Geologic Publications for Mount Rainier

How does glacial debris cover temperature vary with depth and over time?

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Author(s): Alan Salcedo, Claire Todd

Category: PRESENTATION
Document Type: Poster 265-4
Publisher: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Published Year: 2024
Volume: 265
Number: 4
Pages:
DOI Identifier: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-405001
ISBN Identifier:
Keywords:

Abstract:
Nearly half of the world’s glaciers have rocky debris on their surface. Numerous studies have demonstrated that a thick layer of supraglacial debris reduces ice melt at the glacier surface, but a thin layer can accelerate surface melt by amplifying solar heating. To determine how debris cover thickness attenuates heat from solar radiation, we measured temperature at different depths within the debris cover on Emmons Glacier, Mount Rainier, WA. From July to September in 2018, 2019, and 2022, sensors attached to bamboo stakes recorded air temperature at ~ 1 m above the debris cover surface, and debris temperature at depths ranging from 1 – 40 cm below the surface. Sensors were installed at four sites each year, for a total of 12 measurement locations. Preliminary results show that temperatures within 15 cm of the debris cover surface often exceed air temperature, in some measurements by more than 20 degrees Celsius. We also observe evidence of heat retention within the debris cover in late summer when air temperatures were at or below ~ 10 degrees Celsius; in these instances, debris cover temperatures at all depths exceeded air temperature. Our data show that debris cover temperature varies at different locations on the glacier under the same atmospheric conditions; this finding suggests that debris cover characteristics and surface morphology may affect the insulating properties of supraglacial debris cover.

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Suggested Citations:
In Text Citation:
Salcedo and Todd (2024) or (Salcedo and Todd, 2024)

References Citation:
Salcedo, A. and C. Todd, 2024, How does glacial debris cover temperature vary with depth and over time?: Poster 265-4, Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol. 265, No. 4, doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-405001.