Melt Water Retention Processes in Snow and Firn on Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Observations and Modeling

• Main Author: Horst Machguth (auth)
• Other Authors: Jason E. Box (auth), W. Tad Pfeffer (auth), Robert S. Fausto (auth)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media SA 2018
• Series: Frontiers Research Topics
• Subjects: firn; regional climate model; expert elicitation; refreezing; mass balance; Meltwater retention; snow; Greenland firn aquifer; glacier and ice sheet; sea level rise
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

Melt takes place where the surface of glaciers or ice sheets interacts with the atmosphere. While the processes governing surface melt are fairly well understood, the pathways of the meltwater, from its origin to the moment it leaves a glacier system, remain enigmatic. It is not even guaranteed that...