Articles | Volume 10, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2623-2016
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2623-2016
Research article
 | 
09 Nov 2016
Research article |  | 09 Nov 2016

Dynamic influence of pinning points on marine ice-sheet stability: a numerical study in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica

Lionel Favier, Frank Pattyn, Sophie Berger, and Reinhard Drews

Related authors

Assessment of sub-shelf melting parameterisations using the ocean–ice-sheet coupled model NEMO(v3.6)–Elmer/Ice(v8.3)
Lionel Favier, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Adrian Jenkins, Nacho Merino, Gaël Durand, Olivier Gagliardini, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, and Pierre Mathiot
Geosci. Model Dev., 12, 2255–2283, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-2255-2019,https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-12-2255-2019, 2019
Short summary

Related subject area

Ice Sheets
Probabilistic projections of the Amery Ice Shelf catchment, Antarctica, under high ice-shelf basal melt conditions
Sanket Jantre, Matthew J. Hoffman, Nathan M. Urban, Trevor Hillebrand, Mauro Perego, Stephen Price, and John D. Jakeman
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1677,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1677, 2024
Short summary
Reconstructing dynamics of the Baltic Ice Stream Complex during deglaciation of the Last Scandinavian Ice Sheet
Izabela Szuman, Jakub Z. Kalita, Christiaan R. Diemont, Stephen J. Livingstone, Chris D. Clark, and Martin Margold
The Cryosphere, 18, 2407–2428, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2407-2024,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2407-2024, 2024
Short summary
The influence of firn-layer material properties on surface crevasse propagation in glaciers and ice shelves
Theo Clayton, Ravindra Duddu, Tim Hageman, and Emilio Martinez-Paneda
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-660,https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-660, 2024
Short summary
Assessing the potential for ice flow piracy between the Totten and Vanderford glaciers, East Antarctica
Felicity S. McCormack, Jason L. Roberts, Bernd Kulessa, Alan Aitken, Christine F. Dow, Lawrence Bird, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Katharina Hochmuth, Richard S. Jones, Andrew N. Mackintosh, and Koi McArthur
The Cryosphere, 17, 4549–4569, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4549-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4549-2023, 2023
Short summary
Stagnant ice and age modelling in the Dome C region, Antarctica
Ailsa Chung, Frédéric Parrenin, Daniel Steinhage, Robert Mulvaney, Carlos Martín, Marie G. P. Cavitte, David A. Lilien, Veit Helm, Drew Taylor, Prasad Gogineni, Catherine Ritz, Massimo Frezzotti, Charles O'Neill, Heinrich Miller, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 17, 3461–3483, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3461-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3461-2023, 2023
Short summary

Cited articles

Arthern, R. J., Winebrenner, D. P., and Vaughan, D. G.: Antarctic snow accumulation mapped using polarization of 4.3-cm wavelength microwave emission, J. Geophys. Res., 111, D06107, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD005667, 2006.
Arthern, R. J., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., and Williams, C. R.: Flow speed within the Antarctic ice sheet and its controls inferred from satellite observations., J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120, 1171–1188, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003239, 2015.
Beckmann, A. and Goosse, H.: A parameterization of ice shelf-ocean interaction for climate models, Ocean Model., 5, 157–170, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1463-5003(02)00019-7, 2003.
Berger, S., Favier, L., Drews, R., Derwael, J.-J., and Pattyn, F.: The control of an uncharted pinning point on the flow of an Antarctic ice shelf, J. Glaciol., 62, 37–45, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.7, 2016.
Borstad, C. P., Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., and Schodlok, M. P.: Creep deformation and buttressing capacity of damaged ice shelves: theory and application to Larsen C ice shelf, The Cryosphere, 7, 1931–1947, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1931-2013, 2013.
Download
Short summary
We demonstrate the short-term unstable retreat of an East Antarctic outlet glacier triggered by imposed sub-ice-shelf melt, compliant with current values, using a state-of-the-art ice-sheet model. We show that pinning points – topographic highs in contact with the ice-shelf base – have a major impact on ice-sheet stability and timing of grounding-line retreat. The study therefore calls for improving our knowledge of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry in order to reduce uncertainties in future ice loss.