Localized velocity, temperature, salinity, and backscatter data from melting icebergs near Xeitl Sít' (LeConte Glacier, Southeast Alaska), 2023

Parameterization of submarine melt at near-vertical ice faces is a significant source of uncertainty in predicting ice mass loss and freshwater input into the ocean. Direct observations in this environment have historically been hindered by the dangers posed by actively calving glacier termini and potentially unstable icebergs. Aimed at filling this gap, this dataset contains observations from robotically-deployed Meltstakes at the near-vertical sides of icebergs in Xeitl Geeyí (LeConte Bay, Alaska). Measured quantities are ocean temperature, ocean salinity, ocean velocity, and backscatter data used to track the retreat (melt) of the ice-ocean interface. The observations are separated into 31 discrete segments (lasting 13-71 minutes) under which ocean forcing is relatively stationary and a reliable melt rate can be determined from the backscatter data. These sets of observations enable a direct comparison between small-scale oceanic forcing (~1 meter) and localized submarine melt rate across a wide parameter space (3-10°Celsius and 1-12 centimeters per second (cm/s) flows). Additionally, the observations allow testing of ice-ocean melt rate parameterizations.
For more information about the Meltstake platform, see:
Nash, J.D., Weiss, K., Wengrove, M.E., Osman, N., Pettit, E.C., Zhao, K., Jackson, R.H., Nahorniak, J., Jensen, K., Tindal, E., Skyllingstad, E., Cohen, N., and Sutherland, D (2024) Turbulent Dynamics of Buoyant Melt Plumes Adjacent Near-Vertical Glacier Ice. Geophysical Research Letters, 51, e2024GL108790. https://doi.org/10.1029/ 2024GL108790

近垂直冰面处海底融化的参数化方案，是预测冰量损失与淡水入海通量过程中不确定性的重要来源。长期以来，活跃崩解的冰川终端与潜在不稳定的冰山带来的安全隐患，阻碍了该环境下的直接观测研究。为填补这一研究空白，本数据集收录了在Xeitl Geeyí（阿拉斯加州莱孔特湾）的冰山近垂直侧，通过机器人部署的Meltstake（融化测桩）获取的观测数据。本次测量的物理量包括海洋温度、盐度、海流速度，以及用于追踪冰-洋界面后退（融化过程）的后向散射数据。上述观测被划分为31个离散时段（时长13至71分钟），每个时段内海洋强迫过程相对平稳，可通过后向散射数据可靠计算得到局地融化速率。该批观测数据可实现小尺度海洋强迫（~1米）与宽参数空间内（3至10摄氏度、1至12厘米每秒（cm/s）的海流）的局地海底融化速率之间的直接对比。此外，该观测数据集还可用于检验冰-洋融化速率的参数化方案。

有关Meltstake平台的更多详细信息，请参阅：
Nash, J.D.、Weiss, K.、Wengrove, M.E.、Osman, N.、Pettit, E.C.、Zhao, K.、Jackson, R.H.、Nahorniak, J.、Jensen, K.、Tindal, E.、Skyllingstad, E.、Cohen, N. 与 Sutherland, D（2024）：《近垂直冰川旁浮力融化羽流的湍流动力学》，《地球物理研究快报》，第51卷，e2024GL108790。https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL108790