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NASA NTRS2001

Seasonal and Interannual Variations of Ice Sheet Surface Elevation at the Summit of Greenland: Observed and Modeled

Observed seasonal and interannual variations in the surface elevation over the summit of the Greenland ice sheet are modeled using a new temperature-dependent formulation of firn-densification and observed accumulation variations. The observed elevation variations are derived from ERS (European Remote Sensing)-1 and ERS-2 radar altimeter data for the period between April 1992 and April 1999. A multivariate linear/sine function is fitted to an elevation time series constructed from elevation differences measured by radar altimetry at orbital crossovers. The amplitude of the seasonal elevation cycle is 0.25 m peak-to-peak, with a maximum in winter and a minimum in summer. Inter-annually, the elevation decreases to a minimum in 1995, followed by an increase to 1999, with an overall average increase of 4.2 cm a(exp -1) for 1992 to 1999. Our densification formulation uses an initial field-density profile, the AWS (automatic weather station) surface temperature record, and a temperature-dependent constitutive relation for the densification that is based on laboratory measurements of crystal growth rates. The rate constant and the activation energy commonly used in the Arrhenius-type constitutive relation for firn densification are also temperature dependent, giving a stronger temperature and seasonal amplitudes about 10 times greater than previous densification formulations. Summer temperatures are most important, because of the strong non-linear dependence on temperature. Much of firn densification and consequent surface lowering occurs within about three months of the summer season, followed by a surface build-up from snow accumulation until spring. Modeled interannual changes of the surface elevation, using the AWS measurements of surface temperature and accumulation and results of atmospheric modeling of precipitation variations, are in good agreement with the altimeter observations. In the model, the surface elevation decreases about 20 cm over the seven years due to more compaction driven by increasing summer temperatures. The minimum elevation in 1995 is driven mainly by a temporary accumulation decrease and secondarily by warmer temperatures. However, the overall elevation increase over the seven years is dominated by the accumulation increase in the later years.

Zwally, H. Jay↗

NASA NTRS2019

A Terrestrial Validation of ICESat Elevation Measurements and Implications for Global Reanalyses

The primary goal of NASA's Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) mission was to detect centimeter-level changes in global ice sheet elevations at the spatial scale of individual ice streams. Confidence in detecting these small signals requires careful validation over time to characterize the uncertainty and stability of measured elevations. A common validation approach compares altimeter elevations to an independently characterized and stable reference surface. Using a digital elevation model (DEM) from geodetic surveys of one such surface, the salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, we show that ICESat elevations at this location have a 0.0-centimeter bias relative to the WGS84 ellipsoid, 4.0-centimeter (1-sigma) uncertainty overall, and 1.8-centimeter uncertainty under ideal conditions over short (50 kilometer) profiles. We observe no elevation bias between ascending and descending orbits, but we do find that elevations measured immediately after transitions from low to high surface albedo may be negatively biased. Previous studies have reported intercampaign biases (ICBs) between various ICESat observation campaigns, but we find no statistically significant ICBs or ICB trends in our data. We do find a previously unreported 3.1-centimeter bias between ICESat's Laser 2 and Laser 3, and we find even larger interlaser biases in reanalyzed data from other studies. For an altimeter with an exact repeat orbit like ICESat, we also demonstrate that validation results with respect to averaged elevation profiles along a single ground track are comparable to results obtained using reference elevations from an in situ survey.

Laser Ranging↗

DOE OSTI2022

Root responses to elevated CO 2 , warming and irrigation in a semi-arid grassland: Integrating biomass, length and life span in a 5-year field experiment

Plant roots mediate the impacts of environmental change on ecosystems, yet knowledge of root responses to environmental change is limited because few experiments evaluate multiple environmental factors and their interactions. Inferences about root functions are also limited because root length dynamics are rarely measured. Using a 5-year experiment in a mixed-grass prairie, we report the responses of root biomass, length and life span to elevated carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), warming, elevated CO 2 and warming combined, and irrigation. Root biomass was quantified using soil cores and root length dynamics were assessed using minirhizotrons. By comparing root dynamics with published results for soil resources and above-ground productivity, we provide mechanistic insights into how climate change might impact grassland ecosystems. In the upper soil layer, 0–15 cm depth, both irrigation and elevated CO 2 alone increased total root length by twofold, but irrigation decreased root biomass and elevated CO 2 had only small positive effects on root biomass. The large positive effects of irrigation and elevated CO 2 alone on total root length were due to increases in both root length production and root life span. The increased total root length and life span under irrigation and elevated CO 2 coincided with apparent shifts from water limitation of plant growth to nitrogen limitation. Warming alone had minimal effects on root biomass, length and life span in this shallow soil layer. Warming and elevated CO 2 combined increased root biomass and total root length by c. 25%, but total root length in this treatment was lower than expected if the effects of CO 2 and warming alone were additive. Treatment effects on total root length and root life span varied with soil depth and root diameter. Synthesis. Sub-additive effects of CO 2 and warming suggest studies of elevated CO 2 alone might overestimate the future capacity of grassland root systems to acquire resources. In this mixed-grass prairie, elevated CO 2 with warming stimulated total root length and root life span in deeper soils, likely enhancing plant access to more stable pools of growth-limiting resources, including water and phosphorus. Therefore, these root responses help explain previous observations of higher, and more stable, above-ground productivity in these projected climate conditions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1976

Geared-elevator flutter study

An experimental and analytical study was made of the transonic flutter characteristics of a supersonic transport tail assembly model having an all-movable, horizontal tail with a geared elevator. Two model configurations, namely, one with a gear-elevator (2.8 to 1.0 gear ratio) and one with locked-elevator (1.0 to 1.0 gear ratio), were flutter tested in the Langley transonic dynamics tunnel with an empennage cantilever-mounted on a sting. The geared-elevator configuration fluttered experimentally at about 20% higher dynamic pressures than the locked-elevator configuration. The experimental flutter dynamic pressure boundaries for both configurations were nearly flat over a Mach number range from 0.9 to 1.1. Flutter calculations (mathematical models) were made for the geared-elevator configuration using three subsonic lifting-surface methods. In one method, the elevator was treated as a discrete surface, and in the other two methods, the stabilizer and elevator were treated as a single warped-surface with the primary difference between these two methods being in the mathematical implementation used. A comparison of the experimental and analytical results shows that the discrete-elevator method predicted best the experimental flutter dynamic pressure level. However, the single warped-surface methods predicts more closely the experimental flutter frequencies and Mach number trends.

Ruhlin, C. L.↗

DOE OSTI2017

Background-Source Cosmic-Photon Elevation Scaling and Cosmic-Neutron/Photon Date Scaling in MCNP6

Here, cosmic neutron and photon fluxes are known to scale exponentially with elevation. Consequently, cosmic neutron elevation scaling was implemented for use with the background-source option shortly after its introduction into MCNP6, whereby the neutron flux weight factor was adjusted by the elevation scaling factor when the user-specified elevation differed from the selected background.dat grid-point elevation. At the same time, an elevation scaling factor was suggested for the cosmic photon flux, however, cosmic photon elevation scaling is complicated by the fact that the photon background consists of two components: cosmic and terrestrial. Previous versions of the background.dat file did not provide any way to separate these components. With Rel. 4 of this file in 2015, two new columns were added that provide the energy grid and differential cosmic photon flux separately from the total photon flux. Here we show that the cosmic photon flux component can now be scaled independently and combined with the terrestrial component to form the total photon flux at a user-specified elevation in MCNP6.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

Effect of elevation, season and accelerated snowmelt on biogeochemical processes during isolated conifer needle litter decomposition

Increased drought and temperatures associated with climate change have implications for ecosystem stress with risk for enhanced carbon release in sensitive biomes. Litter decomposition is a key component of biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, but questions remain regarding the local response of decomposition processes to climate change. This is particularly complex in mountain ecosystems where the variable nature of the slope, aspect, soil type, and snowmelt dynamics play a role. Hence, the goal of this study was to determine the role of elevation, soil type, seasonal shifts in soil moisture, and snowmelt timing on litter decomposition processes. Experimental plots containing replicate deployments of harvested lodgepole and spruce needle litter alongside needle-free controls were established in open meadows at three elevations ranging from 2,800–3,500 m in Crested Butte, Colorado. Soil biogeochemistry variables including gas flux, porewater chemistry, and microbial ecology were monitored over three climatically variable years that shifted from high monsoon rains to drought. Results indicated that elevation and soil type influenced baseline soil biogeochemical indicators; however, needle mass loss and chemical composition were consistent across the 700 m elevation gradient. Rates of gas flux were analogously consistent across a 300 m elevation gradient. The additional variable of early snowmelt by 2–3 weeks had little impact on needle chemistry, microbial composition and gas flux; however, it did result in increased dissolved organic carbon in lodgepole porewater collections suggesting a potential for aqueous export. In contrast to elevation, needle presence and seasonal variability of soil moisture and temperature both played significant roles in soil carbon fluxes. Furthermore, during a pronounced period of lower moisture and higher temperatures, bacterial community diversity increased across elevation with new members supplanting more dominant taxa. Microbial ecological resilience was demonstrated with a return to pre-drought structure and abundance after snowmelt rewetting the following year. These results show similar decomposition processes across a 700 m elevation gradient and reveal the sensitivity but resilience of soil microbial ecology to low moisture conditions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Geology and elevation shape bacterial assembly in Antarctic endolithic communities

Ice free areas of continental Antarctica are among the coldest and driest environments on Earth, and yet, they support surprisingly diverse and highly adapted microbial communities. Endolithic growth is one of the key adaptations to such extreme environments and often represents the dominant life-form. Despite growing scientific interest, little is known of the mechanisms that influence the assembly of endolithic microbiomes across these harsh environments. Here, we used metagenomics to examine the diversity and assembly of endolithic bacterial communities across Antarctica within different rock types and over a large elevation range. While granite supported richer and more heterogeneous communities than sandstone, elevation had no apparent effect on taxonomic richness, regardless of rock type. Conversely, elevation was clearly associated with turnover in community composition, with the deterministic process of variable selection driving microbial assembly along the elevation gradient. The turnover associated with elevation was modulated by geology, whereby for a given elevation difference, turnover was consistently larger between communities inhabiting different rock types. Overall, selection imposed by elevation and geology appeared stronger than turnover related to other spatially-structured environmental drivers. Our findings indicate that at the cold-arid limit of life on Earth, geology and elevation are key determinants of endolithic bacterial heterogeneity. This also suggests that warming temperatures may threaten the persistence of such extreme-adapted organisms.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2018

Plant and microbial biomarkers suggest mechanisms of soil organic carbon accumulation in a Mojave Desert ecosystem under elevated CO 2

We ireport on how properties of soil organic matter (SOM) were altered after 10 years exposure to elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentration ([CO 2 ]) in a Mojave Desert ecosystem, using plant and microbial biomarkers. We focused on roles of Larrea tridentata, the dominant evergreen shrub which form islands of fertility, and biological soil crusts which have extensive cover in plant interspace. Soils to 5 cm in depth were collected under L. tridentata and plant interspace, and biological soil crusts to 0.5 cm in depth under three cover types, Pleuraphis rigida , a C 4 grass, shrubs and plant interspace. Soil organic carbon contents were not significantly different between elevated and ambient [CO 2 ]. Yet, significantly higher abundance of n-alkanes, a major constituent of foliage wax material, occurred in the elevated compared to ambient [CO 2 ] plots in the soils collected under L. tridentata , but no such difference was found in the soils at plant interspace or the biological soil crusts. There was no critical difference in abundance of microbial phospholipid fatty acids between the CO 2 treatments in the soils of either cover types. However, neutral lipid fatty acid abundance was significantly higher under elevated than ambient [CO 2 ] in the soils under L. tridentata , whereas no such significant difference was observed at plant interspace. These results emphasize important roles of the dominant shrubs in SOM formation under elevated [CO 2 ] in arid ecosystems. Elevated [CO 2 ] stimulated growth of L. tridentata in wet years, and aboveground litter deposition via senescence contributed to SOM formation in islands of fertility. In addition, elevated [CO 2 ] stimulated soil microbial turnover rates in rhizosphere of L. tridentata , which left more soil microbial necromass, a major SOM source. We concluded that responses of dominant shrubs to elevated [CO 2 ] can stimulate SOM formation in arid ecosystems, but biological soil crusts may have limited capacity.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2025

Groundwater elevation data for monitoring wells within the East and Taylor River basins, Colorado (USA)

This dataset is comprised of temporal variations in groundwater elevation data for the 24 monitoring wells located throughout the East River watershed. Seasonal to annual variations in groundwater elevations are a critical property of mountainous watersheds needed to understand both hydrological and below ground biogeochemical processes. Such data serve as a critical constraint for numerical models describing coupled groundwater-surface water behavior within the watershed. Additionally, the offset between the maximum and minimum groundwater elevations defines the extent of the bedrock weathering zone, with annual excursions in the groundwater hydrographic (i.e., the rising and falling hydrographic limbs) imposing primary controls on bedrock saturation state and redox conditions that govern biogeochemical reactions impacting nitrogen, carbon, and metals cycling. Manufacturer-specific software is used to download pressure data from each transducer, with broadly available spreadsheet software (e.g. Microsoft Excel) used to convert temporal variations in water pressure to elevations in units of meters above mean sea level. As additional monitoring wells are installed within the East River watershed and new groundwater monitoring wells are installed in the Taylor River watershed, temporal groundwater elevation data will be included as a part of this master dataset. Details regarding the metadata associated with each monitoring well location, including well depths, screened intervals, well location coordinates, and bedrock type, are included, as is a standard operating procedure for generating groundwater elevation data from water pressure values recorded by the pressure transducers. This dataset includes: (1) a zip file (East_River_Watershed_Compiled_Groundwater_Elevation_Data_Plots.zip), containing (a) PNG of groundwater hydrographs, (b) a CSV file with groundwater elevation data, and (c) CSV file containing metadata organized by location; (2) an Excel file (East_River_Watershed_Compiled_Groundwater_Elevation_Data_Plots.xlsx) with the groundwater elevation data, groundwater hydrographs, and metadata organized by location; (3) a Word file (Groundwater_elevation_data_protocols.docx) and a PDF file version (Groundwater_elevation_data_protocols.pdf) containing field protocols and methods; (4) a location metadata (locations.csv) file; (5) a file level metadata (flmd.csv); and (6) data dictionary (dd.csv) file.This work was supported by the Watershed Function Science Focus Area at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory funded by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

NASA NTRS1980

Experimental and analytical transonic flutter characteristics of a geared-elevator configuration

The flutter model represented the aft fuselage and empennage of a proposed supersonic transport airplane and had an all movable horizontal tail with a geared elevator. It was tested mounted from a sting in the transonic dynamics tunnel. Symmetric flutter boundaries were determined experimentally at Mach numbers from 0.7 to 1.14 for a geared elevator configuration (gear ratio of 2.8 to 1.0) and an ungeared elevator configuration (gear ratio of 1.0 to 1.0). Gearing the elevator increased the experimental flutter dynamic pressures about 20 percent. Flutter calculations were made for the geared elevator configuration by using two analytical methods based on subsonic lifting surface theory. Both methods analyzed the stabilizer and elevator as a single, deforming surface, but one method also allowed the elevator to be analyzed as hinged from the stabilizer. All analyses predicted lower flutter dynamic pressures than experiment with best agreement (within 12 percent) for the hinged elevator method. Considering the model as mounted from a flexible rather than rigid sting in the analyses, had only a slight effect on the flutter results but was significant in that a sting related vibration mode was identified as a potentially flutter critical mode.

Ruhlin, C. L.↗

NASA NTRS2001

Surface Elevation Changes in West Antarctica from Satellite Altimetry: Mass Balance Implications

Time-series of surface elevation change, which are constructed from 7-years (1992-1999) of ERS-1 and 2 satellite radar altimeter data of Antarctica, show significant seasonal, inter-annual, and long-term changes. Elevation time-series are created from altimeter crossovers among 90-day data periods on a 50 km grid to 81.5 degrees S and fit with a multivariate linear/sinusoidal function to give the average rate of elevation change (dH/dt) and account for seasonal changes. On the major Ronne, Filchner, and Ronne ice shelves, the dH/dt are small or near zero. In contrast, the ice shelves of the Antarctic Peninsula and along the West Antarctic coast appear to be thinning significantly, with a 23 +/- 3 cm a(exp -1) surface elevation decrease on the Larsen ice shelf and a 65 +/- 4 cm a(exp -1) decrease on the Dotson ice shelf. Significant elevation decreases are obtained over most of the drainage basins of the Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers. Significant increases are obtained over most of the other grounded ice in Marie Byrd Land, the Antarctic Peninsula, and Coates Land. Over the sector from 85 degrees W to 115 degrees W, which includes the Pine Island and Thwaites basins, the average elevation is significantly decreasing by 8.1 cm a(exp -1). The corresponding ice thickness change is about -11 cm a(exp -1), with a corresponding mass loss of 82 Gt a(exp -1), and a 0.22 mm a(exp -1) contribution to global sea level rise. In terms of elevation change, the decrease in the Pine Island-Thwaites sector is largely balanced by the increase in the Marie Byrd Land, but only balanced by about 1/4 in terms of ice thickness change and contribution to sea level rise. The overall average elevation change for the grounded ice is + 1.2 cm a(exp -1). Using an average bedrock uplift of 2.5 cm a(exp -1), implies an average ice thickness decrease of 1.3 cm a(exp -1), a mass loss of 22 Gt a(exp -1), and a 0.06 mm a(exp -1) contribution to global sea level rise.

Zwally, H. Jay↗

NASA NTRS2004

Elevation Changes of Ice Caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Precise repeat airborne laser surveys were conducted over the major ice caps in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the spring of 1995 and 2000 in order to measure elevation changes in the region. Our measurements reveal thinning at lower elevations (below 1600 m) on most of the ice caps and glaciers, but either very little change or thickening at higher elevations in the ice cap accumulation zones. Recent increases in precipitation in the area can account for the slight thickening where it was observed, but not for the thinning at lower elevations. For the northern ice caps on the Queen Elizabeth Islands, thinning was generally less than 0.5 m/yr , which is consistent with what would be expected from the warm temperature anomalies in the region for the 5-year period between surveys and appears to be a continuation of a trend that began in the mid 1980s. Further south, however, on the Barnes and Penny ice caps on Baffin Island, this thinning was much more pronounced at over 1 m/yr in the lower elevations. Here temperature anomalies were very small, and the thinning at low elevations far exceeds any associated enhanced ablation. The observations on Barnes, and perhaps Penny are consistent with the idea that the observed thinning is part of a much longer term deglaciation, as has been previously suggested for Barnes Ice Cap. Based on the regional relationships between elevation and elevation-change in our data, the 1995-2000 mass balance for the region is estimated to be 25 cu km/yr of ice, which corresponds to a sea level increase of 0.064 mm/ yr . This places it among the more significant sources of eustatic sea level rise, though not as substantial as Greenland ice sheet, Alaskan glaciers, or the Patagonian ice fields.

Abdalati, W.↗

NASA NTRS2005

Critical Technologies for the Development of Future Space Elevator Systems

A space elevator is a tether structure extending through geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) to the surface of the earth. Its center of mass is in GEO such that it orbits the earth in sync with the earth s rotation. In 2004 and 2005, the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center and the Institute for Scientific Research, Inc. worked under a cooperative agreement to research the feasibility of space elevator systems, and to advance the critical technologies required for the future development of space elevators for earth to orbit transportation. The discovery of carbon nanotubes in the early 1990's was the first indication that it might be possible to develop materials strong enough to make space elevator construction feasible. This report presents an overview of some of the latest NASA sponsored research on space elevator design, and the systems and materials that will be required to make space elevator construction possible. In conclusion, the most critical technology for earth-based space elevators is the successful development of ultra high strength carbon nanotube reinforced composites for ribbon construction in the 1OOGPa range. In addition, many intermediate technology goals and demonstration missions for the space elevator can provide significant advancements to other spaceflight and terrestrial applications.

Smitherman, David V., Jr.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Elevation Change of Drangajokull, Iceland, from Cloud-Cleared ICESat Repeat Profiles and GPS Ground-Survey Data

Located on the Vestfirdir Northwest Fjords), DrangaJokull is the northernmost ice map in Iceland. Currently, the ice cap exceeds 900 m in elevation and covered an area of approx.l46 sq km in August 2004. It was about 204 sq km in area during 1913-1914 and so has lost mass during the 20th century. Drangajokull's size and accessibility for GPS surveys as well as the availability of repeat satellite altimetry profiles since late 2003 make it a good subject for change-detection analysis. The ice cap was surveyed by four GPS-equipped snowmobiles on 19-20 April 2005 and has been profiled in two places by Ice, Cloud. and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) 'repeat tracks,' fifteen times from late to early 2009. In addition, traditional mass-balance measurements have been taken seasonally at a number of locations across the ice cap and they show positive net mass balances in 2004/2005 through 2006/2007. Mean elevation differences between the temporally-closest ICESat profiles and the GPS-derived digital-elevation model (DEM)(ICESat - DEM) are about 1.1 m but have standard deviations of 3 to 4 m. Differencing all ICESat repeats from the DEM shows that the overall elevation difference trend since 2003 is negative with losses of as much as 1.5 m/a from same season to same season (and similar elevation) data subsets. However, the mass balance assessments by traditional stake re-measurement methods suggest that the elevation changes where ICESat tracks 0046 and 0307 cross Drangajokull are not representative of the whole ice cap. Specifically, the area has experienced positive mass balance years during the time frame when ICESat data indicates substantial losses. This analysis suggests that ICESat-derived elevations may be used for multi-year change detection relative to other data but suggests that large uncertainties remain. These uncertainties may be due to geolocation uncertainty on steep slopes and continuing cloud cover that limits temporal and spatial coverage across the area.

Shuman, Christopher A.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Radiative Transfer Through Clouds and Its Applications in Support of the Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Mission

The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, which contain enough ice to raise sea level by about 7 and 60 m, respectively, are losing mass at an increasing rate. To acquire continuous information of the cryosphere, after the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) (2003-2010), NASA is actively planning for the ICESat-2 mission. Both ICESat and ICESat-2 are space-borne lidar altimetry systems. The systems measure the time of flight of the arriving photons that are reflected by the surface to deduce the elevation of the underlying terrain. As one of NASA's top priority missions, ICESat-2 is scheduled to launch in 2016. One of the major science goals of ICESat-2 is to quantify the ice sheet mass balance to determine its contributions to the sea level change and its impacts on ocean circulation (Abdalati et al. 2010). Compared to ICESat, which operates at 40 Hz and records the reflected laser energy as a waveform, the significantly improved ICESat-2 lidar employs a 532 nm micro-pulse photon counting system that operates at a high frequency of 10kHz with single photon detectability (Yang et al. 2012). To achieve its science goals, ICESat-2 requires the ability of detecting the elevation change with an accuracy of 0.2 cm/year over the entire ice sheet. Since every photon emitted by the lidar system will travel through the atmosphere, clouds can certainly affect the flight time of the arriving photons. Forward scattering by cloud particles increases the photon path length, thus resulting in biases in ice sheet elevation measurements known as atmospheric path delay (Duta et al. 2001, Yang et al. 2010, 2011). To ensure the accuracy of ICESat-2 surface elevation measurements, it is critical to understand how clouds would affect the travel time of arriving photons. In this talk, we will first present a framework that simulates the behavior of a space-borne 532 mn micro-pulse photon counting lidar in cloudy and clear atmospheres. To investigate the process of laser propagation through clouds, a 3-D Monte Carlo radiative transfer model is used to simulate the photon path distribution and the Poisson distribution is adopted for the number of photon returns. Since the photon counting system only registers the time of the first arriving photon within the detector "dead time", the retrieved average surface elevation tends to bias towards higher values. This is known as the first photon bias. With the scenarios simulated here, the first photon bias for clear sky is about 6.5 cm. Clouds affect surface altimetry in two ways: (1) cloud attenuation lowers the average number of arriving photons and hence reduces the first photon bias; (2) cloud forward scattering increases the photon path length and makes the surface appear further away from the satellite. Compared to clear sky, the average surface elevation detected by the photon counting system for cloudy sky with optical depth 1.0 is 4.0 to 6.0 cm lower for the simulations conducted. The effect of surface roughness on the accuracy of elevation retrievals will also discussed.

Yang, Yuekui↗

NASA NTRS2017

The Effect of Firn-Aquifer Drainage on the Greenland Subglacial System or Subglacial Efficiency and Storage Modified by the Temporal Pattern of High-Elevation Meltwater Input

Ice flow in marginal region of the Greenland Ice Sheet dynamically responds to summer melting as surface meltwater is routed through the supraglacial hydrologic system to the bed of the ice sheet via crevasses and moulins. Given the expected increases in surface melt production and extent, and the potential for high elevation surface-to-bed connections, it is imperative to understand how meltwater delivered to the bed from different high-elevation supraglacial storage features affects the evolution of the subglacial hydrologic system and associated ice dynamics. Here, we use the two-dimensional subglacial hydrologic model, GLaDS, which includes distributed and channelized water flow, to test how the subglacial system of an idealized outlet glacier responds to cases of high-elevation firn-aquifer-type and supraglacial-lake-type englacial drainage over the course of 5 years. Model outputs driven by these high elevation drainage types are compared to steady-state model results, where the subglacial system only receives the 1980- 2016 mean MERRA-2 runoff via low-elevation moulins. Across all experiments, the subglacial hydrologic system displays inter-annual memory, resulting in multiyear declines in subglacial pressure during the onset of seasonal melting and growth of subglacial channels. The gradual addition of water in firn-aquifer-type drainage scenarios resulted in small increases in subglacial water storage but limited changes in subglacial efficiency and channelization. Rapid, supraglacial- lake-type drainage resulted in short-term local increases in subglacial water pressure and storage, which gave way to spatially extensive decreases in subglacial pressure and downstream channelization. These preliminary results suggest that the character of high-elevation englacial drainage can have a strong, and possibly outsized, control on subglacial efficiency throughout the ablation zone. Therefore, understanding both how high elevation meltwater is stored supraglacially and the probability of crevassing at high elevations will play an important role in how the subglacial system, proglacial discharge and ice motion will respond to future increases in surface melt production and runoff.

Andrews, Lauren C.↗

NASA NTRS2021

Elevation Dependent Warming in the Eastern Siberian Arctic

There is evidence for elevation-dependent warming (EDW) in many mountainous regions, including the Alps, Rockies, and Tibetan Plateau, all of which are in mid-latitudes. Most studies finding evidence of EDW indicate that both recent decadal and future projected warming rates are greater at higher elevations. In this study, we examine the roles of Arctic amplification and elevation on future warming rates in winter and summer in eastern Siberia (50-70°N; 80-180°E). This region includes four major river basins that flow into the Arctic Ocean (the Yenisei, Lena, Indigirka, and Kolyma) and intersects with mountain ranges in northern Mongolia and eastern Siberia. We analyse projected 21st century temperature projections using a six-member ensemble of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) with a radiative forcing of 8.5 W m-2. Projected warming rates in winter for the 21st century are dominated by Arctic amplification, which leads to significantly larger warming rates at higher latitudes, with latitudinal gradients of about 0.16°C per degree latitude. In summer, the latitudinal gradient is near zero (0.02°C per degree of latitude). Within specific latitude bands, we also find EDW. However, unlike most mid-latitude locations where warming rates are greater at higher elevations, we find that future warming rates are smaller at higher elevations for this high-latitude region, particularly during winter, with statistically significant rates varying between -0.70 and -2.46 °C/km for different 5° latitude bands. The decrease in warming rates with elevation in winter at the highest latitudes is primarily attributed to strong inversions and changes in the lapse rate as free-air temperatures warm at slower rates than surface temperatures. In summer, the elevation dependence is much weaker than in winter but still statistically significant and negative in all but the most northern latitude band with values ranging between -0.10 and -0.56 °C/km.

elevation-dependent warming (EDW)↗

DOE OSTI2024

Carbon accumulation rate peaks at 1,000-m elevation in tropical planted and regrowth forests

Tropical planted and regrowth forests (TPRFs) are one of the most low-cost components for recovering biomass-stored carbon in the tropics. Nevertheless, challenges persist in pinpointing which elevational ranges exhibit the largest carbon accumulation rate ($γ$ rapid ) due to the highly inconsistent previous assessments. This prevents the selection of optimal locations for implementing large-scale reforestation in the tropics. Here, in this study, we proposed a refined approach that used a carbon accumulation threshold (<80% of the maximum value) to quantify $γ$ rapid in TPRFs at various elevations. We find that $γ$ rapid increases with elevations from 300 to 1,000 m and declines at elevations >1,000 m. TPRFs at elevations ~1,000 m exhibit three times more $γ$ rapid than lowland TPRFs. This optimal elevation, highly dependent on background temperatures, varies slightly but significantly across different mountains. These findings provide guidelines for policymakers to determine the optimal elevations from regional to continental scales when implementing reforestation initiatives in the tropics.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗