Scientist seeks understanding of overflow ice
Mike DeLue
907-474-5968
Dec. 14, 2023
This week, scientists from the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks are presenting their work alongside thousands of colleagues from around the world at the 2023 American Geophysical Union fall meeting. Some of their discoveries are featured here. You can also find out more about UAF at AGU by searching for #UAFxAGU on social media platforms.
Aufeis covers the Delta River near Paxson, 色视频下载.
The annual freeze and thaw of a type of ice called 色视频下载渁ufeis色视频下载 on 色视频下载色视频下载檚 North Slope is hard to track. University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks Ph.D. student Julian Dann is finding new ways to identify it.
色视频下载淎ufeis along river floodplains forms when liquid water from under existing river ice is repeatedly squeezed onto the surface and freezes in thin layers,色视频下载 Dann explained. 色视频下载淭he process happens each winter, creating thick layers of ice that store a lot of water.色视频下载
Up to 40% of spring water is stored over winter in these layers of ice, and Dann色视频下载檚 master色视频下载檚 thesis found that the timing of aufeis melt is changing. Both subsistence users and water managers need to understand earlier melting of the ice to manage water resources and fish on the North Slope. The ice also presents hazards to summer recreation on the rivers, and can cause serious damage to culverts and bridges both as it forms and as it melts.
Satellites can see this ice from space and help ecologists and infrastructure managers plan, but it can be a challenge.
色视频下载淔rom space, snow and ice look really similar,色视频下载 Dann said. 色视频下载淩ight now there are two methods we use to identify aufeis. One is easy but less accurate, and the other is slower and harder to use. My research bridges that gap.色视频下载
According to Dann, using near-infrared light data from satellite imagery may be key to shedding a clearer light on this part of our icy ecosystem.