• Velocity Field in the McMurdo Shear Zone from Annual Ground Penetrating Radar Imaging and Crevasse Matching

    Abstract: The McMurdo shear zone (MSZ) is strip of heavily crevassed ice oriented in the south-north direction and moving northward. Previous airborne surveys revealed a chaotic crevasse structure superimposed on a set of expected crevasse orientations at 45 degrees to the south-north flow (due to shear stress mechanisms). The dynamics that produced this chaotic structure are poorly understood. Our purpose is to present our field methodology and provide field data that will enable validation of models of the MSZ evolution, and here, we present a method for deriving a local velocity field from ground penetrating radar (GPR) data towards that end. Maps of near-surface crevasses were derived from two annual GPR surveys of a 28 km2 region of the MSZ using Eulerian sampling. Our robot-towed and GPS navigated GPR enabled a dense survey grid, with transects of the shear zone at 50 m spacing. Each survey comprised multiple crossings of long (> 1 km) crevasses that appear in echelon on the western and eastern boundaries of the shear zone, as well as two or more crossings of shorter crevasses in the more chaotic zone between the western and eastern boundaries. From these maps, we derived a local velocity field based on the year-to-year movement of the same crevasses. Our velocity field varies significantly from fields previously established using remote sensing and provides more detail than one concurrently derived from a 29-station GPS network. Rather than a simple velocity gradient expected for crevasses oriented approximately 45 degrees to flow direction, we find constant velocity contours oriented diagonally across the shear zone with a wavy fine structure. Although our survey is based on near-surface crevasses, similar crevassing found in marine ice at 160 m depth leads us to conclude that this surface velocity field may hold through the body of meteoric and marine ice. Our success with robot-towed GPR with GPS navigation suggests we may greatly increase our survey areas.
  • Ground-penetrating Radar Profiles of the McMurdo Shear Zone, Antarctica, Acquired with an Unmanned Rover: Interpretation of Crevasses, Fractures, and Folds within Firn and Marine Ice

    Abstract: The crevassed firn of the McMurdo shear zone (SZ) within the Ross Ice Shelf may also contain crevasses deep within its meteoric and marine ice, but the surface crevassing prevents ordinary vehicle access to investigate its structure geophysically. We used a lightweight robotic vehicle to tow 200- and 40 MHz ground-penetrating radar antennas simultaneously along 10 parallel transects over a 28 km2 grid spanning the SZ width. Transects were generally orthogonal to the ice flow. Total firn and meteoric ice thickness was approximately 160 m. Firn crevasses profiled at 400 MHz were up to 16 m wide, under snow bridges up to 10 m thick, and with strikes near 35°–40° to the transect direction. From the top down, 200- MHz profiles revealed firn diffractions originating to a depth of approximately 40 m, no discernible structure within the meteoric ice, a discontinuous transitional horizon, and at least 20 m of stratified marine ice; 28–31 m of freeboard found more marine ice exists. Based on 10 consecutive transects covering approximately 2.5 km2, we preliminarily interpreted the transitional horizon to be a thin saline layer, and marine ice hyperbolic diffractions and reflections to be responses to localized fractures, and crevasses filled with unstratified marine ice, all at strikes from 27° to 50°. We preliminarily interpreted off nadir, marine ice horizons to be responses to linear and folded faults, similar to some in firn. The coinciding and synchronously folded areas of fractured firn and marine ice suggested that the visibly unstructured meteoric ice beneath our grid was also fractured, but either never crevassed, crevassed and sutured without marine ice inclusions, or that any ice containing crevasses might have eroded before marine ice accretion. We will test these interpretations with analysis of all transects and by extending our grid and increasing our depth ranges.
  • Like a tornado through his body: Pittsburgh District employee fights for his life, survives COVID-19

    He described it like being in the grasp of a giant. Every time he tried to suck in air, an invisible fist squeezed tighter around his body, collapsing his lungs.
  • Fish cover permits available for Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes

    MOUNTAIN HOME, Ark. - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mountain Home Project Office is offering 50 fish cover permits for Bull Shoals and Norfork Lakes.
  • Disaster Response

    In response to the tornado and storm system that devastated more than 1,000 homes on Dec. 10, 2021, the Huntington District deployed emergency operations personnel to help with the recovery effort.
  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work by Duxbury Beach Reservation Inc. in Duxbury, Mass.

     The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct
  • USACE seeks comments on proposed work at East Shore Park in New Haven, Connecticut

     The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District received a permit application to conduct
  • Phase-Field Modeling of Nonequilibrium Solidification Processes in Additive Manufacturing

    Abstract: This project models dendrite growth during nonequilibrium solidification of binary alloys using the phase-field method (PFM). Understanding the dendrite formation processes is important because the microstructural features directly influence mechanical properties of the produced parts. An improved understanding of dendrite formation may inform design protocols to achieve optimized process parameters for controlled microstructures and enhanced properties of materials. To this end, this work implements a phase-field model to simulate directional solidification of binary alloys. For applications involving strong nonequilibrium effects, a modified antitrapping current model is incorporated to help eject solute into the liquid phase based on experimentally calibrated, velocity-dependent partitioning coefficient. Investigated allow systems include SCN, Si-As, and Ni-Nb. The SCN alloy is chosen to verify the computational method, and the other two are selected for a parametric study due to their different diffusion properties. The modified antitrapping current model is compared with the classical model in terms of predicted dendrite profiles, tip undercooling, and tip velocity. Solidification parameters—the cooling rate and the strength of anisotropy—are studied to reveal their influences on dendrite growth. Computational results demonstrate effectiveness of the PFM and the modified antitrapping current model in simulating rapid solidification with strong nonequilibrium at the interface.
  • 2021-2022 Lake Sakakawea ice fishing policy announcement

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Garrison Project, announced this week their 2021-2022 winter access policy for recreational purposes.
  • Pittsburgh District power team deploys to Kentucky in support of storm recovery

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Pittsburgh District deployed 16 personnel to support the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-assigned disaster relief and temporary power mission in the aftermath of tornadoes that devastated eight states, Dec. 12.