Gabriel et al. (2025) Surface nuclear magnetic resonance for studying an englacial channel on Rhonegletscher (Switzerland): Possibilities and limitations in a high-noise environment

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-11-27
• Authors: Laura Gabriel, Marian Hertrich, Christophe Ogier, Mike Müller-Petke, Raphael Moser, Hansruedi Maurer, Daniel Farinotti
• DOI: 10.3929/ethz-c-000789615

Research Groups

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study evaluates the feasibility of Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) for detecting and characterizing englacial liquid water within Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, successfully identifying a thin aquifer near the bedrock at depths of 44 to 60 meters, surrounded by temperate ice with 0.3% to 0.75% liquid water content.

Objective

• To evaluate the feasibility of Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) for detecting and characterizing an englacial channel within Rhonegletscher, Switzerland.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Rhonegletscher, Switzerland. The detected aquifer is a thin layer (≤ 1 meter) located at depths of 44 to 60 meters.
• Temporal Scale: A proof-of-concept survey conducted in the summer of 2023.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Simplified one-dimensional water model; comparison of error-weighted root-mean-square misfit (χRMS) of different models.
• Data sources: Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) survey data; prior information on Rhonegletscher's englacial hydrology; ground-penetrating radar measurements for corroboration.

Main Results

• SNMR successfully detected interpretable signals despite high levels of electromagnetic noise, achieved through careful data processing including remote reference noise cancellation.
• Analysis suggests the existence of a thin aquifer (≤ 1 meter) near the bedrock, embedded within a temperate-ice column.
• This aquifer is located at a depth of 44 to 60 meters.
• The surrounding temperate ice has a liquid water content between 0.3% and 0.75%.
• Assuming a minimum aquifer water content of 60%, models with χRMS≤1.9 support these findings.
• The findings are consistent with independent ground-penetrating radar measurements.

Contributions

• Demonstrates the feasibility of Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) as a geophysical technique for directly detecting and characterizing englacial liquid water within glaciers, even under challenging noise conditions.
• Provides quantitative estimates of the depth, thickness, and surrounding ice liquid water content of an englacial aquifer.
• Corroborates the potential of SNMR for englacial studies through consistency with ground-penetrating radar measurements.
• Shows promise for quantifying liquid water volume located within or beneath glaciers.

Funding

Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Gabriel2025Surface,
  author = {Gabriel, Laura and Hertrich, Marian and Ogier, Christophe and Müller-Petke, Mike and Moser, Raphael and Maurer, Hansruedi and Farinotti, Daniel},
  title = {Surface nuclear magnetic resonance for studying an englacial channel on Rhonegletscher (Switzerland): Possibilities and limitations in a high-noise environment},
  journal = {Repository for Publications and Research Data (ETH Zurich)},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.3929/ethz-c-000789615},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-c-000789615}
}