分析将从更长期的角度来看待20世纪和21世纪的冰川变化。尽管该研究项目将重点关注格陵兰岛南部的高山冰川，但它与更广泛地了解全球环境变化的影响密切相关。该研究旨在开发改进的冰川变化历史分析方法，这对于包括美国在内的许多其他地区的自然资源管理很有用。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。