Here you can read about the conference's
Accepted abstracts
Note: Extended deadline for abstract submission (ONLY POSTER PRESENTATIONS!) is March 8, 2013.
Knowledge of present-day changes in the ice sheets and glaciers are critical to partitioning the individual sources of the well-observed global sea-level change. Similarly, knowledge of past changes is required to advance understanding of the paleo sea level budget and also provide the context for present-day changes. Both past and present changes in the mass balance of the Earth's glaciers and ice caps induce present-day deformation of the solid Earth on a range of spatial scales, from the very local to global. Observations of present-day changes in Earth’s shape, gravity field and rotation are therefore sensitive to changes in ice load over a large range of time-scales.
Particularly relevant to this are data from GRACE, and proposed follow-on missions, which require accurate removal of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) to obtain present-day ice mass balance. Likewise, the increasing network of geodetic measurements, especially continuous GPS, in presently, or formerly, glaciated regions may validate, or be assimilated into, models of GIA and/or constrain models of present-day ice mass change through measurements of elastic rebound. Notable here are the International Polar Year POLENET networks of Greenland and Antarctica. It is impossible to interpret data or validate or improve models of the kind mentioned here without close interaction between a wide group of geophysicists. The symposia will focus on enabling this interaction and creating new collaborations through the discussion of the results of scientific studies focused on visco-elastic deformation of the solid Earth due to ice (un)loading.
This symposium seeks to bring together those working on observation and modelling of cryospheric change and solid earth response to further our understanding of the Earth system. These include, but are not limited to, the fields of GIA modelling, ice sheet reconstructions, geodesy (changes in deformation, gravity and Earth rotation), glaciology and seismology. The principal interest is in discussing existing, and initiating new, studies at the interface between these various disciplines. We also seek to maximise the use of existing and future datasets to provide the most robust tests/constraints on models.
Session 1: Observations of present-day changes in glaciers and ice sheets and solid Earth response
Convenors: Ingo Sasgen and Tavi Murray
Mass imbalances of glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets have caused a dominant contribution to global sea-level rise over the past decade. The recent behaviour of the ice-covered areas, however, remains challenging to understand due to the diverse physical processes governing their mass balance as well as complex interactions with the atmosphere, ocean and solid Earth. Improved coverage of GNSS measurements of crustal motion in the Polar Regions provide new constraints on both the ongoing changes and past ice evolution. However, multiple observations and numerical modelling are required to bridge between spatial and temporal scales and to attribute the observed fluctuations to the relevant physical processes. We invite contributions on observations and modelling of recent changes in ice distribution, from local to regional scales, and their causes, as well as their implications for the elastic deformation of the Earth’s crust. The session will provide an update on the recent behaviour of glaciers, ice caps and ice sheets and contribute to characterizing the associated crustal motion in the GNSS time series.
Session 2: Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) on a heterogeneous Earth: Going beyond 1D Maxwell Earth models
Convenors: Wouter van der Wal and Glenn Milne
A variety of data types – geodetic and proxy (palaeo) – have been used to study the viscoelastic response of the Earth to past and present changes in land ice. Through modelling these data, valuable information has been obtained on the Earth’s internal structure as well as past and present climate change. Regarding the latter, one important application of GIA models is the interpretation of geodetic observations to constrain mass changes, and thus sea-level contributions, from the contemporary ice sheets. To date, the majority of these GIA model applications have been based on 1D Maxwell Earth models with parameters (e.g. viscosity, density) that vary only with depth. However, observations and constraints from, for example, surface geology, seismic tomography and mineral physics clearly indicate that the real Earth displays lateral heterogeneity at a range of spatial scales. .During the past decade and longer, a number of GIA models have been developed that can incorporate 3D Earth structure. We invite contributions from colleagues who have applied these more sophisticated models to constrain Earth structure and past and present changes in the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets as well as glaciers and ice caps. A primary issue in the application of 3D Earth models is defining lateral variations in key GIA model parameters – such as viscosity – and assigning uncertainty to these parameters. Given the limited resolving power of GIA data, additional and complementary constraints on 3D Earth structure from other disciplines are therefore necessary. Consequently, we also invite abstracts from colleagues that work in fields that contribute to our understanding of lateral Earth structure in GIA active regions and particularly Greenland and Antarctica. For example, those working in the fields of seismology, geodynamic modeling, rock and mineral physics are particularly encouraged to submit abstracts.
Session 3: Cryospheric Deformation in Low Viscosity Regions
Convenors: Erik R. Ivins, Jeff Freymueller and Mark Tamisiea
Glaciers and icefields in regions such as Alaska, British Columbia, Iceland, Svalbard, the Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia have experienced significant mass losses during the most recent decades or centuries. However, the upper mantle viscosity structure beneath these locations on or near active plate boundaries is much different than that beneath the old cratonic lithosphere of the Canadian Shield or Fennoscandia. In particular, active plate boundaries feature a thin elastic lithosphere and a low viscosity asthenosphere instead of a thick elastic lithosphere. A regional low viscosity mantle means that proximal Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) is relatively rapid, occuring on a timescale of decades to centuries in response to recent ice mass changes. The combination of rapid mass loss and the low viscosity has led researchers to derive appropraie model descriptions of the fastest observed uplift rates on Earth. We welcome presentations that focus on all aspects of this problem, using the tools of geodesy, glaciology, modeling, seismology and advanced creep tertiary laws. Appropriate topics include observations or models of glacial mass changes, measurements of vertical motions or gravity change over different timescales, modeling studies, comparisons of earth models from GIA to those required to fit other stress changes such as postseismic deformation, seismic imaging of relevant Earth properties, and theoretical studies.
Session 4: Reconciling models and observations of GIA
Convenors: Pippa Whitehouse and Terry Wilson
Session abstract: Geodetic observations may be used to tune or validate models of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). In this session we welcome contributions both from groups who are involved in GIA modelling, and groups involved in the collection of geodetic data relating to GIA, as well as those who are attempting to reconcile the two. Key data sets that illuminate our understanding of GIA include gravity data collected by GRACE, and GPS data, such as that collected by the POLENET project. In some cases, observations must first be corrected for the effects of present-day ice-mass change. This issue is explored in detail in other sessions of this Symposium, but we welcome further discussion on this subject in our session. In particular, we invite contributions from those who are attempting to understand model-data misfits in the context of uncertainty associated with ice history, Earth structure, or non-GIA processes. With this in mind, we also invite contributions that explore the ability of GPS data to validate models of GIA, given the accuracy of the present ITRF reference frame.
Thursday 30 May |
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| 5.00-6.00 PM |
Registration |
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| 6.00-7.00 PM |
Icebreaker |
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Friday 31 May |
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| 8.45–10.15 AM |
Session |
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| 10.45–12.00 AM |
Session |
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| 12.25 AM-1.30 PM |
Lunch |
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| 1.30–2.45 PM |
Session |
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| 3.15–4.30 PM |
Session |
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| 4.30-5.30 PM |
Poster session |
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| 6.00-8.00 PM |
Social dinner |
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Saturday 1 June |
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| 8.30–9.55 AM |
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| 10.40 AM–12.15 PM |
Session |
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| 12.15-1.15 PM |
Lunch |
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| 1.15–5.00 PM |
Field trip |
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Sunday 2 June |
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| 8.30–10.10 AM |
Session |
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| 10.40–12.40 AM |
Session |
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| 12.40 PM-1.40 PM |
Lunch |
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| 1.40-3.05 PM |
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| 3.35-5.00 PM |
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Se final programme here.
