The formation and evolution of the supraglacial weathering crust on the Greenland ice sheet
Tranter, Martyn
The near-surface weathering crust is a thin (<0.5 m), low density ice layer that develops on glacier surfaces during the ablation season and is formed by internal melting driven by the penetration of shortwave radiation (SWR) into polycrystalline glacier ice. This ‘photic zone’ hosts microbial communities, mediates biogeochemical processes and routes meltwater to the channelised supraglacial drainage network. Despite these critical roles, direct field measurements of weathering crust formation a