Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography
Theory and observation show that glacier-flow regimes characterized by high basal slip enhance the projection of topographic detail to the surface, motivating this investigation into the efficacy of using glacier surges to improve bed estimation. Here we adapt a Bayesian inversion scheme and apply i...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press
2023-06-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Glaciology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143022001216/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1827942362318372864 |
|---|---|
| author | Alexi Morin Gwenn E. Flowers Andrew Nolan Douglas Brinkerhoff Etienne Berthier |
| author_facet | Alexi Morin Gwenn E. Flowers Andrew Nolan Douglas Brinkerhoff Etienne Berthier |
| author_sort | Alexi Morin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Theory and observation show that glacier-flow regimes characterized by high basal slip enhance the projection of topographic detail to the surface, motivating this investigation into the efficacy of using glacier surges to improve bed estimation. Here we adapt a Bayesian inversion scheme and apply it to real and synthetic data as a proof of concept. Synthetic tests show a reduction in mean RMSE between true and inferred beds by more than half, and an increase in the mean correlation coefficient of ~0.5, when data from slip- versus deformation-dominated regimes are used. Multi-epoch inversions, which partition slip- and deformation-dominated regimes, are shown to outperform inversions that average over these flow regimes thereby squandering information. Tests with real data from a surging glacier in Yukon, Canada, corroborate these results, while highlighting the challenges of limited or inconsistent data. With the growing torrent of satellite-based observations, fast-flow events such as glacier surges offer potential to improve bed estimation for some of the world's most dynamic glaciers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:57:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0ab5dcedba164d308a19b867807b9ca4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:57:14Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Glaciology |
| spelling | doaj.art-0ab5dcedba164d308a19b867807b9ca42023-05-23T11:53:18ZengCambridge University PressJournal of Glaciology0022-14301727-56522023-06-016965866410.1017/jog.2022.121Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topographyAlexi Morin0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4185-2002Gwenn E. Flowers1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3574-9324Andrew Nolan2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9785-0196Douglas Brinkerhoff3Etienne Berthier4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5978-9155Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, CanadaDepartment of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, CanadaDepartment of Computer Science, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USALEGOS, Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS, 31400 Toulouse, FranceTheory and observation show that glacier-flow regimes characterized by high basal slip enhance the projection of topographic detail to the surface, motivating this investigation into the efficacy of using glacier surges to improve bed estimation. Here we adapt a Bayesian inversion scheme and apply it to real and synthetic data as a proof of concept. Synthetic tests show a reduction in mean RMSE between true and inferred beds by more than half, and an increase in the mean correlation coefficient of ~0.5, when data from slip- versus deformation-dominated regimes are used. Multi-epoch inversions, which partition slip- and deformation-dominated regimes, are shown to outperform inversions that average over these flow regimes thereby squandering information. Tests with real data from a surging glacier in Yukon, Canada, corroborate these results, while highlighting the challenges of limited or inconsistent data. With the growing torrent of satellite-based observations, fast-flow events such as glacier surges offer potential to improve bed estimation for some of the world's most dynamic glaciers.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143022001216/type/journal_articleGlacier modellingglacier surgesice dynamicsice thickness measurementsmountain glaciers |
| spellingShingle | Alexi Morin Gwenn E. Flowers Andrew Nolan Douglas Brinkerhoff Etienne Berthier Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography Journal of Glaciology Glacier modelling glacier surges ice dynamics ice thickness measurements mountain glaciers |
| title | Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| title_full | Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| title_fullStr | Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| title_short | Exploiting high-slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| title_sort | exploiting high slip flow regimes to improve inference of glacier bed topography |
| topic | Glacier modelling glacier surges ice dynamics ice thickness measurements mountain glaciers |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0022143022001216/type/journal_article |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aleximorin exploitinghighslipflowregimestoimproveinferenceofglacierbedtopography AT gwenneflowers exploitinghighslipflowregimestoimproveinferenceofglacierbedtopography AT andrewnolan exploitinghighslipflowregimestoimproveinferenceofglacierbedtopography AT douglasbrinkerhoff exploitinghighslipflowregimestoimproveinferenceofglacierbedtopography AT etienneberthier exploitinghighslipflowregimestoimproveinferenceofglacierbedtopography |