Glaciers of Ellesmere Island

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Glaciers of Ellesmere Island

• Jessica Fearing
• Kelly Peterson
• Kate Tindale

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Glacial Record

• Part of Laurentide Glaciation
• Ice bridge enabled migration from Siberia
• Subsequently populated by Dorset, Thules
• Innuitian Ice Sheet (continuous) vs. Franklin Ice
  Complex (intermittent)
• Last glacial limit not yet determined
• Evidence of biotic activity indicates ice free
  zones

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What are the major glaciers/ice sheets of
Ellesmere Island?

• Ice Shelves
• Ward Hunt Ice Shelf (major period of break-up
  2002)
• Glaciers
• John Evans Glacier
• Jakeman Glacier
• Leffert Glacier
• Gillman Glacier
• Henriett-Nesmith Glacier
• Charybdis and Scylla Glaciers
• Stygge Glacier
• Pallisades

Source http//www.arctic.uoguelph.ca/cpe/environm
ents/maps/detailed/islands/elles1.jpg
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What are the major glaciers/ice sheets of
Ellesmere Island?

• Ice Caps
• Simmons Ice Cap
• Murray Ice Cap
• Aggassi Ice Cap
• St. Patricks Bay Ice Cap
• Mcdonald Ice Cap
• Drambuie Ice Cap
• Ice Fields
• Manson Ice Field
• Sydkap Ice Field
• Prince of Wales Ice Field
• Kalstenius Ice Field

Source http//www.arctic.uoguelph.ca/cpe/environm
ents/maps/detailed/islands/elles1.jpg
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Characteristics Distribution

• Ellesmere Island
• 77,600 km2 of ice area 490 km2 in adjoining ice
  shelves
• Ice shelves 10s of metres thick
• Ice fields 100s of metres thick

Source http//www.
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Impacts of Glaciation Urban Development

• Three settlements
• Alert
• First northern-most, permanent settlement in the
  world
• 2001 population 5
• Northeastern tip of Island
• Weather station and atmosphere monitoring lab
• Eureka
• Second northern-most settlement in the world
• 2001 population of 0
• Airport and military base
• Grise Fiord
• Southern tip of island, 270 miles above Arctic
  Circle
• 2001 population 163

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Impacts of Glaciation Urban Development

• Extensive ice cover limits presence and
  distribution of human settlements
• Permafrost hinders construction efforts
• Water and sewage systems expensive / not feasible

Source http//images.encarta.msn.com/xrefmedia/sh
aremed/targets/images/pho/t054/T054395A.jpg
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Characteristics Deposits and Features

• Ice Islands and Icebergs
• Permafrost
• Ice locked from October to June
• Island includes 7 fjords
• Hummocky terrain, some vegetation
• Glacial lakes
• Ice caps, shelves, fields
• Glaciers outlet, valley
• Moraines
• Piedmont lobes

http//www.socc.ca/gallery/images/seaice/iceberg_1
0.jpg
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Characteristics

• Thermal Regime
• JEG is a polythermal glacier
• Thick mantle of cold ice
• Temperate ice between cold mantle and glacier bed
  in ablation area

• Rates of Movement
• Velocities of horizontal surface higher in summer
  than winter
• High velocity events occur

Canon Fiord, Ellesmere Island, Terminus Sourcehtt
p//nsidc.org/glaciers/gallery/images/glacier_foot
_nv.jpg
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Characteristics Mass Balance

• Summer melt occurs from June to August (short
  ablation period)
• Ice masses are currently retreating
• Anthropogenic impacts on climate
• Can be seen in the Murray Ice Cap and the Simmons
  Ice Cap
• Tanquary Fiord
• Summer sun and Lake Hazen albedo create thermal
  oasis
• Lasts 147 days
• 70 frost free days
• Annual precipitation of 6 cm
• Polar wasteland

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Mass Balance of Murray and Simmons Ice Caps
Source http//www.geo.umass.edu/climate/hazen/fie
ld23.html
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Impacts of Glaciation Resource Exploration

• Oil and gas fields
• Coal
• Sand and gravel deposits
• Fish, marine mammals
• Arctic Char
• Arctic fauna
• Muskox
• Arctic Fox
• Arctic Hare
• Peary Caribou
• Birds
• Lemmings
• Peat deposits
• Minimal Flora
• Arctic Poppy
• White Mountain Avens

Source http//www.arcturusexpeditions.co.uk/image
s/21muskoxencrp.jpeg hhttp//library.thinkquest.
org/CR0212280/images/den2.jpg and
http//www.antarctica.it/img/pop-up/Artico/Tanquar
yFjord.jpg
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Development

• Majority of developments are related to research
  and weather monitoring
• Technologies required to locate and access
  mineral and other resources
• Cost effective methods of
  extraction
• Tourism
• Wind energy
• Photovoltaics
• Ocean Power

Source http//www.geo.umass.edu/climate/sajama/im
ages/deltastation1990.jpg and http//www.greatexp
editions.com/images/ellesmere2.jpg
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Scientific Importance

• Hold evidence of past climates, pollution levels,
  atmospheric conditions
• Global Warming Research CO2 Monitoring
• John Evans Glacier energy balance research and
  degree-day mass balance models
• Influence hydrologic cycle
• Contributes to iceberg population and sediment
  transport

Source www.socc.ca/gallery/ photogallery_e.cfm
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Future Prospects

• Canadian glaciers melting rapidly since end of
  Little Ice Age, anthropogenic impacts
• Risk of global sea level rise
• Change ocean circulation patterns (salinity
  levels)
• Disappearance of some
  glaciers

Source http//www.msc.ec.gc.ca/crysys/_images/sea
ice/iceberg_3.jpg
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Questions?