@phdthesis {4098, title = {Quantifying sources, distribution, and processing of light absorbing aerosols in the cryosphere: A comparison of dissolved and refractory black carbon in polar and high mountain regions}, volume = {Ph.D.}, year = {2016}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {doctoral}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

Light absorbing aerosols (LAAs) in snow and ice are one of the least understood parameters in global climate models due to complicated physical processes within the cryosphere and too few\ in situ\ observations. Ground observations are limited due to the difficulty of collecting and preserving samples for analysis from remote environments.
In order to help build a larger repository of ground observations, this dissertation explores the concentration and composition of black carbon (BC) in snow and glacial melt-water across the polar regions in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as major mountain regions such as the Himalayas, Rockies, and Andes Mountains.

Three state-of-the-art methods for BC detection are applied in this dissertation. The first chapter identifies chemical signatures of past and present sources of dissolved black carbon (DBC) in Antarctic lakes, utilizing a DBC molecular marker method. Here we find that DBC with a woody signature is preserved in the deep, ancient brines of Antarctic lake bottom waters. In contrast, the surface waters are enriched in BC from fossil fuels. The second chapter, which also utilizes the DBC molecular marker

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technique, explores DBC across the cryosphere. We show that DBC concentrations are surprisingly high in the bottom waters of Antarctic lakes compared to other remote regions of the cryosphere, even those located near point sources. Aged snow also contains higher DBC concentrations than fresh snow suggesting that dry deposition brings the majority of BC to the cryosphere. Additionally, the DBC composition across samples from the cryosphere are similar due to high amounts of solar exposure leading to photodegradation, except in fresh snow with a wildfire signature. The third and fourth chapters utilize the Single Particle Soot Photometer to measure refractory black carbon (rBC). The third chapter also applies spectral albedo measurements and the light absorption heating method to find that\ coal dust from an active mine in Svalbard, Norway significantly reduces the spectral reflectance of the surrounding Arctic surface snow.\ The fourth chapter reports aerosol rBC concentrations in the boundary layer of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, as well as in snow from the accumulation area of the Commonwealth Glacier. Here we determine that aerosol concentrations increase during high wind events, but there is no significant trend in deposition in the snow pit. This could be due to sporadic deposition during katabatic wind events.

These findings support the importance of real\ in-situ\ observations in order to fully understand the role of BC in the global carbon cycle. It is also evident that local environmental processes can control the concentrations and composition of BC in the cryosphere. These ground-based measurements will likely serve as ground validation for future remote sensing of snow/ice impurities and LAAs deposition models.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM, applied sciences, black carbon, cryosphere, earth sciences, glacial melt, health and environmental sciences, light absorbing aerosols, polar regions, snow}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1834518541?accountid=14503}, author = {Khan, Alia L. and Diane M. McKnight} } @mastersthesis {4084, title = {Quantifying long-term geomorphology of Antarctic streams}, volume = {MS}, year = {2015}, pages = {185}, school = {University of Colorado}, type = {masters}, address = {Boulder, CO}, abstract = {

In 1994, 16 stream transects were established in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica beginning a long term data set characterizing microbial communities and channel geometry. The transects were established to record microbial mat dynamics and stream geomorphology. To accomplish this, the transects were surveyed for points of interest outside and inside the stream channel. Beginning in 2010 the microbial surveys received ground based LiDAR support. This allowed for greater resolution in mapping and analyzing stream morphology than traditional surveying methods. The purpose of this study was to overlap the traditional methods of surveying individual points of interest with a data cloud representing the entire stream transect to be able to continue the microbial study into the future unabated. Using surveyed microbial mats as an indicator of a location in time, a history of channel elevations was created for 7 transects. In general, the streams have not changed significantly in the 20 year record, with exceptions being the steep channel of Bohner Stream, and Huey Creek, which receives large sediment loads from the sharply incised upstream channel, both of which saw large variations in maximum bed change exceeding 75cm and 150 cm respectively. In addition to creating an elevation history, relative bed change was plotted against the ash free dry mass of the microbial mats sampled to determine the resilience of the mats. It was found that microbial mats are more abundant in areas of near zero change. The four microbial mats studied however, which include green, black, orange, and red mats, differed greatly in adaptability with regards to bed change. Green microbial mats, which are typically hidden under large immobile rocks, were not often found in areas with any significant bed change. Conversely, orange mats were found in the most dynamic parts of the stream bed with outliers seen in areas with change exceeding 50 cm with. Finally black microbial mats had the largest values of ash free dry mass indicating the largest resilience to the scouring effects of high flow.

}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, url = {https://search.proquest.com/docview/1727444346?accountid=14503}, author = {Crisp, Steven W.}, editor = {Diane M. McKnight} } @thesis {1282, title = {A Qualitative Approach to Understanding the Rate of Weathering, Taylor Valley, Antarctica}, year = {2006}, school = {The Ohio State University}, type = {bachelors}, keywords = {LTER-MCM}, doi = {LTER}, author = {Miller, E} }