Water and sediment routing through glaciers in West Greenland

The Greenland Ice Sheet is a major exporter of water and sediment, transporting fresh water and biologically important elements like silica and iron to the world's oceans. These inputs can initiate and regulate oceanic circulation patterns and drive primary production/carbon feedback loops, which are important for local and global climate.
Most of our knowledge of water and sediment export in Greenland comes from summer meltwater sampling at glacial termini. This is unlikely to represent water flow conditions and sediment transport routes in the interior of the ice sheet, where meltwater may be more widespread but distributed and where sediments may be periodically frozen to the glacier bed. This project will use ice penetrating radar to peer beneath the surface of glaciers like Isunnguate Sermia, Russell Glacier and Leverett Glacier in West Greenland before and after the summer melt season to assess hydrological and sediment transport networks, helping us to understand how systems change over time and space. Radar data, aerial imagery and sediment analysis will be fed into computer simulations to reveal the impact changing meltwater and sediment conditions could have on downstream biological and carbon storage systems as well as climate feedback loops.
The PhD project offers excellent opportunities for research training in geophysical analysis, remote sensing, sediment analysis and numerical modelling. It is anticipated that the student will undertake fieldwork in Greenland alongside an international (NSF and NERC funded) team exploring chemical and biological conditions at glacial termini.
Glaciers and the melt water they produce transport important nutrients like silica and iron to the world's oceans, where their deposition can enhance biological life, and help to drawdown atmospheric CO2. This project aims to explore water and sediment exports from the glaciers in places like Greenland, using techniques such as remote sensing, ground penetrating radar and sediment analysis. Findings will inform us about the current role glaciers play in biogeochemical cycling, and how this may change in the future, as glaciers respond to climatic changes.