CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Clarke, G.K.C.; Fisher, D.A.; and Waddington, E.D.
Date : 1987
Title : Wind pumping: a potentially significant heat source in ice sheets
Publication : The Physical Basis of Ice Sheet Modeling. International Association of Hydrological Sciences Press, Institute of Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire; UK.
Issue :
Page(s) : 169-180
Abstract
Atmospheric pressure fluctuations cause air to flow through permeable firn near the surface of an ice sheet. Viscous friction resulting from this flow could prove to be a significant heat source and may explain anomalous temperatures measured in Agassiz Ice Cap, Arctic Canada. The possible magnitude of this 'wind pumping' energy source was examined by assuming that air is an isothermal ideal gas and that air flux is governed by Darcy's law. Results show that pressure fluctuations in the frequency range 0.1-10 Hz are likely to have the greatest influence on the thermal regime of ice sheets and that under favorable conditions the disturbance to the 10 m temperature can exceed 3 degrees. A casual connection between wind pumping and the observed Agassiz Ice Cap temperature anomaly has yet to be established and indeed the results are counter-intuitive. Some entirely different explanation may prove correct but this issue cannot be settled without further field measurements
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology