Articles | Volume 12, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1615-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1615-2018
© Author(s) 2018. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
04 May 2018
Research article |
| 04 May 2018
| 04 May 2018
How dynamic are ice-stream beds?
Damon Davies
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP,
UK
School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP,
UK
Edward C. King
NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET,
UK
Andrew M. Smith
NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET,
UK
Alex M. Brisbourne
NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET,
UK
Matteo Spagnolo
School of Geosciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UF, UK
Alastair G. C. Graham
College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter,
Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK
Anna E. Hogg
Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling, School of Earth and
Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
David G. Vaughan
NERC British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET,
UK
Related authors
No articles found.
Benjamin J. Davison, Anna E. Hogg, Thomas Slater, Richard Rigby, and Nicolaj Hansen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 3259–3281, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3259-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-3259-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Grounding line discharge is a measure of the amount of ice entering the ocean from an ice mass. This paper describes a dataset of grounding line discharge for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and each of its glaciers. The dataset shows that Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line discharge has increased since 1996.
Ole Zeising, Álvaro Arenas-Pingarrón, Alex M. Brisbourne, and Carlos Martín
The Cryosphere, 19, 2355–2363, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2355-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2355-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ice crystal orientation influences how glacier ice deforms. Radar polarimetry is commonly used to study the bulk ice crystal orientation, but the often used coherence method only provides information of the shallow ice in fast-flowing areas. This study shows that reducing the bandwidth of high-bandwidth radar data significantly enhances the depth limit of the coherence method. This improvement helps us to better understand ice dynamics in fast-flowing ice streams.
Heather L. Selley, Anna E. Hogg, Benjamin J. Davison, Pierre Dutrieux, and Thomas Slater
The Cryosphere, 19, 1725–1738, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite observations to measure recent changes in ice speed and flow direction in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler region of West Antarctica (2005–2022). We found substantial speed-up on seven ice streams of up to 87 %. However, Kohler West Glacier has slowed by 10 %, due to the redirection of ice flow into its rapidly thinning neighbour. This process of “ice piracy” has not previously been directly observed on this rapid timescale and may influence future ice shelf and sheet mass changes.
Álvaro Arenas-Pingarrón, Alex M. Brisbourne, Carlos Martín, Hugh F. J. Corr, Carl Robinson, Tom A. Jordan, and Paul V. Brennan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1068, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1068, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging is essential for deep englacial observations. Each pixel is formed by averaging the radar echoes within an antenna beamwidth, but the echo diversity is lost after the average. We improve the SAR interpretation if three sub-images are formed with different sub-beamwidths: each is coloured in red, green, or blue, and they are overlapped, creating a coloured image. Interpreters will better identify the slopes of internal layers, crevasses, and layer roughness.
Yikai Zhu, Anna E. Hogg, Andrew Hooper, and Benjamin J. Wallis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-849, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-849, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates the long- and short-term changes in the grounding line of the Amery Ice Shelf in East Antarctica, using satellite observations and a method called Differential Range Offset Tracking (DROT). Our findings show how the grounding line behaves in response to tides and other environmental factors, with implications for understanding ice shelf stability.
Kevin Hank, Robert J. Arthern, C. Rosie Williams, Alex M. Brisbourne, Andrew M. Smith, James A. Smith, Anna Wåhlin, and Sridhar Anandakrishnan
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-764, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-764, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The slipperiness beneath ice sheets is a key source of uncertainty in sea level rise projections. Using both observations and model output, we infer the most probable representation of basal slipperiness in ice sheet models, enabling more accurate projections. For Pine Island Glacier, our results provide support for a Coulomb-type sliding law and widespread low effective pressures, potentially increasing sliding velocities in prognostic simulations and, hence, sea level rise projections.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Tian Li, and Robert G. Bingham
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3964, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3964, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Totten Glacier is the largest source of mass loss in the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, with thinning detected since the 1990s, though the onset remains unclear. Ice-speed anomalies show no acceleration since 1973, confirming imbalance by the 1970s. A century-long record of surface undulations from Landsat imagery, linked to basal melt variability, reveals an anomalous mid-20th-century period with persistently high melt rates, possibly indicating the onset time of ice shelf thinning.
Katie Lowery, Pierre Dutrieux, Paul R. Holland, Anna E. Hogg, Noel Gourmelen, and Benjamin J. Wallis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-267, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-267, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We use CryoSat-2 to observe monthly changes in Pine Island Glacier's ice shelf (PIG) surface at 250 m resolution. We show that melt is focused on the western walls of basal channels and highlight the role of channels in grounding pinning points. PIG’s main channel geometry is inherited from the ice-bed interface upstream of the grounding line. These results highlight the importance of channels on ice shelf stability and how this can change over time.
Benjamin J. Wallis, Anna E. Hogg, Yikai Zhu, and Andrew Hooper
The Cryosphere, 18, 4723–4742, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The grounding line, where ice begins to float, is an essential variable to understand ice dynamics, but in some locations it can be challenging to measure with established techniques. Using satellite data and a new method, Wallis et al. measure the grounding line position of glaciers and ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula and find retreats of up to 16.3 km have occurred since the last time measurements were made in the 1990s.
Robert G. Bingham, Julien A. Bodart, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Ailsa Chung, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Johannes C. R. Sutter, Olaf Eisen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Joseph A. MacGregor, Neil Ross, Duncan A. Young, David W. Ashmore, Andreas Born, Winnie Chu, Xiangbin Cui, Reinhard Drews, Steven Franke, Vikram Goel, John W. Goodge, A. Clara J. Henry, Antoine Hermant, Benjamin H. Hills, Nicholas Holschuh, Michelle R. Koutnik, Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli, Emma J. Mackie, Elisa Mantelli, Carlos Martín, Felix S. L. Ng, Falk M. Oraschewski, Felipe Napoleoni, Frédéric Parrenin, Sergey V. Popov, Therese Rieckh, Rebecca Schlegel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Xueyuan Tang, Thomas O. Teisberg, Kate Winter, Shuai Yan, Harry Davis, Christine F. Dow, Tyler J. Fudge, Tom A. Jordan, Bernd Kulessa, Kenichi Matsuoka, Clara J. Nyqvist, Maryam Rahnemoonfar, Matthew R. Siegfried, Shivangini Singh, Verjan Višnjević, Rodrigo Zamora, and Alexandra Zuhr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ice sheets covering Antarctica have built up over millenia through successive snowfall events which become buried and preserved as internal surfaces of equal age detectable with ice-penetrating radar. This paper describes an international initiative to work together on this archival data to build a comprehensive 3-D picture of how old the ice is everywhere across Antarctica, and how this will be used to reconstruct past and predict future ice and climate behaviour.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Stephen L. Cornford, and Anna E. Hogg
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2438, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2438, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The speed at which Antarctic ice flows is dependent on its viscosity and the sliperiness of the ice/bedrock interface. Often, these unknown variables are inferred from observations of ice speed. This article presents an attempt to make this difficult procedure easier by making use of additional information in the form of observations of crevasses, which make ice appear less viscous to numerical models. We find in some circumstances that this leads to more appealing solutions to this problem.
Benjamin J. Davison, Anna E. Hogg, Carlos Moffat, Michael P. Meredith, and Benjamin J. Wallis
The Cryosphere, 18, 3237–3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a new dataset of ice motion, we observed glacier acceleration on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The speed-up began around January 2021, but some glaciers sped up earlier or later. Using a combination of ship-based ocean temperature observations and climate models, we show that the speed-up coincided with a period of unusually warm air and ocean temperatures in the region.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, Benjamin J. Wallis, Benjamin J. Davison, Heather L. Selley, Ross A. W. Slater, Elise K. Lie, Livia Jakob, Andrew Ridout, Noel Gourmelen, Bryony I. D. Freer, Sally F. Wilson, and Andrew Shepherd
The Cryosphere, 18, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we use satellite observations and an ice flow model to quantify the impact of sea ice buttressing on ice streams on the Antarctic Peninsula. The evacuation of 11-year-old landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment on the East Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022 was closely followed by major changes in the calving behaviour and acceleration (30 %) of the ocean-terminating glaciers. Our results show that sea ice buttressing had a negligible direct role in the observed dynamic changes.
An Li, Michelle Koutnik, Stephen Brough, Matteo Spagnolo, and Iestyn Barr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2568, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2568, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
On Earth, glacial cirques are a type of landform eroded by wet-based glaciers, which are glaciers with liquid water at the base of a glacier. While select alcoves have been interpreted as glacial cirques on Mars, we map and assess a large-scale population of ~2000 alcoves as potential cirques in the northern mid-latitudes of Mars. From physical measurements and characteristics, we find 386 cirque-like alcoves. This extends our knowledge of the extent and type of glaciation in the region.
Jennifer Cocks, Alessandro Silvano, Alice Marzocchi, Oana Dragomir, Noémie Schifano, Anna E. Hogg, and Alberto C. Naveira Garabato
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3050, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3050, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Heat and freshwater fluxes in the Southern Ocean mediate global ocean circulation and abyssal ventilation. These fluxes manifest as changes in steric height: sea level anomalies from changes in ocean density. We compute the steric height anomaly of the Southern Ocean using satellite data and validate it against in-situ observations. We analyse interannual patterns, drawing links to climate variability, and discuss the effectiveness of the method, highlighting issues and suggesting improvements.
Thomas Samuel Hudson, Alex M. Brisbourne, Sofia-Katerina Kufner, J.-Michael Kendall, and Andy M. Smith
The Cryosphere, 17, 4979–4993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4979-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4979-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earthquakes (or icequakes) at glaciers can shed light on fundamental glacier processes. These include glacier slip, crevassing, and imaging ice structure. To date, most studies use networks of seismometers, primarily sensitive to icequakes within the spatial extent of the network. However, arrays of seismometers allow us to detect icequakes at far greater distances. Here, we investigate the potential of such array-processing methods for studying icequakes at glaciers.
Rebecca J. Sanderson, Kate Winter, S. Louise Callard, Felipe Napoleoni, Neil Ross, Tom A. Jordan, and Robert G. Bingham
The Cryosphere, 17, 4853–4871, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4853-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4853-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ice-penetrating radar allows us to explore the internal structure of glaciers and ice sheets to constrain past and present ice-flow conditions. In this paper, we examine englacial layers within the Lambert Glacier in East Antarctica using a quantitative layer tracing tool. Analysis reveals that the ice flow here has been relatively stable, but evidence for former fast flow along a tributary suggests that changes have occurred in the past and could change again in the future.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, and David C. Hogg
The Cryosphere, 17, 4421–4445, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4421-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4421-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The presence of crevasses in Antarctica influences how the ice sheet behaves. It is important, therefore, to collect data on the spatial distribution of crevasses and how they are changing. We present a method of mapping crevasses from satellite radar imagery and apply it to 7.5 years of images, covering Antarctica's floating and grounded ice. We develop a method of measuring change in the density of crevasses and quantify increased fracturing in important parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Bryony I. D. Freer, Oliver J. Marsh, Anna E. Hogg, Helen Amanda Fricker, and Laurie Padman
The Cryosphere, 17, 4079–4101, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4079-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4079-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a method using ICESat-2 data to measure how Antarctic grounding lines (GLs) migrate across the tide cycle. At an ice plain on the Ronne Ice Shelf we observe 15 km of tidal GL migration, the largest reported distance in Antarctica, dominating any signal of long-term migration. We identify four distinct migration modes, which provide both observational support for models of tidal ice flexure and GL migration and insights into ice shelf–ocean–subglacial interactions in grounding zones.
Alice C. Frémand, Peter Fretwell, Julien A. Bodart, Hamish D. Pritchard, Alan Aitken, Jonathan L. Bamber, Robin Bell, Cesidio Bianchi, Robert G. Bingham, Donald D. Blankenship, Gino Casassa, Ginny Catania, Knut Christianson, Howard Conway, Hugh F. J. Corr, Xiangbin Cui, Detlef Damaske, Volkmar Damm, Reinhard Drews, Graeme Eagles, Olaf Eisen, Hannes Eisermann, Fausto Ferraccioli, Elena Field, René Forsberg, Steven Franke, Shuji Fujita, Yonggyu Gim, Vikram Goel, Siva Prasad Gogineni, Jamin Greenbaum, Benjamin Hills, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Andrew O. Hoffman, Per Holmlund, Nicholas Holschuh, John W. Holt, Annika N. Horlings, Angelika Humbert, Robert W. Jacobel, Daniela Jansen, Adrian Jenkins, Wilfried Jokat, Tom Jordan, Edward King, Jack Kohler, William Krabill, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Kirsty Langley, Joohan Lee, German Leitchenkov, Carlton Leuschen, Bruce Luyendyk, Joseph MacGregor, Emma MacKie, Kenichi Matsuoka, Mathieu Morlighem, Jérémie Mouginot, Frank O. Nitsche, Yoshifumi Nogi, Ole A. Nost, John Paden, Frank Pattyn, Sergey V. Popov, Eric Rignot, David M. Rippin, Andrés Rivera, Jason Roberts, Neil Ross, Anotonia Ruppel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Andrew M. Smith, Daniel Steinhage, Michael Studinger, Bo Sun, Ignazio Tabacco, Kirsty Tinto, Stefano Urbini, David Vaughan, Brian C. Welch, Douglas S. Wilson, Duncan A. Young, and Achille Zirizzotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2695–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the release of over 60 years of ice thickness, bed elevation, and surface elevation data acquired over Antarctica by the international community. These data are a crucial component of the Antarctic Bedmap initiative which aims to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community.
Julia R. Andreasen, Anna E. Hogg, and Heather L. Selley
The Cryosphere, 17, 2059–2072, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2059-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2059-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
There are few long-term, high spatial resolution observations of ice shelf change in Antarctica over the past 3 decades. In this study, we use high spatial resolution observations to map the annual calving front location on 34 ice shelves around Antarctica from 2009 to 2019 using satellite data. The results provide a comprehensive assessment of ice front migration across Antarctica over the last decade.
Julien A. Bodart, Robert G. Bingham, Duncan A. Young, Joseph A. MacGregor, David W. Ashmore, Enrica Quartini, Andrew S. Hein, David G. Vaughan, and Donald D. Blankenship
The Cryosphere, 17, 1497–1512, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1497-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1497-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Estimating how West Antarctica will change in response to future climatic change depends on our understanding of past ice processes. Here, we use a reflector widely visible on airborne radar data across West Antarctica to estimate accumulation rates over the past 4700 years. By comparing our estimates with current atmospheric data, we find that accumulation rates were 18 % greater than modern rates. This has implications for our understanding of past ice processes in the region.
Tancrède P. M. Leger, Andrew S. Hein, Ángel Rodés, Robert G. Bingham, Irene Schimmelpfennig, Derek Fabel, Pablo Tapia, and ASTER Team
Clim. Past, 19, 35–59, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-35-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-19-35-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Over the past 800 thousand years, variations in the Earth’s orbit and tilt have caused antiphased solar insolation intensity in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Paradoxically, glacial records suggest that global ice sheets have responded synchronously to major cold glacial and warm interglacial episodes. To address this puzzle, we present a new detailed glacier chronology that estimates the timing of multiple Patagonian ice-sheet waxing and waning cycles over the past 300 thousand years.
Helen Ockenden, Robert G. Bingham, Andrew Curtis, and Daniel Goldberg
The Cryosphere, 16, 3867–3887, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3867-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3867-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Hills and valleys hidden under the ice of Thwaites Glacier have an impact on ice flow and future ice loss, but there are not many three-dimensional observations of their location or size. We apply a mathematical theory to new high-resolution observations of the ice surface to predict the bed topography beneath the ice. There is a good correlation with ice-penetrating radar observations. The method may be useful in areas with few direct observations or as a further constraint for other methods.
Mohd Soheb, Alagappan Ramanathan, Anshuman Bhardwaj, Millie Coleman, Brice R. Rea, Matteo Spagnolo, Shaktiman Singh, and Lydia Sam
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4171–4185, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4171-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4171-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a multi-temporal inventory of glaciers in the Ladakh region. The study records data on 2257 glaciers (>0.5 km2) covering an area of ~7923 ± 106 km2 which is equivalent to ~89 % of the total glacierised area of the Ladakh region. It will benefit both the scientific community and the administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh, in developing efficient mitigation and adaptation strategies by improving the projections of change on timescales relevant to policymakers.
Alice C. Frémand, Julien A. Bodart, Tom A. Jordan, Fausto Ferraccioli, Carl Robinson, Hugh F. J. Corr, Helen J. Peat, Robert G. Bingham, and David G. Vaughan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3379–3410, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3379-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3379-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the release of large swaths of airborne geophysical data (including gravity, magnetics, and radar) acquired between 1994 and 2020 over Antarctica by the British Antarctic Survey. These include a total of 64 datasets from 24 different surveys, amounting to >30 % of coverage over the Antarctic Ice Sheet. This paper discusses how these data were acquired and processed and presents the methods used to standardize and publish the data in an interactive and reproducible manner.
Martin Horwath, Benjamin D. Gutknecht, Anny Cazenave, Hindumathi Kulaiappan Palanisamy, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Frank Paul, Raymond Le Bris, Anna E. Hogg, Inès Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Petra Döll, Denise Cáceres, Hannes Müller Schmied, Johnny A. Johannessen, Jan Even Øie Nilsen, Roshin P. Raj, René Forsberg, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Valentina R. Barletta, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Per Knudsen, Ole Baltazar Andersen, Heidi Ranndal, Stine K. Rose, Christopher J. Merchant, Claire R. Macintosh, Karina von Schuckmann, Kristin Novotny, Andreas Groh, Marco Restano, and Jérôme Benveniste
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 411–447, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Global mean sea-level change observed from 1993 to 2016 (mean rate of 3.05 mm yr−1) matches the combined effect of changes in water density (thermal expansion) and ocean mass. Ocean-mass change has been assessed through the contributions from glaciers, ice sheets, and land water storage or directly from satellite data since 2003. Our budget assessments of linear trends and monthly anomalies utilise new datasets and uncertainty characterisations developed within ESA's Climate Change Initiative.
Alex M. Brisbourne, Michael Kendall, Sofia-Katerina Kufner, Thomas S. Hudson, and Andrew M. Smith
The Cryosphere, 15, 3443–3458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3443-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3443-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
How ice sheets flowed in the past is written into the structure and texture of the ice sheet itself. Measuring this structure and properties of the ice can help us understand the recent behaviour of the ice sheets. We use a relatively new technique, not previously attempted in Antarctica, to measure the seismic vibrations of a fibre optic cable down a borehole. We demonstrate the potential of this technique to unravel past ice flow and see hints of these complex signals from the ice flow itself.
Felipe Napoleoni, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Neil Ross, Michael J. Bentley, Andrés Rivera, Andrew M. Smith, Martin J. Siegert, Guy J. G. Paxman, Guisella Gacitúa, José A. Uribe, Rodrigo Zamora, Alex M. Brisbourne, and David G. Vaughan
The Cryosphere, 14, 4507–4524, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4507-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4507-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Subglacial water is important for ice sheet dynamics and stability. Despite this, there is a lack of detailed subglacial-water characterisation in West Antarctica (WA). We report 33 new subglacial lakes. Additionally, a new digital elevation model of basal topography was built and used to simulate the subglacial hydrological network in WA. The simulated subglacial hydrological catchments of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers do not match precisely with their ice surface catchments.
Alex Brisbourne, Bernd Kulessa, Thomas Hudson, Lianne Harrison, Paul Holland, Adrian Luckman, Suzanne Bevan, David Ashmore, Bryn Hubbard, Emma Pearce, James White, Adam Booth, Keith Nicholls, and Andrew Smith
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 887–896, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-887-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-887-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Melting of the Larsen C Ice Shelf in Antarctica may lead to its collapse. To help estimate its lifespan we need to understand how the ocean can circulate beneath. This requires knowledge of the geometry of the sub-shelf cavity. New and existing measurements of seabed depth are integrated to produce a map of the ocean cavity beneath the ice shelf. The observed deep seabed may provide a pathway for circulation of warm ocean water but at the same time reduce rapid tidal melt at a critical location.
Robert D. Larter, Kelly A. Hogan, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, James A. Smith, Christine L. Batchelor, Matthieu Cartigny, Alex J. Tate, James D. Kirkham, Zoë A. Roseby, Gerhard Kuhn, Alastair G. C. Graham, and Julian A. Dowdeswell
The Cryosphere, 13, 1583–1596, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1583-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1583-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We present high-resolution bathymetry data that provide the most complete and detailed imagery of any Antarctic palaeo-ice stream bed. These data show how subglacial water was delivered to and influenced the dynamic behaviour of the ice stream. Our observations provide insights relevant to understanding the behaviour of modern ice streams and forecasting the contributions that they will make to future sea level rise.
Dominic A. Hodgson, Tom A. Jordan, Jan De Rydt, Peter T. Fretwell, Samuel A. Seddon, David Becker, Kelly A. Hogan, Andrew M. Smith, and David G. Vaughan
The Cryosphere, 13, 545–556, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-545-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-545-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica is home to Halley VIa, the latest in a series of six British research stations that have occupied the ice shelf since 1956. A recent rapid growth of rifts in the Brunt Ice Shelf signals the onset of its largest calving event since records began. Here we consider whether this calving event will lead to a new steady state for the ice shelf or an unpinning from the bed, which could predispose it to accelerated flow or collapse.
Edward C. King, Jan De Rydt, and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 12, 3361–3372, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3361-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3361-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ice shelves are thick sheets of ice floating on the ocean off the coasts of Antarctica and Greenland. They help regulate the flow of ice off the continent. Ice shelves undergo a natural cycle of seaward flow, fracture, iceberg production and regrowth. The Brunt Ice Shelf recently developed two large cracks. We used ground-penetrating radar to find out how the internal structure of the ice might influence the present crack development and the future stability of the ice shelf.
Frazer D. W. Christie, Robert G. Bingham, Noel Gourmelen, Eric J. Steig, Rosie R. Bisset, Hamish D. Pritchard, Kate Snow, and Simon F. B. Tett
The Cryosphere, 12, 2461–2479, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2461-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2461-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
With a focus on the hitherto little-studied Marie Byrd Land coastline linking Antarctica's more comprehensively studied Amundsen and Ross Sea Embayments, this paper uses both satellite remote sensing (Landsat, ASTER, ICESat, and CryoSat2) and climate and ocean records (i.e. ERA-Interim, Met Office EN4 data) to examine links between ice recession, inter-decadal atmosphere-ocean forcing and other influences acting upon the Pacific-facing coastline of West Antarctica.
Dominic A. Hodgson, Kelly Hogan, James M. Smith, James A. Smith, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Alastair G. C. Graham, Peter Fretwell, Claire Allen, Vicky Peck, Jan-Erik Arndt, Boris Dorschel, Christian Hübscher, Andrew M. Smith, and Robert Larter
The Cryosphere, 12, 2383–2399, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the Coats Land ice margin, Antarctica, providing a multi-disciplinary geophysical assessment of the ice sheet configuration through its last advance and retreat; a description of the physical constraints on the stability of the past and present ice and future margin based on its submarine geomorphology and ice-sheet geometry; and evidence that once detached from the bed, the ice shelves in this region were predisposed to rapid retreat back to coastal grounding lines.
Adriano Lemos, Andrew Shepherd, Malcolm McMillan, Anna E. Hogg, Emma Hatton, and Ian Joughin
The Cryosphere, 12, 2087–2097, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2087-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2087-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present time-series of ice surface velocities on four key outlet glaciers in Greenland, derived from sequential satellite imagery acquired between October 2014 and February 2017. We demonstrate it is possible to resolve seasonal and inter-annual changes in outlet glacier with an estimated certainty of 10 %. These datasets are key for the timely identification of emerging signals of dynamic imbalance and for understanding the processes driving ice velocity change.
Thomas Slater, Andrew Shepherd, Malcolm McMillan, Alan Muir, Lin Gilbert, Anna E. Hogg, Hannes Konrad, and Tommaso Parrinello
The Cryosphere, 12, 1551–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1551-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1551-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new digital elevation model of Antarctica derived from 6 years of elevation measurements acquired by ESA's CryoSat-2 satellite radar altimeter. We compare our elevation model to an independent set of NASA IceBridge airborne laser altimeter measurements and find the overall accuracy to be 9.5 m – a value comparable to or better than that of other models derived from satellite altimetry. The new CryoSat-2 digital elevation model of Antarctica will be made freely available.
Jan De Rydt, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, Thomas Nagler, Jan Wuite, and Edward C. King
The Cryosphere, 12, 505–520, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-505-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-505-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We provide an unprecedented view into the dynamics of two active rifts in the Brunt Ice Shelf through a unique set of field observations, novel satellite data products, and a state-of-the-art ice flow model. We describe the evolution of fracture width and length in great detail, pushing the boundaries of both spatial and temporal coverage, and provide a deeper insight into the process of iceberg formation, which exerts an important control over the mass balance of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Edward C. King, Hamish D. Pritchard, and Andrew M. Smith
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 151–158, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-151-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-151-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Large, fast-moving glaciers create long, linear mounds of sediments covering large areas. Understanding how these features form has been hampered by a lack of data from the bed of modern-day ice sheets. We give a detailed view of the landscape beneath an Antarctic glacier called Rutford Ice Stream. We towed a radar system back and forth across the glacier to measure the ice thickness every few metres. This is the first place such a highly detailed view of the sub-ice landscape has been created.
S. L. Cornford, D. F. Martin, A. J. Payne, E. G. Ng, A. M. Le Brocq, R. M. Gladstone, T. L. Edwards, S. R. Shannon, C. Agosta, M. R. van den Broeke, H. H. Hellmer, G. Krinner, S. R. M. Ligtenberg, R. Timmermann, and D. G. Vaughan
The Cryosphere, 9, 1579–1600, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1579-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1579-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We used a high-resolution ice sheet model capable of resolving grounding line dynamics (BISICLES) to compute responses of the major West Antarctic ice streams to projections of ocean and atmospheric warming. This is computationally demanding, and although other groups have considered parts of West Antarctica, we think this is the first calculation for the whole region at the sub-kilometer resolution that we show is required.
P. R. Holland, A. Brisbourne, H. F. J. Corr, D. McGrath, K. Purdon, J. Paden, H. A. Fricker, F. S. Paolo, and A. H. Fleming
The Cryosphere, 9, 1005–1024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1005-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1005-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves have collapsed in recent decades. The surface of Larsen C Ice Shelf is lowering, but the cause of this has not been understood. This study uses eight radar surveys to show that the lowering is caused by both ice loss and a loss of air from the ice shelf's snowpack. At least two different processes are causing the lowering. The stability of Larsen C may be at risk from an ungrounding of Bawden Ice Rise or ice-front retreat past a 'compressive arch' in strain rates.
K. C. Rose, N. Ross, T. A. Jordan, R. G. Bingham, H. F. J. Corr, F. Ferraccioli, A. M. Le Brocq, D. M. Rippin, and M. J. Siegert
Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 139–152, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-139-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-139-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We use ice-penetrating-radar data to identify a laterally continuous, gently sloping topographic block, comprising two surfaces separated by a distinct break in slope, preserved beneath the Institute and Möller ice streams, West Antarctica. We interpret these features as extensive erosion surfaces, showing that ancient (pre-glacial) surfaces can be preserved at low elevations beneath ice sheets. Different erosion regimes (e.g. fluvial and marine) may have formed these surfaces.
A. P. Wright, A. M. Le Brocq, S. L. Cornford, R. G. Bingham, H. F. J. Corr, F. Ferraccioli, T. A. Jordan, A. J. Payne, D. M. Rippin, N. Ross, and M. J. Siegert
The Cryosphere, 8, 2119–2134, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2119-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2119-2014, 2014
T. Howard, A. K. Pardaens, J. L. Bamber, J. Ridley, G. Spada, R. T. W. L. Hurkmans, J. A. Lowe, and D. Vaughan
Ocean Sci., 10, 473–483, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-10-473-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-10-473-2014, 2014
M. J. Siegert, N. Ross, H. Corr, B. Smith, T. Jordan, R. G. Bingham, F. Ferraccioli, D. M. Rippin, and A. Le Brocq
The Cryosphere, 8, 15–24, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-15-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-15-2014, 2014
A. M. Brisbourne, A. M. Smith, E. C. King, K. W. Nicholls, P. R. Holland, and K. Makinson
The Cryosphere, 8, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1-2014, 2014
P. Dutrieux, D. G. Vaughan, H. F. J. Corr, A. Jenkins, P. R. Holland, I. Joughin, and A. H. Fleming
The Cryosphere, 7, 1543–1555, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1543-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1543-2013, 2013
P. Fretwell, H. D. Pritchard, D. G. Vaughan, J. L. Bamber, N. E. Barrand, R. Bell, C. Bianchi, R. G. Bingham, D. D. Blankenship, G. Casassa, G. Catania, D. Callens, H. Conway, A. J. Cook, H. F. J. Corr, D. Damaske, V. Damm, F. Ferraccioli, R. Forsberg, S. Fujita, Y. Gim, P. Gogineni, J. A. Griggs, R. C. A. Hindmarsh, P. Holmlund, J. W. Holt, R. W. Jacobel, A. Jenkins, W. Jokat, T. Jordan, E. C. King, J. Kohler, W. Krabill, M. Riger-Kusk, K. A. Langley, G. Leitchenkov, C. Leuschen, B. P. Luyendyk, K. Matsuoka, J. Mouginot, F. O. Nitsche, Y. Nogi, O. A. Nost, S. V. Popov, E. Rignot, D. M. Rippin, A. Rivera, J. Roberts, N. Ross, M. J. Siegert, A. M. Smith, D. Steinhage, M. Studinger, B. Sun, B. K. Tinto, B. C. Welch, D. Wilson, D. A. Young, C. Xiangbin, and A. Zirizzotti
The Cryosphere, 7, 375–393, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-375-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-375-2013, 2013
F. Gillet-Chaulet, O. Gagliardini, H. Seddik, M. Nodet, G. Durand, C. Ritz, T. Zwinger, R. Greve, and D. G. Vaughan
The Cryosphere, 6, 1561–1576, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1561-2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1561-2012, 2012
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Geomorphology
Ice flow dynamics of the northwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet during the last deglaciation
History and dynamics of Fennoscandian Ice Sheet retreat, contemporary ice-dammed lake evolution, and faulting in the Torneträsk area, northwestern Sweden
Dynamical response of the southwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet to rapid Bølling–Allerød warming
Effects of topographic and meteorological parameters on the surface area loss of ice aprons in the Mont Blanc massif (European Alps)
Geomorphology and shallow sub-sea-floor structures underneath the Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Formation of ribbed bedforms below shear margins and lobes of palaeo-ice streams
A quasi-annual record of time-transgressive esker formation: implications for ice-sheet reconstruction and subglacial hydrology
Ice-stream flow switching by up-ice propagation of instabilities along glacial marginal troughs
Basal control of supraglacial meltwater catchments on the Greenland Ice Sheet
Subglacial drainage patterns of Devon Island, Canada: detailed comparison of rivers and subglacial meltwater channels
Benjamin J. Stoker, Helen E. Dulfer, Chris R. Stokes, Victoria H. Brown, Christopher D. Clark, Colm Ó Cofaigh, David J. A. Evans, Duane Froese, Sophie L. Norris, and Martin Margold
The Cryosphere, 19, 869–910, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-869-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-869-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The retreat of the northwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet allows us to investigate how the ice drainage network evolves over millennial timescales and understand the influence of climate forcing, glacial lakes and the underlying geology on the rate of deglaciation. We reconstruct the changes in ice flow at 500-year intervals and identify rapid reorganisations of the drainage network, including variations in ice streaming that we link to climatically driven changes in the ice sheet surface slope.
Karlijn Ploeg and Arjen P. Stroeven
The Cryosphere, 19, 347–373, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-347-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-347-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mapping of glacial landforms using lidar data shows that the retreating margin of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet dammed a series of lakes in the Torneträsk Basin during deglaciation. These lakes were more extensive than previously thought and produced outburst floods. We show that sections of the Pärvie Fault, the longest glacially activated fault of Sweden, ruptured multiple times and during the existence of ice-dammed lake Torneträsk.
Sophie L. Norris, Martin Margold, David J. A. Evans, Nigel Atkinson, and Duane G. Froese
The Cryosphere, 18, 1533–1559, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1533-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1533-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Associated with climate change between the Last Glacial Maximum and the current interglacial period, we reconstruct the behaviour of the southwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered the Canadian Prairies, using detailed landform mapping. Our reconstruction depicts three shifts in the ice sheet’s dynamics. We suggest these changes resulted from ice sheet thinning triggered by abrupt climatic change. However, we show that regional lithology and topography also play an important role.
Suvrat Kaushik, Ludovic Ravanel, Florence Magnin, Yajing Yan, Emmanuel Trouve, and Diego Cusicanqui
The Cryosphere, 16, 4251–4271, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4251-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4251-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate change impacts all parts of the cryosphere but most importantly the smaller ice bodies like ice aprons (IAs). This study is the first attempt on a regional scale to assess the impacts of the changing climate on these small but very important ice bodies. Our study shows that IAs have consistently lost mass over the past decades. The effects of climate variables, particularly temperature and precipitation and topographic factors, were analysed on the loss of IA area.
Astrid Oetting, Emma C. Smith, Jan Erik Arndt, Boris Dorschel, Reinhard Drews, Todd A. Ehlers, Christoph Gaedicke, Coen Hofstede, Johann P. Klages, Gerhard Kuhn, Astrid Lambrecht, Andreas Läufer, Christoph Mayer, Ralf Tiedemann, Frank Wilhelms, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 16, 2051–2066, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2051-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2051-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines a variety of geophysical measurements in front of and beneath the Ekström Ice Shelf in order to identify and interpret geomorphological evidences of past ice sheet flow, extent and retreat.
The maximal extent of grounded ice in this region was 11 km away from the continental shelf break.
The thickness of palaeo-ice on the calving front around the LGM was estimated to be at least 305 to 320 m.
We provide essential boundary conditions for palaeo-ice-sheet models.
Jean Vérité, Édouard Ravier, Olivier Bourgeois, Stéphane Pochat, Thomas Lelandais, Régis Mourgues, Christopher D. Clark, Paul Bessin, David Peigné, and Nigel Atkinson
The Cryosphere, 15, 2889–2916, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2889-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2889-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Subglacial bedforms are commonly used to reconstruct past glacial dynamics and investigate processes occuring at the ice–bed interface. Using analogue modelling and geomorphological mapping, we demonstrate that ridges with undulating crests, known as subglacial ribbed bedforms, are ubiquitous features along ice stream corridors. These bedforms provide a tantalizing glimpse into (1) the former positions of ice stream margins, (2) the ice lobe dynamics and (3) the meltwater drainage efficiency.
Stephen J. Livingstone, Emma L. M. Lewington, Chris D. Clark, Robert D. Storrar, Andrew J. Sole, Isabelle McMartin, Nico Dewald, and Felix Ng
The Cryosphere, 14, 1989–2004, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1989-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We map series of aligned mounds (esker beads) across central Nunavut, Canada. Mounds are interpreted to have formed roughly annually as sediment carried by subglacial rivers is deposited at the ice margin. Chains of mounds are formed as the ice retreats. This high-resolution (annual) record allows us to constrain the pace of ice retreat, sediment fluxes, and the style of drainage through time. In particular, we suggest that eskers in general record a composite signature of ice-marginal drainage.
Etienne Brouard and Patrick Lajeunesse
The Cryosphere, 13, 981–996, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-981-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-981-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Modifications in ice-stream networks have major impacts on ice sheet mass balance and global sea level. However, the mechanisms controlling ice-stream switching remain poorly understood. We report a flow switch in an ice-stream system that occurred on the Baffin Island shelf through the erosion of a marginal trough. Up-ice propagation of ice streams through marginal troughs can lead to the piracy of neighboring ice catchments, which induces an adjacent ice-stream switch and shutdown.
Josh Crozier, Leif Karlstrom, and Kang Yang
The Cryosphere, 12, 3383–3407, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3383-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3383-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding ice sheet surface meltwater routing is important for modeling and predicting ice sheet evolution. We determined that bed topography underlying the Greenland Ice Sheet is the primary influence on 1–10 km scale ice surface topography, and on drainage-basin-scale surface meltwater routing. We provide a simple means of predicting the response of surface meltwater routing to changing ice flow conditions and explore the implications of this for subglacial hydrology.
Anna Grau Galofre, A. Mark Jellinek, Gordon R. Osinski, Michael Zanetti, and Antero Kukko
The Cryosphere, 12, 1461–1478, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1461-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1461-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Water accumulated at the base of ice sheets is the main driver of glacier acceleration and loss of ice mass in Arctic regions. Previously glaciated landscapes sculpted by this water carry information about how ice sheets collapse and ultimately disappear. The search for these landscapes took us to the high Arctic, to explore channels that formed under kilometers of ice during the last ice age. In this work we describe how subglacial channels look and how they helped to drain an ice sheet.
Cited articles
Aðalgeirsdóttir, G., Smith, A. M., Murray, T., King, M. A., Makinson, K.,
Nicholls, K. W., and Behar, A. E.: Tidal influence on Rutford Ice Stream,
West Antarctica: observations of surface flow and basal processes from
closely spaced GPS and passive seismic stations, J. Glaciol., 54, 715–724,
2008.
Alley, R.: Water-pressure coupling of sliding and bed deformation: I. Water
system, J. Glaciol., 35, 108–118, 1989.
Alley, R., Cuffey, K., Evenson, E., Strasser, J., Lawson, D., and Larson,
G.: How glaciers entrain and transport basal sediment: physical constraints,
Quaternary Sci. Rev., 16, 1017–1038, 1997.
Alley, R. B.: Continuity comes first: recent progress in understanding
subglacial deformation, Geol. Soc. SP, 176, 171–179, 2000.
Alley, R. B., Blankenship, D. D., Bentley, C. R. and Rooney, S. T.: Deformation
of till beneath ice stream B, West Antarctica, Nature, 322, 57–59, 1986.
Alley, R. B., Blankenship, D. D., Rooney, S. T., and Bentley, C. R.: Till beneath
ice stream B: 4. A coupled ice-till flow model, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol.-Ea.,
92, 8931–8940, 1987.
Alley, R. B., Blankenship, D. D., Rooney, S. T., and Bentley, C.
R.: Sedimentation beneath ice shelves – the view from ice stream, B. Mar.
Geol., 85, 101–120, 1989.
Alley, R. B., Lawson, D. E., Larson, G. J., Evenson, E. B., and Baker, G.
S.: Stabilizing feedbacks in glacier-bed erosion, Nature, 424, 758–760, 2003.
Alley, R. B., Anandakrishnan, S., Dupont, T. K., Parizek, B. R., and Pollard,
D.: Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability, Science,
315, 1838–1841, 2007.
Anandakrishnan, S. and Alley, R.: Stagnation of Ice Stream C, West
Antarctica by water piracy, Geophys. Res. Lett., 24, 265–268,
https://doi.org/10.1029/96GL04016, 1997.
Anandakrishnan, S., Catania, G. A., Alley, R. B., and Horgan, H. J.: Discovery
of till deposition at the grounding line of Whillans Ice Stream, Science,
315, 1835–1838, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1138393, 2007.
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., 120, 1171–1188, 2015.
Batchelor, C. L. and Dowdeswell, J. A.: Ice-sheet grounding-zone wedges
(GZWs) on high-latitude continental margins, Mar. Geol., 363, 65–92,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margeo.2015.02.001, 2015.
Bentley, C., Lord, N., and Liu, C.: Radar reflections reveal a wet bed
beneath stagnant Ice Stream. C and a frozen bed beneath ridge BC, West
Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 44, 149–156, 1998.
Bingham, R. G., Vaughan, D. G., King, E. C., Davies, D., Cornford, S. L., Smith,
A. M., Arthern, R. J., Brisbourne, A. M., De Rydt, J., Graham, A. G. C.,
Spagnolo, M., Marsh, O. J., and Shean, D. E.: Diverse landscapes beneath Pine
Island Glacier influence ice flow, Nat. Commun., 8, 1618, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-01597-y, 2017.
Blankenship, D. D., Bentley, C. R., Rooney, S. T., and Alley, R. B.: Seismic
measurements reveal a saturated porous layer beneath an active Antarctic ice
stream, Nature, 322, 54–57, 1986.
Boulton, G. S. and Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Sediment deformation beneath glaciers:
rheology and geological consequences, J. Geophys. Res., 92,
9059–9082, 1987.
Brinkerhoff, D., Truffer, M., and Aschwanden, A.: Sediment transport drives
tidewater glacier periodicity, Nat. Commun., 8, p. 90, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00095-5, 2017.
Brisbourne, A. M., Smith, A. M., Vaughan, D. G., King, E. C., Davies, D.,
Bingham, R. G., Smith, E. C., Nias, I. J., and Rosier, S. H. R.: Bed
conditions of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth,
122, 419–433, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JF004033, 2017.
Clark, C. D.: Mega-scale glacial lineations and cross-cutting ice-flow
landforms, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 18, 1–29, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3290180102,
1993.
Conway, H., Catania, G., Raymond, C. F., Gades, A. M., Scambos, T. A., and
Engelhardt, H.: Switch of flow direction in an Antarctic ice stream, Nature,
419, 465–467, 2002.
Cowton, T., Nienow, P., Bartholomew, I., Sole, A., and Mair, D.: Rapid
erosion beneath the Greenland ice sheet, Geology, 40, 343–346, 2012.
Cuffey, K. and Alley, R. B.: Is erosion by deforming subglacial sediments
significant? (Toward till continuity), Ann. Glaciol., 22, 17–24, 1996.
Damsgaard, A., Egholm, D. L., Piotrowski, J. A., Tulaczyk, S., Larsen, N.
K., and Tylmann, K.: Discrete element modelling of subglacial sediment
deformation, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 2230–2242, 2013.
Damsgaard, A., Egholm, D. L., Beem, L. H., Tulaczyk, S., Larsen, N. K.,
Piotrowski, J. A., and Siegfried, M. R.: Ice flow dynamics forced by water
pressure variations in subglacial granular beds, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 12165–12173,
2016.
DeConto, R. M. and Pollard, D.: Contribution of Antarctica to past and future
sea-level rise, Nature, 531, 591–597, 2016.
Dowling, T. P. F., Moller, P., and Spagnolo, M.: Rapid subglacial streamlined
bedform formation at a calving bay margin, J. Quaternary Sci., 31, 879–892,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.2912, 2016.
Ely, J. C., Clark, C. D., Ng, F., Spagnolo, M., Hughes, A. L. C., and Stokes, C.
R.: Using the size and position of drumlins to understand how they grow,
interact and evolve, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 43, 1073–1087, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4241, 2018.
Engelhardt, H. and Kamb, B.: Basal hydraulic system of a West Antarctic ice
stream: constraints from borehole observations, J. Glaciol., 43, 207–229,
1997.
Engelhardt, H. and Kamb, B.: Basal sliding of Ice Stream B, West Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 44, 223–230, 1998.
Fowler, A. C.: The formation of subglacial streams and mega-scale glacial
lineations, P. R. Soc. Lond. A Mat., 466, 3181–3201, 2010.
Fowler, A. C., Spagnolo, M., Clark, C. D., Stokes, C. R., Hughes, A. L. C.,
and Dunlop, P.: On the size and shape of drumlins, International Journal on
Geomathematics, 4, 155–165, 2013.
Fretwell, P., Pritchard, H. D., Vaughan, D. G., Bamber, J. L., Barrand, N.
E., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R. G., Blankenship, D. D., Casassa, G.,
Catania, G., Callens, D., Conway, H., Cook, A. J., Corr, H. F. J., Damaske,
D., Damm, V., Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., Fujita, S., Gim, Y., Gogineni,
P., Griggs, J. A., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Holmlund, P., Holt, J. W., Jacobel,
R. W., Jenkins, A., Jokat, W., Jordan, T., King, E. C., Kohler, J., Krabill,
W., Riger-Kusk, M., Langley, K. A., Leitchenkov, G., Leuschen, C., Luyendyk,
B. P., Matsuoka, K., Mouginot, J., Nitsche, F. O., Nogi, Y., Nost, O. A.,
Popov, S. V., Rignot, E., Rippin, D. M., Rivera, A., Roberts, J., Ross, N.,
Siegert, M. J., Smith, A. M., Steinhage, D., Studinger, M., Sun, B., Tinto,
B. K., Welch, B. C., Wilson, D., Young, D. A., Xiangbin, C., and Zirizzotti,
A.: Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica,
The Cryosphere, 7, 375–393, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-375-2013, 2013.
Fricker, H. A., Scambos, T., Bindschadler, R., and Padman, L.: An active
subglacial water system in West Antarctica mapped from space, Science, 315,
1544–1548, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136897, 2007.
Ganti, V., Hagke, C. V., Scherler, D., Lamb, M. P., Fischer, W. W., and Avouac
J.-P.: Time scale bias in erosion rates of glaciated landscapes, Science
Advances, 2, e1600204, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600204, 2016.
Graham, A. G. C., Larter, R. D., Gohl, K., Dowdeswell, J. A., Hillenbrand,
C.-D., Smith, J. A., Evans, J., Kuhn, G., and Deen, T.: Flow and retreat of
the Late Quaternary Pine Island-Thwaites palaeo-ice stream, West Antarctica,
J. Geophys. Res., 115, F03025, https://doi.org/10/1029/2009JF001482, 2010.
Gudmundsson, G. H.: Fortnightly variations in the flow velocity of Rutford
Ice Stream, West Antarctica, Nature, 444, 1063–1064, 2006.
Gudmundsson, G. H.: Tides and the flow of Rutford Ice Stream, West
Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 112, 1063–1064,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000731, 2007.
Hallet, B., Hunter, L., and Bogen, J.: Rates of erosion and sediment
evacuation by glaciers: A review of field data and their implications, Global
Planet. Change, 12, 213–235, 1996.
Herman, F., Beaud, F. Champagnac, J.-D. Lemieux, J.-M., and Sternai,
P.: Glacial hydrology and erosion patterns: a mechanism for carving glacial
valleys, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 310, 498–508, 2011.
Herman, F., Beyssac, O., Brughelli, M., Lane, S. N., Leprince, S., Adatte,
T., Lin, J. Y. Y., Avouac, J.-P., and Cox, S. C.: Erosion by an alpine
glacier, Science, 350, 193–195, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab2386, 2015.
Hillier, J. K., Kougioumtzoglou, I. A., Stokes, C. R., Smith, M. J., Clark,
C. D., and Spagnolo, M.: Exploring explanations of subglacial bedform sizes
using statistical models, PloS ONE, 11, e0159489,
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159489, 2016.
Hindmarsh, R. C.: The stability of a viscous till sheet coupled with ice
flow, considered at wavelengths less than the ice thickness, J. Glaciol., 44,
285–292, 1998.
Hogg, A., Shepherd, A., Cornford, S. L., Briggs, K. H., Gourmelen, N., Graham,
J. A., Joughin, I., Mouginot, J., Nagler, T., Payne, A. J., Rignot, E., and
Wuite, J.: Increased ice flow in Western Palmer Land linked to ocean melting,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 9, 4159–4167, 2017.
Iverson, N. R.: Shear resistance and continuity of subglacial till:
hydrology rules, J. Glaciol., 56, 1104–1114, 2010.
Iverson, N. R. and Iverson, R. M.: Distributed shear of subglacial till due to
Coulomb slip, J. Glaciol., 47, 481–488, 2001.
Jamieson, S. S. R., Sugden, D. E., and Hulton, N. R. J.: The evolution of the
subglacial landscape of Antarctica, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 293, 1–27,
2010.
Jenson, J. W., Clark, P. U., MacAyeal, D. R., Ho, C., and Vela, J. C.: Numerical
modelling of advective transport of saturated deforming sediment beneath the
Lake Michigan Lobe, Laurentide Ice Sheet, Geomorphology, 14, 157–166, 1995.
Joughin, I., Tulaczyk, S., Bamber, J. L., Blankenship, D., Holt, J. W.,
Scambos, T., and Vaughan, D. G.: Basal conditions for Pine Island and
Thwaites Glaciers, West Antarctica, determined using satellite and airborne
data, J. Glaciol., 55, 245–257, 2009.
Joughin, I., Smith, B. E., and Medley, B.: Marine ice sheet collapse
potentially under way for the Thwaites Glacier basin, West Antarctica,
Science, 344, 735–738, 2014.
Kamb, B.: Rheological nonlinearity and flow instability in the deforming bed
mechanism of ice stream motion, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 96, 16585–16595,
1991.
King, E. C., Woodward, J., and Smith, A. M.: Seismic evidence for a
water-filled canal in deforming till beneath Rutford Ice Stream, West
Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL020379,
2004.
King, E. C., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., and Stokes, C. R.: Formation of mega-scale
glacial lineations observed beneath a West Antarctic ice stream, Nat.
Geosci., 2, 585–588, https://doi.org/10.1038/NGEO581, 2009.
King, E. C., Pritchard, H. D., and Smith, A. M.: Subglacial landforms beneath
Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica: detailed bed topography from ice-penetrating
radar, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 151–158,
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-151-2016, 2016.
Konrad, H., Gilbert, L., Cornford, S. L., Payne, A., Hogg, A., Muir, A., and
Shepherd, A.: Uneven onset and pace of ice-dynamical imbalance in the
Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 910–918,
2017.
Koppes, M. and Hallet, B.: Erosion rates during rapid deglaciation in Icy Bay, Alaska, J. Geophys. Res., 111, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JF000349, 2006.
Koppes, M. N. and Montgomery, D. R.: The relative efficacy of fluvial and
glacial erosion over modern to orogenic timescales, Nat. Geosci., 2,
644–647, 2009.
Kyrke-Smith, T. M. and Fowler, A. C.: November, Subglacial swamps,
P. Roy. Soc. Lond. A Mat., 470, 20140340, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2014.0340, 2014.
Larter, R. D., Graham, A. G. C., Gohl, K., Kuhn, G., Hillenbrand, C. D.,
Smith, J. A., Deen, T. J., Livermore, R. A., and Schenke, H. W.: Subglacial
bedforms reveal complex basal regime in a zone of paleo-ice stream
convergence, Amundsen Sea embayment, West Antarctica, Geology, 37, 411–414,
2009.
Lowe, A. L. and Anderson, J. B.: Reconstruction of the West Antarctic Ice
Sheet in Pine Island Bay during the Last Glacial Maximum and its subsequent
retreat history, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 21, 1879–1897, 2002.
McMillan, M., Shepherd, A., Sundal, A., Briggs, K., Muir, A., Ridout, A.,
Hogg, A., and Wingham, D.: Increased ice losses from Antarctica detected by
CryoSat-2, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 3899–3905, 2014.
Minchew, B., Simons, M., Riel, B., and Milillo, P.: Tidally induced
variations in vertical and horizontal motion on Rutford Ice Stream, West
Antarctica, inferred from remotely sensed observations, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 122, 167–190, 2017.
Motyka, R. J., Truffer, M., Kuriger, E. M., and Bucki, A. K.: Rapid erosion of
soft sediments by tidewater glacier advance: Taku Glacier, Alaska, USA,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L24504, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL028467, 2006.
Mouginot, J., Rignot, E., and Scheuchl, B.: Sustained increase in ice
discharge from the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, from 1973 to
2013, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 1576–1584, 2014.
Murray, T., Smith, A. M., King, M. A., and Weedon, G. P.: Ice flow modulated by
tides at up to annual periods at Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L18503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031207, 2007.
Nygård, A., Sejrup, H. P., Haflidason, H., Lekens, W. A. H., Clark, C. D.
and Bigg, G. R.: Extreme sediment and ice discharge from marine-based ice
streams: New evidence from the North Sea, Geology, 35, 395–398, 2007.
Park, J. W., Gourmelen, N., Shepherd, A., Kim, S. W., Vaughan, D. G., and
Wingham, D. J.: Sustained retreat of the Pine Island Glacier, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 2137–2142, 2013.
Peters, L. E., Anandakrishnan, S., Alley, R. B., Winberry, J. P., Voigt, D. E.,
Smith, A. M., and Morse, D. L.: Subglacial sediments as a control on the
onset and location of two Siple Coast ice streams, West Antarctica, J.
Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 111, B01302, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JB003766, 2006.
Pritchard, H. D., Arthern, R. J., Vaughan, D. G., and Edwards, L. A.: Extensive
dynamic thinning on the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets,
Nature, 461, 971–975, 2009.
Raiswell, R., Tranter, M., Benning, L. G., Siegert, M., De'Ath, R.,
Huybrechts, P., and Payne, T.: Contributions from glacially derived sediment
to the global iron (oxyhydr)oxide cycle: implications for iron delivery to
the oceans, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 70, 2765–2780, 2006.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: Ice flow of the Antarctic Ice
Sheet, Science, 333, 1427–1430, 2011.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Morlighem, M., Seroussi, H., and Scheuchl,
B.:
Widespread, rapid grounding line retreat of Pine Island, Thwaites, Smith, and
Kohler glaciers, West Antarctica, from 1992 to 2011, Geophys. Res. Lett., 41,
3502–3509, 2014.
Rosier, S. H. R., Gudmundsson, G. H., and Green, J. A. M.: Temporal
variations in the flow of a large Antarctic ice stream controlled by tidally
induced changes in the subglacial water system, The Cryosphere, 9,
1649–1661, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1649-2015, 2015.
Schoof C.: Cavitation on deformable glacier beds, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 67, 1633–1653, 2007.
Schroeder, D. M., Blankenship, D. D., and Young, D. A.: Evidence for a water
system transition beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, P. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA, 110, 12225–12228, 2013.
Scott, J. B. T., Gudmundsson, G. H., Smith, A. M., Bingham, R. G., Pritchard,
H. D., and Vaughan, D. G.: Increased rate of acceleration on Pine Island
Glacier strongly coupled to changes in gravitational driving stress, The
Cryosphere, 3, 125–131, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-3-125-2009, 2009.
Sergienko, O. V. and Hindmarsh, R. C. A.: Regular patterns in frictional resistance of
ice-stream beds seen by surface data inversion, Science, 342, 1086–1089, 2013.
Shepherd, A., Wingham, D. J., Mansley, J. A. D., and Corr, H. F. J.: Inland
thinning of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, Science, 291, 862–864,
2001.
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E. R., Geruo, A., Barletta, V. R., Bentley, M. J.,
Bettadpur, S., Briggs, K. H., Bromwich, D. H., Forsberg, R.,
Galin, N., Horwath, M., Jacobs, S., Joughin, I., King, M. A.,
Lenaerts, J. T. M., Li, J., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Luckman, A.,
Luthcke, S. B., McMillan, M., Meister, R., Milne, G., Mouginot,
J., Muir, A., Nicolas, J. P., Paden, J., Payne, A. J., Pritchard, H.,
Rignot, E., Rott, H., Sørensen, L. S., Scambos, T. A., Scheuchl,
B., Schrama, E. J. O., Smith, B., Sundal, A. V., van Angelen,
J. H., van de Berg,W. J., van den Broeke, M. R., Vaughan, D. G.,
Velicogna, I.,Wahr, J., Whitehouse, P. L.,Wingham, D. J., Yi, D.,
Young, D., and Zwally, H. J.:
A reconciled estimate of ice-sheet mass balance,
Science, 338, 1183–1189, 2012.
Smith, A. M.: Basal conditions on Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica, from
seismic observations, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 102, 543–552, 1997.
Smith, A. M. and Murray, T.: Bedform topography and basal conditions
beneath a fast-flowing West Antarctic ice stream, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 28,
584–596, 2009.
Smith, A. M., Murray, T., Nicholls, K. W., Makinson, K.,
Aðalgeirsdóttir, G., Behar, A. E., and Vaughan, D. G.: Rapid erosion,
drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream,
Geology, 35, 127–130, 2007.
Smith, A. M., Bentley, C. R., Bingham, R. G., and Jordan, T. A.: Rapid
subglacial erosion beneath Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 39, L12501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051651, 2012.
Smith, A. M., Jordan, T. A., Ferraccioli, F., and Bingham, R. G.: Influence
of subglacial conditions on ice stream dynamics: Seismic and potential field
data from Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea.,
118, 1471–1482, 2013.
Smith, B. E., Gourmelen, N., Huth, A., and Joughin, I.: Connected subglacial
lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 11,
451–467, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-451-2017, 2017.
Smith, E. C., Smith, A. M., White, R. S., Brisbourne, A. M., and Pritchard,
H. D.: Mapping the ice-bed interface characteristics of Rutford Ice
Stream,West Antarctica, using microseismicity, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120,
1881–1894, 2015.
Spagnolo, M., Clark, C. D., Ely, J. C., Stokes, C. R., Anderson, J. B.,
Andreassen, K., Graham, A. G. C., and King, E. C.: Size, shape and spatial
arrangement of mega-scale glacial lineations from a large and diverse
dataset, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 39, 1432–1448, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3532, 2014.
Spagnolo, M., Phillips, E., Piotrowski, J., Rea, B. R., Clark, C. D., Stokes,
C. R., Carr, S., Ely, J. C., Ribolini, A., Wysota, W., and Szuman, I.: Ice
stream motion facilitated by a shallow-deforming and accreting bed, Nat.
Commun., 7, 10723, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms10723, 2016.
Spagnolo, M., Bartholomaus, T. C., Clark, C. D., Stokes, C. R., Atkinson, N.,
Dowdeswell, J. A., Ely, J. C., Graham, A. G. C., Hogan, K. A., King, E. C.,
Larter, R. D., Livingstone, S. J., and Pritchard, H. D.: The periodic
topography of ice stream beds: Insights from the Fourier spectra of
mega-scale glacial lineations, J. Geophys. Res., 122, 1355–1373, 2017.
Stokes, C. and Clark, C.: Palaeo-ice streams, Quaternary Sci. Rev.,
20, 1437–1457, 2001.
Thompson, J., Simons, M., and Tsai, V. C.: Modeling the elastic transmission
of tidal stresses to great distances inland in channelized ice streams, The
Cryosphere, 8, 2007–2029, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2007-2014, 2014.
Tulaczyk, S., Kamb, W. B., and Engelhardt, H. F.: Basal mechanics of ice stream
B, West Antarctica: 1. Till mechanics, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 105,
463–481, 2000.
Vaughan, D. G., Corr, H. F. J., Ferraccioli, F., Frearson, N., O'Hare, A.,
Mach, D., Holt, J. W., Blankenship, D. D., Morse, D. L., and Young, D. A.:
New boundary conditions for the West Antarctic ice sheet: Subglacial
topography beneath Pine Island Glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L09501,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL025588,
2006.
Vaughan, D. G., Corr, H. F., Smith, A. M., Pritchard, H. D., and Shepherd,
A.: Flow switching and water piracy between Rutford ice stream and Carlson
inlet, West Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 54, 41–48,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214308784409125, 2008.
Walder, J. S. and Fowler, A.: Channelized subglacial drainage over a
deformable bed, J. Glaciol., 40, 3–15, 1994.
Weertman, J.: General theory of water flow at the base of a glacier or ice
sheet, Rev. Geophys., 10, 287–333, 1972.
Wellner, J., Heroy, D., and Anderson, J.: The death mask of the Antarctic ice
sheet: Comparison of glacial geomorphic features across the continental
shelf, Geomorphology, 75, 157–171, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.05.015, 2006.
Wingham, D. J., Siegert, M. J., Shepherd, A., and Muir, A. S.: Rapid
discharge connects Antarctic subglacial lakes, Nature, 440, 1033–1036, 2006.
Zwally, H. J., Giovinetto, M., Beckley, B. A., and Saba, J. L.: Antarctic and
Greenland drainage systems, GSFC Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, available at: https://icesat4.gsfc.nasa.gov/cryo_data/ant_grn_drainage_systems.php, 2012.
Short summary
This paper investigates the dynamics of ice stream beds using repeat geophysical surveys of the bed of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica; 60 km of the bed was surveyed, comprising the most extensive repeat ground-based geophysical surveys of an Antarctic ice stream; 90 % of the surveyed bed shows no significant change despite the glacier increasing in speed by up to 40 % over the last decade. This result suggests that ice stream beds are potentially more stable than previously suggested.
This paper investigates the dynamics of ice stream beds using repeat geophysical surveys of the...
