02273nas a2200205 4500008004100000022001400041245012200055210006900177260001200246490000800258520159800266653001401864653001901878653002201897653001901919100002001938700002701958700002101985856006102006 2022 eng d a2169-900300aWintertime brine discharge at the surface of a cold polar glacier and the unexpected absence of associated seismicity0 aWintertime brine discharge at the surface of a cold polar glacie c03/20220 v1273 a

A subglacial groundwater system beneath Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, discharges hypersaline, iron-rich brine episodically at the glacier surface to create Blood Falls. However, the triggering mechanism for these brine release events is not yet understood. Identifying which fracture processes are observed seismically can help us better characterize the hydrological system at Taylor Glacier, and more generally, provide us with a broader understanding of englacial hydrologic activity in cold glaciers. We document wintertime brine discharge using time-lapse photography. Subfreezing air temperatures during the brine discharge indicate that surface melt-induced hydrofracture is an unlikely trigger for brine release. Further, we analyze local seismic data to test a hypothesis that fracturing generates elevated surface wave energy preceding and/or coinciding with brine release events. Our results show no discernible elevated Rayleigh wave activity prior to or during Blood Falls brine release. Instead, we find a pattern of seismic events dominated by a seasonal signal, with more Rayleigh events occurring in the summer than the winter from the Blood Falls source area. We calculate that the volumetric opening of cracks that would generate Rayleigh waves at our detection limits are of similar size to myriad cracks in glacier ice, lake ice, and frozen sediment in the terminus area. We therefore propose that any fracturing coincident with brine release activity likely consists of a series of smaller opening events that are masked by other seismicity in the local environment.

10acrevasses10acryoseismology10aglacier hydrology10aRayleigh waves1 aCarr, Chris, G.1 aCarmichael, Joshua, D.1 aPettit, Erin, C. uhttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JF00632502262nas a2200145 4500008004100000245013600041210006900177260001200246520154000258100002001798700002301818700002101841700002001862856023401882 2020 eng d00aThe influence of environmental microseismicity on detection and interpretation of small-magnitude events in a polar glacier setting0 ainfluence of environmental microseismicity on detection and inte c07/20203 a

Glacial environments exhibit temporally variable microseismicity. To investigate how microseismicity influences event detection, we implement two noise-adaptive digital power detectors to process seismic data from Taylor Glacier, Antarctica. We add scaled icequake waveforms to the original data stream, run detectors on the hybrid data stream to estimate reliable detection magnitudes and compare analytical magnitudes predicted from an ice crack source model. We find that detection capability is influenced by environmental microseismicity for seismic events with source size comparable to thermal penetration depths. When event counts and minimum detectable event sizes change in the same direction (i.e. increase in event counts and minimum detectable event size), we interpret measured seismicity changes as ‘true’ seismicity changes rather than as changes in detection. Generally, one detector (two degree of freedom (2dof)) outperforms the other: it identifies more events, a more prominent summertime diurnal signal and maintains a higher detection capability. We conclude that real physical processes are responsible for the summertime diurnal inter-detector difference. One detector (3dof) identifies this process as environmental microseismicity; the other detector (2dof) identifies it as elevated waveform activity. Our analysis provides an example for minimizing detection biases and estimating source sizes when interpreting temporal seismicity patterns to better infer glacial seismogenic processes.

1 aCarr, Chris, G.1 aCarmichael, J., D.1 aPettit, Erin, C.1 aTruffer, Martin uhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-glaciology/article/influence-of-environmental-microseismicity-on-detection-and-interpretation-of-smallmagnitude-events-in-a-polar-glacier-setting/E1A441425341F677117509351F3C676302504nas a2200229 4500008004100000245007200041210006700113260001200180490000800192520178600200100001701986700002202003700002202025700002402047700001502071700002902086700002502115700002102140700002002161700002002181856007302201 2019 eng d00aThe Geochemistry of Englacial Brine From Taylor Glacier, Antarctica0 aGeochemistry of Englacial Brine From Taylor Glacier Antarctica c03/20190 v1243 a

Blood Falls is a hypersaline, iron‐rich discharge at the terminus of the Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. In November 2014, brine in a conduit within the glacier was penetrated and sampled using clean‐entry techniques and a thermoelectric melting probe called the IceMole. We analyzed the englacial brine sample for filterable iron (fFe), total Fe, major cations and anions, nutrients, organic carbon, and perchlorate. In addition, aliquots were analyzed for minor and trace elements and isotopes including δD and δ18O of water, δ34S and δ18O of sulfate, 234U, 238U, δ11B, 87Sr/86Sr, and δ81Br. These measurements were made in order to (1) determine the source and geochemical evolution of the brine and (2) compare the chemistry of the brine to that of nearby hypersaline lake waters and previous supraglacially sampled collections of Blood Falls outflow that were interpreted as end‐member brines. The englacial brine had higher Cl− concentrations than the Blood Falls end‐member outflow; however, other constituents were similar. The isotope data indicate that the water in the brine is derived from glacier melt. The H4SiO4 concentrations and U and Sr isotope suggest a high degree of chemical weathering products. The brine has a low N:P ratio of ~7.2 with most of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen in the form of NH4+. Dissolved organic carbon concentrations are similar to end‐member outflow values. Our results provide strong evidence that the original source of solutes in the brine was ancient seawater, which has been modified with the addition of chemical weathering products.

1 aLyons, Berry1 aMikucki, Jill, A.1 aGerman, Laura, A.1 aWelch, Kathleen, A.1 aWelch, Sue1 aGardner, Christopher, B.1 aTulaczyk, Slawek, M.1 aPettit, Erin, C.1 aKowalski, Julia1 aDachwald, Bernd uhttps://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2018JG004411