In-situ temperature measurement of the McMurdo Ice Shelf and ice shelf cavity using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing
Abstract
Ocean-ice interactions in ice shelf cavities have great potential to affect ice shelf mass balance and stability. In-situ temperature of the ice shelf and ocean water column at Windless Bight, Antarctica, was remotely monitored using fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing (DTS). Fiber-optic cables were installed in two boreholes completed using a combination of electromechanical and hot point drilling. Between November 2011 and January 2013 a set of moorings, comprising of fiber-optic cables for distributed temperature sensing, an independent thermistor string and pressure-temperature transducers were monitored. Data presented summarizes the field deployment of the system between November 2011 and January 2013. Heat serves as natural tracer in environmental systems and is useful for identifying fluxes across boundaries. The heat flux near the ice-ocean interface is estimated from the temperature gradient in the lower ice shelf. Variation in the ice shelf temperature near the ice-ocean interface can be seen. Finally, these new data show the intrusion of warm water under the ice shelf previously observed in 2012.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013AGUFM.C21A0625K
- Keywords:
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- 0728 CRYOSPHERE Ice shelves;
- 0794 CRYOSPHERE Instruments and techniques;
- 4207 OCEANOGRAPHY: GENERAL Arctic and Antarctic oceanography