Articles | Volume 14, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2647-2020
© Author(s) 2020. 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-14-2647-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Aug 2020
Research article |
| 20 Aug 2020
A 14.5-million-year record of East Antarctic Ice Sheet fluctuations from the central Transantarctic Mountains, constrained with cosmogenic 3He, 10Be, 21Ne, and 26Al
Allie Balter-Kennedy
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
School of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Maine, Orono,
Maine, USA
Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
previously published under the name Allie Balter
Gordon Bromley
Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA
Geography, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Greg Balco
Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, California, USA
Holly Thomas
School of Earth and Climate Sciences, University of Maine, Orono,
Maine, USA
Margaret S. Jackson
Geography, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
Related authors
Allie Balter-Kennedy, Joerg M. Schaefer, Roseanne Schwartz, Jennifer L. Lamp, Laura Penrose, Jennifer Middleton, Jean Hanley, Bouchaïb Tibari, Pierre-Henri Blard, Gisela Winckler, Alan J. Hidy, and Greg Balco
Geochronology, 5, 301–321, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmogenic nuclides like 10Be are rare isotopes created in rocks exposed at the Earth’s surface and can be used to understand glacier histories and landscape evolution. 10Be is usually measured in the mineral quartz. Here, we show that 10Be can be reliably measured in the mineral pyroxene. We use the measurements to determine exposure ages and understand landscape processes in rocks from Antarctica that do not have quartz, expanding the use of this method to new rock types.
Brandon L. Graham, Jason P. Briner, Nicolás E. Young, Allie Balter-Kennedy, Michele Koppes, Joerg M. Schaefer, Kristin Poinar, and Elizabeth K. Thomas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-836, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-836, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial erosion is a fundamental process operating on Earth's surface. Two processes of glacial erosion, abrasion and plucking, are poorly understood. We reconstructed rates of abrasion and quarrying in Greenland. We derive a total glacial erosion rate of 0.26±0.16 mm per year. We also learned that erosion via these two processes is about equal. Because the site is similar to many other areas covered by continental ice sheets, these results may be applied to many places on Earth.
Nicolás E. Young, Alia J. Lesnek, Josh K. Cuzzone, Jason P. Briner, Jessica A. Badgeley, Alexandra Balter-Kennedy, Brandon L. Graham, Allison Cluett, Jennifer L. Lamp, Roseanne Schwartz, Thibaut Tuna, Edouard Bard, Marc W. Caffee, Susan R. H. Zimmerman, and Joerg M. Schaefer
Clim. Past, 17, 419–450, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Retreat of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) margin is exposing a bedrock landscape that holds clues regarding the timing and extent of past ice-sheet minima. We present cosmogenic nuclide measurements from recently deglaciated bedrock surfaces (the last few decades), combined with a refined chronology of southwestern Greenland deglaciation and model simulations of GrIS change. Results suggest that inland retreat of the southwestern GrIS margin was likely minimal in the middle to late Holocene.
Greg Balco, Alan Hidy, William T. Struble, and Joshua J. Roering
Geochronology Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2023-23, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2023-23, 2023
Preprint under review for GChron
Short summary
Short summary
We describe a new method of reconstructing the long-term, pre-observational frequency and/or intensity of wildfires in forested landscapes using trace concentrations of the noble gases helium and neon that are formed in soil mineral grains by cosmic-ray bombardment of the Earth's surface.
Benoit S. Lecavalier, Lev Tarasov, Greg Balco, Perry Spector, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Christo Buizert, Catherine Ritz, Marion Leduc-Leballeur, Robert Mulvaney, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Michael J. Bentley, and Jonathan Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3573–3596, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3573-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3573-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Ice Sheet Evolution constraint database version 2 (AntICE2) consists of a large variety of observations that constrain the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet over the last glacial cycle. This includes observations of past ice sheet extent, past ice thickness, past relative sea level, borehole temperature profiles, and present-day bedrock displacement rates. The database is intended to improve our understanding of past Antarctic changes and for ice sheet model calibrations.
Allie Balter-Kennedy, Joerg M. Schaefer, Roseanne Schwartz, Jennifer L. Lamp, Laura Penrose, Jennifer Middleton, Jean Hanley, Bouchaïb Tibari, Pierre-Henri Blard, Gisela Winckler, Alan J. Hidy, and Greg Balco
Geochronology, 5, 301–321, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-5-301-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Cosmogenic nuclides like 10Be are rare isotopes created in rocks exposed at the Earth’s surface and can be used to understand glacier histories and landscape evolution. 10Be is usually measured in the mineral quartz. Here, we show that 10Be can be reliably measured in the mineral pyroxene. We use the measurements to determine exposure ages and understand landscape processes in rocks from Antarctica that do not have quartz, expanding the use of this method to new rock types.
Brandon L. Graham, Jason P. Briner, Nicolás E. Young, Allie Balter-Kennedy, Michele Koppes, Joerg M. Schaefer, Kristin Poinar, and Elizabeth K. Thomas
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-836, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-836, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial erosion is a fundamental process operating on Earth's surface. Two processes of glacial erosion, abrasion and plucking, are poorly understood. We reconstructed rates of abrasion and quarrying in Greenland. We derive a total glacial erosion rate of 0.26±0.16 mm per year. We also learned that erosion via these two processes is about equal. Because the site is similar to many other areas covered by continental ice sheets, these results may be applied to many places on Earth.
Greg Balco, Nathan Brown, Keir Nichols, Ryan A. Venturelli, Jonathan Adams, Scott Braddock, Seth Campbell, Brent Goehring, Joanne S. Johnson, Dylan H. Rood, Klaus Wilcken, Brenda Hall, and John Woodward
The Cryosphere, 17, 1787–1801, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1787-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1787-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Samples of bedrock recovered from below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet show that part of the ice sheet was thinner several thousand years ago than it is now and subsequently thickened. This is important because of concern that present ice thinning in this region may lead to rapid, irreversible sea level rise. The past episode of thinning at this site that took place in a similar, although not identical, climate was not irreversible; however, reversal required at least 3000 years to complete.
Anna Ruth W. Halberstadt, Greg Balco, Hannah Buchband, and Perry Spector
The Cryosphere, 17, 1623–1643, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper explores the use of multimillion-year exposure ages from Antarctic bedrock outcrops to benchmark ice sheet model predictions and thereby infer ice sheet sensitivity to warm climates. We describe a new approach for model–data comparison, highlight an example where observational data are used to distinguish end-member models, and provide guidance for targeted sampling around Antarctica that can improve understanding of ice sheet response to climate warming in the past and future.
Jonathan R. Adams, Joanne S. Johnson, Stephen J. Roberts, Philippa J. Mason, Keir A. Nichols, Ryan A. Venturelli, Klaus Wilcken, Greg Balco, Brent Goehring, Brenda Hall, John Woodward, and Dylan H. Rood
The Cryosphere, 16, 4887–4905, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4887-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4887-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in West Antarctica are experiencing significant ice loss. Geological data provide historical context for ongoing ice loss in West Antarctica, including constraints on likely future ice sheet behaviour in response to climatic warming. We present evidence from rare isotopes measured in rocks collected from an outcrop next to Pope Glacier. These data suggest that Pope Glacier thinned faster and sooner after the last ice age than previously thought.
Natacha Gribenski, Marissa M. Tremblay, Pierre G. Valla, Greg Balco, Benny Guralnik, and David L. Shuster
Geochronology, 4, 641–663, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-641-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-641-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We apply quartz 3He paleothermometry along two deglaciation profiles in the European Alps to reconstruct temperature evolution since the Last Glacial Maximum. We observe a 3He thermal signal clearly colder than today in all bedrock surface samples exposed prior the Holocene. Current uncertainties in 3He diffusion kinetics do not permit distinguishing if this signal results from Late Pleistocene ambient temperature changes or from recent ground temperature variation due to permafrost degradation.
Marie Bergelin, Jaakko Putkonen, Greg Balco, Daniel Morgan, Lee B. Corbett, and Paul R. Bierman
The Cryosphere, 16, 2793–2817, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2793-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2793-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier ice contains information on past climate and can help us understand how the world changes through time. We have found and sampled a buried ice mass in Antarctica that is much older than most ice on Earth and difficult to date. Therefore, we developed a new dating application which showed the ice to be 3 million years old. Our new dating solution will potentially help to date other ancient ice masses since such old glacial ice could yield data on past environmental conditions on Earth.
Mae Kate Campbell, Paul R. Bierman, Amanda H. Schmidt, Rita Sibello Hernández, Alejandro García-Moya, Lee B. Corbett, Alan J. Hidy, Héctor Cartas Águila, Aniel Guillén Arruebarrena, Greg Balco, David Dethier, and Marc Caffee
Geochronology, 4, 435–453, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-435-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-4-435-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used cosmogenic radionuclides in detrital river sediment to measure erosion rates of watersheds in central Cuba; erosion rates are lower than rock dissolution rates in lowland watersheds. Data from two different cosmogenic nuclides suggest that some basins may have a mixed layer deeper than is typically modeled and could have experienced significant burial after or during exposure. We conclude that significant mass loss may occur at depth through chemical weathering processes.
Dakota E. Holmes, Tali L. Babila, Ulysses Ninnemann, Gordon Bromley, Shane Tyrrell, Greig A. Paterson, Michelle J. Curran, and Audrey Morley
Clim. Past, 18, 989–1009, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-989-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-989-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our proxy-based observations of the glacial inception following MIS 11 advance our mechanistic understanding of (and elucidates antecedent conditions that can lead to) high-magnitude climate instability during low- and intermediate-ice boundary conditions. We find that irrespective of the magnitude of climate variability or boundary conditions, the reorganization between Polar Water and Atlantic Water at subpolar latitudes appears to influence deep-water flow in the Nordic Seas.
Joanne S. Johnson, Ryan A. Venturelli, Greg Balco, Claire S. Allen, Scott Braddock, Seth Campbell, Brent M. Goehring, Brenda L. Hall, Peter D. Neff, Keir A. Nichols, Dylan H. Rood, Elizabeth R. Thomas, and John Woodward
The Cryosphere, 16, 1543–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1543-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1543-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Recent studies have suggested that some portions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet were less extensive than present in the last few thousand years. We discuss how past ice loss and regrowth during this time would leave its mark on geological and glaciological records and suggest ways in which future studies could detect such changes. Determining timing of ice loss and gain around Antarctica and conditions under which they occurred is critical for preparing for future climate-warming-induced changes.
Jamey Stutz, Andrew Mackintosh, Kevin Norton, Ross Whitmore, Carlo Baroni, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Richard S. Jones, Greg Balco, Maria Cristina Salvatore, Stefano Casale, Jae Il Lee, Yeong Bae Seong, Robert McKay, Lauren J. Vargo, Daniel Lowry, Perry Spector, Marcus Christl, Susan Ivy Ochs, Luigia Di Nicola, Maria Iarossi, Finlay Stuart, and Tom Woodruff
The Cryosphere, 15, 5447–5471, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5447-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5447-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the long-term behaviour of ice sheets is essential to projecting future changes due to climate change. In this study, we use rocks deposited along the margin of the David Glacier, one of the largest glacier systems in the world, to reveal a rapid thinning event initiated over 7000 years ago and endured for ~ 2000 years. Using physical models, we show that subglacial topography and ocean heat are important drivers for change along this sector of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Nicolás E. Young, Alia J. Lesnek, Josh K. Cuzzone, Jason P. Briner, Jessica A. Badgeley, Alexandra Balter-Kennedy, Brandon L. Graham, Allison Cluett, Jennifer L. Lamp, Roseanne Schwartz, Thibaut Tuna, Edouard Bard, Marc W. Caffee, Susan R. H. Zimmerman, and Joerg M. Schaefer
Clim. Past, 17, 419–450, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-419-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Retreat of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) margin is exposing a bedrock landscape that holds clues regarding the timing and extent of past ice-sheet minima. We present cosmogenic nuclide measurements from recently deglaciated bedrock surfaces (the last few decades), combined with a refined chronology of southwestern Greenland deglaciation and model simulations of GrIS change. Results suggest that inland retreat of the southwestern GrIS margin was likely minimal in the middle to late Holocene.
Greg Balco, Benjamin D. DeJong, John C. Ridge, Paul R. Bierman, and Dylan H. Rood
Geochronology, 3, 1–33, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-3-1-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The North American Varve Chronology (NAVC) is a sequence of 5659 annual sedimentary layers that were deposited in proglacial lakes adjacent to the retreating Laurentide Ice Sheet ca. 12 500–18 200 years ago. We attempt to synchronize this record with Greenland ice core and other climate records that cover the same time period by detecting variations in global fallout of atmospherically produced beryllium-10 in NAVC sediments.
Greg Balco
Geochronology, 2, 169–175, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2-169-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-2-169-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Geologic dating methods generally do not directly measure ages. Instead, interpreting a geochemical measurement as an age requires a middle layer of calculations and supporting data, and the fact that this layer continually improves is an obstacle to synoptic analysis of geochronological data. This paper describes a prototype data management and analysis system that addresses this obstacle by making the middle-layer calculations transparent and dynamic to the user.
Margaret S. Jackson, Meredith A. Kelly, James M. Russell, Alice M. Doughty, Jennifer A. Howley, Susan R. H. Zimmerman, and Bob Nakileza
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-61, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2020-61, 2020
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Michal Ben-Israel, Ari Matmon, Alan J. Hidy, Yoav Avni, and Greg Balco
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 289–301, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-289-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-289-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Early-to-mid Miocene erosion rates were inferred using cosmogenic 21Ne measured in chert pebbles transported by the Miocene Hazeva River (~ 18 Ma). Miocene erosion rates are faster compared to Quaternary rates in the region. Faster Miocene erosion rates could be due to a response to topographic changes brought on by tectonic uplift, wetter climate in the region during the Miocene, or a combination of both.
Keir A. Nichols, Brent M. Goehring, Greg Balco, Joanne S. Johnson, Andrew S. Hein, and Claire Todd
The Cryosphere, 13, 2935–2951, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2935-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2935-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We studied the history of ice masses at three locations in the Weddell Sea Embayment, Antarctica. We measured rare isotopes in material sourced from mountains overlooking the Slessor Glacier, Foundation Ice Stream, and smaller glaciers on the Lassiter Coast. We show that ice masses were between 385 and 800 m thicker during the last glacial cycle than they are at present. The ice masses were both hundreds of metres thicker and remained thicker closer to the present than was previously thought.
Greg Balco, Kimberly Blisniuk, and Alan Hidy
Geochronology, 1, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-1-1-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/gchron-1-1-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This article applies a new geochemical dating method to determine the age of sedimentary deposits useful in reconstructing slip rates on a major fault system.
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Antarctic
Evaluating the impact of enhanced horizontal resolution over the Antarctic domain using a variable-resolution Earth system model
Statistically parameterizing and evaluating a positive degree-day model to estimate surface melt in Antarctica from 1979 to 2022
Widespread slowdown in thinning rates of West Antarctic ice shelves
Seasonal variability in Antarctic ice shelf velocities forced by sea surface height variations
Revisiting temperature sensitivity: how does Antarctic precipitation change with temperature?
Cosmogenic-nuclide data from Antarctic nunataks can constrain past ice sheet instabilities
Exploring ice sheet model sensitivity to ocean thermal forcing and basal sliding using the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM)
High mid-Holocene accumulation rates over West Antarctica inferred from a pervasive ice-penetrating radar reflector
Seasonal and interannual variability of the landfast ice mass balance between 2009 and 2018 in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica
Modes of Antarctic tidal grounding line migration revealed by ICESat-2 laser altimetry
Drivers and rarity of the strong 1940s westerly wind event over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica
Megadunes in Antarctica: migration and characterization from remote and in situ observations
Slowdown of Shirase Glacier, East Antarctica, caused by strengthening alongshore winds
Timescales of outlet-glacier flow with negligible basal friction: theory, observations and modeling
Antarctic contribution to future sea level from ice shelf basal melt as constrained by ice discharge observations
The evolution of future Antarctic surface melt using PISM-dEBM-simple
Stratigraphic noise and its potential drivers across the plateau of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Anthropogenic and internal drivers of wind changes over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, during the 20th and 21st centuries
Assimilation sensitivity of satellite-derived surface melt into the Regional Climate Model MAR: case study over the Antarctic Peninsula
New 10Be exposure ages improve Holocene ice sheet thinning history near the grounding line of Pope Glacier, Antarctica
Antarctic surface climate and surface mass balance in the Community Earth System Model version 2 during the satellite era and into the future (1979–2100)
Inverting ice surface elevation and velocity for bed topography and slipperiness beneath Thwaites Glacier
Hysteretic evolution of ice rises and ice rumples in response to variations in sea level
Variability in Antarctic surface climatology across regional climate models and reanalysis datasets
Sensitivity of the Ross Ice Shelf to environmental and glaciological controls
High-resolution subglacial topography around Dome Fuji, Antarctica, based on ground-based radar surveys over 30 years
Cosmogenic nuclide dating of two stacked ice masses: Ong Valley, Antarctica
Clouds drive differences in future surface melt over the Antarctic ice shelves
Rapid fragmentation of Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf
Resolving glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in response to modern and future ice loss at marine grounding lines in West Antarctica
Review article: Existing and potential evidence for Holocene grounding line retreat and readvance in Antarctica
Mass evolution of the Antarctic Peninsula over the last 2 decades from a joint Bayesian inversion
Net effect of ice-sheet–atmosphere interactions reduces simulated transient Miocene Antarctic ice-sheet variability
Sensitivity of Antarctic surface climate to a new spectral snow albedo and radiative transfer scheme in RACMO2.3p3
Overestimation and adjustment of Antarctic ice flow velocity fields reconstructed from historical satellite imagery
Brief communication: Impact of common ice mask in surface mass balance estimates over the Antarctic ice sheet
Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Improving surface melt estimation over the Antarctic Ice Sheet using deep learning: a proof of concept over the Larsen Ice Shelf
Mid-Holocene thinning of David Glacier, Antarctica: chronology and controls
TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica: generation and error characterization
Seasonal evolution of Antarctic supraglacial lakes in 2015–2021 and links to environmental controls
Wind-induced seismic noise at the Princess Elisabeth Antarctica Station
Nunataks as barriers to ice flow: implications for palaeo ice sheet reconstructions
Quantifying the potential future contribution to global mean sea level from the Filchner–Ronne basin, Antarctica
Did Holocene climate changes drive West Antarctic grounding line retreat and readvance?
Downscaled surface mass balance in Antarctica: impacts of subsurface processes and large-scale atmospheric circulation
Investigating the internal structure of the Antarctic ice sheet: the utility of isochrones for spatiotemporal ice-sheet model calibration
What is the surface mass balance of Antarctica? An intercomparison of regional climate model estimates
Energetics of surface melt in West Antarctica
Brief communication: Thwaites Glacier cavity evolution
Rajashree Tri Datta, Adam Herrington, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, David P. Schneider, Luke Trusel, Ziqi Yin, and Devon Dunmire
The Cryosphere, 17, 3847–3866, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3847-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3847-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation over Antarctica is one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in sea level rise estimates. Earth system models (ESMs) are a valuable tool for these estimates but typically run at coarse spatial resolutions. Here, we present an evaluation of the variable-resolution CESM2 (VR-CESM2) for the first time with a grid designed for enhanced spatial resolution over Antarctica to achieve the high resolution of regional climate models while preserving the two-way interactions of ESMs.
Yaowen Zheng, Nicholas R. Golledge, Alexandra Gossart, Ghislain Picard, and Marion Leduc-Leballeur
The Cryosphere, 17, 3667–3694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Positive degree-day (PDD) schemes are widely used in many Antarctic numerical ice sheet models. However, the PDD approach has not been systematically explored for its application in Antarctica. We have constructed a novel grid-cell-level spatially distributed PDD (dist-PDD) model and assessed its accuracy. We suggest that an appropriately parameterized dist-PDD model can be a valuable tool for exploring Antarctic surface melt beyond the satellite era.
Fernando S. Paolo, Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Johan Nilsson, Michael P. Schodlok, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3409–3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report on a slowdown in the rate of thinning and melting of West Antarctic ice shelves. We present a comprehensive assessment of the Antarctic ice shelves, where we analyze at a continental scale the changes in thickness, flow, and basal melt over the past 26 years. We also present a novel method to estimate ice shelf change from satellite altimetry and a time-dependent data set of ice shelf thickness and basal melt rates at an unprecedented resolution.
Cyrille Mosbeux, Laurie Padman, Emilie Klein, Peter D. Bromirski, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 2585–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica's ice shelves (the floating extension of the ice sheet) help regulate ice flow. As ice shelves thin or lose contact with the bedrock, the upstream ice tends to accelerate, resulting in increased mass loss. Here, we use an ice sheet model to simulate the effect of seasonal sea surface height variations and see if we can reproduce observed seasonal variability of ice velocity on the ice shelf. When correctly parameterised, the model fits the observations well.
Lena Nicola, Dirk Notz, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 2563–2583, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2563-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2563-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For future sea-level projections, approximating Antarctic precipitation increases through temperature-scaling approaches will remain important, as coupled ice-sheet simulations with regional climate models remain computationally expensive, especially on multi-centennial timescales. We here revisit the relationship between Antarctic temperature and precipitation using different scaling approaches, identifying and explaining regional differences.
Anna Ruth W. Halberstadt, Greg Balco, Hannah Buchband, and Perry Spector
The Cryosphere, 17, 1623–1643, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper explores the use of multimillion-year exposure ages from Antarctic bedrock outcrops to benchmark ice sheet model predictions and thereby infer ice sheet sensitivity to warm climates. We describe a new approach for model–data comparison, highlight an example where observational data are used to distinguish end-member models, and provide guidance for targeted sampling around Antarctica that can improve understanding of ice sheet response to climate warming in the past and future.
Mira Berdahl, Gunter Leguy, William H. Lipscomb, Nathan M. Urban, and Matthew J. Hoffman
The Cryosphere, 17, 1513–1543, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1513-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1513-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Contributions to future sea level from the Antarctic Ice Sheet remain poorly constrained. One reason is that ice sheet model initialization methods can have significant impacts on how the ice sheet responds to future forcings. We investigate the impacts of two key parameters used during model initialization. We find that these parameter choices alone can impact multi-century sea level rise by up to 2 m, emphasizing the need to carefully consider these choices for sea level rise predictions.
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.
Na Li, Ruibo Lei, Petra Heil, Bin Cheng, Minghu Ding, Zhongxiang Tian, and Bingrui Li
The Cryosphere, 17, 917–937, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-917-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The observed annual maximum landfast ice (LFI) thickness off Zhongshan (Davis) was 1.59±0.17 m (1.64±0.08 m). Larger interannual and local spatial variabilities for the seasonality of LFI were identified at Zhongshan, with the dominant influencing factors of air temperature anomaly, snow atop, local topography and wind regime, and oceanic heat flux. The variability of LFI properties across the study domain prevailed at interannual timescales, over any trend during the recent decades.
Bryony I. D. Freer, Oliver J. Marsh, Anna E. Hogg, Helen Amanda Fricker, and Laurie Padman
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-265, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-265, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
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.
Gemma K. O'Connor, Paul R. Holland, Eric J. Steig, Pierre Dutrieux, and Gregory J. Hakim
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-16, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-16, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in West Antarctica are rapidly melting, but the causes are unknown due to limited observations. A leading hypothesis is that an unusually large wind event in the 1940s initiated the ocean-driven melting. Using proxy reconstructions (e.g., using ice cores) and climate model simulations, we find that wind events similar to the 1940s event are relatively common on millennial timescales, implying that ocean variability or climate trends are also necessary to explain the start of ice loss.
Giacomo Traversa, Davide Fugazza, and Massimo Frezzotti
The Cryosphere, 17, 427–444, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-427-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-427-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Megadunes are fields of huge snow dunes present in Antarctica and on other planets, important as they present mass loss on the leeward side (glazed snow), on a continent characterized by mass gain. Here, we studied megadunes using remote data and measurements acquired during past field expeditions. We quantified their physical properties and migration and demonstrated that they migrate against slope and wind. We further proposed automatic detections of the glazed snow on their leeward side.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Chris R. Stokes, Adrian Jenkins, Jim R. Jordan, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 17, 445–456, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-445-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-445-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite observations have shown that the Shirase Glacier catchment in East Antarctica has been gaining mass over the past 2 decades, a trend largely attributed to increased snowfall. Our multi-decadal observations of Shirase Glacier show that ocean forcing has also contributed to some of this recent mass gain. This has been caused by strengthening easterly winds reducing the inflow of warm water underneath the Shirase ice tongue, causing the glacier to slow down and thicken.
Johannes Feldmann and Anders Levermann
The Cryosphere, 17, 327–348, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-327-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-327-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a scaling relation that allows the comparison of the timescales of glaciers with geometric similarity. According to the relation, thicker and wider glaciers on a steeper bed slope have a much faster timescale than shallower, narrower glaciers on a flatter bed slope. The relation is supported by observations and simplified numerical simulations. We combine the scaling relation with a statistical analysis of the topography of 13 instability-prone Antarctic outlet glaciers.
Eveline C. van der Linden, Dewi Le Bars, Erwin Lambert, and Sybren Drijfhout
The Cryosphere, 17, 79–103, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-79-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-79-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) is the largest uncertainty in future sea level estimates. The AIS mainly loses mass through ice discharge, the transfer of land ice into the ocean. Ice discharge is triggered by warming ocean water (basal melt). New future estimates of AIS sea level contributions are presented in which basal melt is constrained with ice discharge observations. Despite the different methodology, the resulting projections are in line with previous multimodel assessments.
Julius Garbe, Maria Zeitz, Uta Krebs-Kanzow, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-249, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2022-249, 2023
Revised manuscript accepted for TC
Short summary
Short summary
We adopt the novel surface module dEBM-simple in the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) to investigate the impact of atmospheric warming on Antarctic surface melt and long-term ice sheet dynamics. As an enhancement compared to traditional temperature-based melt schemes, the module accounts for changes in ice surface albedo and thus the melt–albedo feedback. Our results underscore the critical role of ice–atmosphere feedbacks on the future sea-level contribution of Antarctica on long timescales.
Nora Hirsch, Alexandra Zuhr, Thomas Münch, Maria Hörhold, Johannes Freitag, Remi Dallmayr, and Thomas Laepple
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1392, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1392, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Stable water isotopes from firn cores provide valuable information on past climates, yet their utility is hampered by stratigraphic noise, i.e. the irregular deposition and wind driven redistribution of snow. We found stratigraphic noise on the Antarctic Plateau to be related to the local accumulation rate, snow surface roughness and slope inclination, which can guide future decisions on sampling locations and expand the usage of high resolution isotope records from low accumulation regions.
Paul R. Holland, Gemma K. O'Connor, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Pierre Dutrieux, Kaitlin A. Naughten, Eric J. Steig, David P. Schneider, Adrian Jenkins, and James A. Smith
The Cryosphere, 16, 5085–5105, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5085-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-5085-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing ice, causing sea-level rise. However, it is not known whether human-induced climate change has contributed to this ice loss. In this study, we use evidence from climate models and palaeoclimate measurements (e.g. ice cores) to suggest that the ice loss was triggered by natural climate variations but is now sustained by human-forced climate change. This implies that future greenhouse-gas emissions may influence sea-level rise from Antarctica.
Thomas Dethinne, Quentin Glaude, Ghislain Picard, Christoph Kittel, Anne Orban, and Xavier Fettweis
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2022-1371, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the sensitivity of the regional climate model “Modèle Atmosphérique Régional” (MAR) to the assimilation of surface melt occurrence estimated by remote sensing datasets. The assimilation is performed by nudging the MAR snowpack temperature. The data assimilation is performed over the Antarctic Peninsula for the 2019–2021 period. The results show an increase in the melt production (+66.7 %) and a decrease in surface mass balance (-4.5 %) of the model for the 2019–2020 melt season.
Jonathan R. Adams, Joanne S. Johnson, Stephen J. Roberts, Philippa J. Mason, Keir A. Nichols, Ryan A. Venturelli, Klaus Wilcken, Greg Balco, Brent Goehring, Brenda Hall, John Woodward, and Dylan H. Rood
The Cryosphere, 16, 4887–4905, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4887-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4887-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in West Antarctica are experiencing significant ice loss. Geological data provide historical context for ongoing ice loss in West Antarctica, including constraints on likely future ice sheet behaviour in response to climatic warming. We present evidence from rare isotopes measured in rocks collected from an outcrop next to Pope Glacier. These data suggest that Pope Glacier thinned faster and sooner after the last ice age than previously thought.
Devon Dunmire, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Rajashree Tri Datta, and Tessa Gorte
The Cryosphere, 16, 4163–4184, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4163-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4163-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Earth system models (ESMs) are used to model the climate system and the interactions of its components (atmosphere, ocean, etc.) both historically and into the future under different assumptions of human activity. The representation of Antarctica in ESMs is important because it can inform projections of the ice sheet's contribution to sea level rise. Here, we compare output of Antarctica's surface climate from an ESM with observations to understand strengths and weaknesses within the model.
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.
A. Clara J. Henry, Reinhard Drews, Clemens Schannwell, and Vjeran Višnjević
The Cryosphere, 16, 3889–3905, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3889-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3889-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used a 3D, idealised model to study features in coastal Antarctica called ice rises and ice rumples. These features regulate the rate of ice flow into the ocean. We show that when sea level is raised or lowered, the size of these features and the ice flow pattern can change. We find that the features depend on the ice history and do not necessarily fully recover after an equal increase and decrease in sea level. This shows that it is important to initialise models with accurate ice geometry.
Jeremy Carter, Amber Leeson, Andrew Orr, Christoph Kittel, and J. Melchior van Wessem
The Cryosphere, 16, 3815–3841, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3815-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3815-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Climate models provide valuable information for studying processes such as the collapse of ice shelves over Antarctica which impact estimates of sea level rise. This paper examines variability across climate simulations over Antarctica for fields including snowfall, temperature and melt. Significant systematic differences between outputs are found, occurring at both large and fine spatial scales across Antarctica. Results are important for future impact assessments and model development.
Francesca Baldacchino, Mathieu Morlighem, Nicholas R. Golledge, Huw Horgan, and Alena Malyarenko
The Cryosphere, 16, 3723–3738, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3723-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3723-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how the Ross Ice Shelf will evolve in a warming world is important to the future stability of Antarctica. It remains unclear what changes could drive the largest mass loss in the future and where places are most likely to trigger larger mass losses. Sensitivity maps are modelled showing that the RIS is sensitive to changes in environmental and glaciological controls at regions which are currently experiencing changes. These regions need to be monitored in a warming world.
Shun Tsutaki, Shuji Fujita, Kenji Kawamura, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Kotaro Fukui, Hideaki Motoyama, Yu Hoshina, Fumio Nakazawa, Takashi Obase, Hiroshi Ohno, Ikumi Oyabu, Fuyuki Saito, Konosuke Sugiura, and Toshitaka Suzuki
The Cryosphere, 16, 2967–2983, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2967-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2967-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We constructed an ice thickness map across the Dome Fuji region, East Antarctica, from improved radar data and previous data that had been collected since the late 1980s. The data acquired using the improved radar systems allowed basal topography to be identified with higher accuracy. The new ice thickness data show the bedrock topography, particularly the complex terrain of subglacial valleys and highlands south of Dome Fuji, with substantially high detail.
Marie Bergelin, Jaakko Putkonen, Greg Balco, Daniel Morgan, Lee B. Corbett, and Paul R. Bierman
The Cryosphere, 16, 2793–2817, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2793-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2793-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacier ice contains information on past climate and can help us understand how the world changes through time. We have found and sampled a buried ice mass in Antarctica that is much older than most ice on Earth and difficult to date. Therefore, we developed a new dating application which showed the ice to be 3 million years old. Our new dating solution will potentially help to date other ancient ice masses since such old glacial ice could yield data on past environmental conditions on Earth.
Christoph Kittel, Charles Amory, Stefan Hofer, Cécile Agosta, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Ella Gilbert, Louis Le Toumelin, Étienne Vignon, Hubert Gallée, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 16, 2655–2669, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2655-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2655-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Model projections suggest large differences in future Antarctic surface melting even for similar greenhouse gas scenarios and warming rates. We show that clouds containing a larger amount of liquid water lead to stronger melt. As surface melt can trigger the collapse of the ice shelves (the safety band of the Antarctic Ice Sheet), clouds could be a major source of uncertainties in projections of sea level rise.
Douglas I. Benn, Adrian Luckman, Jan A. Åström, Anna J. Crawford, Stephen L. Cornford, Suzanne L. Bevan, Thomas Zwinger, Rupert Gladstone, Karen Alley, Erin Pettit, and Jeremy Bassis
The Cryosphere, 16, 2545–2564, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2545-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2545-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Thwaites Glacier (TG), in West Antarctica, is potentially unstable and may contribute significantly to sea-level rise as global warming continues. Using satellite data, we show that Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, the largest remaining floating extension of TG, has started to accelerate as it fragments along a shear zone. Computer modelling does not indicate that fragmentation will lead to imminent glacier collapse, but it is clear that major, rapid, and unpredictable changes are underway.
Jeannette Xiu Wen Wan, Natalya Gomez, Konstantin Latychev, and Holly Kyeore Han
The Cryosphere, 16, 2203–2223, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2203-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2203-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper assesses the grid resolution necessary to accurately model the Earth deformation and sea-level change associated with West Antarctic ice mass changes. We find that results converge at higher resolutions, and errors of less than 5 % can be achieved with a 7.5 km grid. Our results also indicate that error due to grid resolution is negligible compared to the effect of neglecting viscous deformation in low-viscosity regions.
Joanne S. Johnson, Ryan A. Venturelli, Greg Balco, Claire S. Allen, Scott Braddock, Seth Campbell, Brent M. Goehring, Brenda L. Hall, Peter D. Neff, Keir A. Nichols, Dylan H. Rood, Elizabeth R. Thomas, and John Woodward
The Cryosphere, 16, 1543–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1543-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1543-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Recent studies have suggested that some portions of the Antarctic Ice Sheet were less extensive than present in the last few thousand years. We discuss how past ice loss and regrowth during this time would leave its mark on geological and glaciological records and suggest ways in which future studies could detect such changes. Determining timing of ice loss and gain around Antarctica and conditions under which they occurred is critical for preparing for future climate-warming-induced changes.
Stephen J. Chuter, Andrew Zammit-Mangion, Jonathan Rougier, Geoffrey Dawson, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 16, 1349–1367, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1349-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1349-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We find the Antarctic Peninsula to have a mean mass loss of 19 ± 1.1 Gt yr−1 over the 2003–2019 period, driven predominantly by changes in ice dynamic flow like due to changes in ocean forcing. This long-term record is crucial to ascertaining the region’s present-day contribution to sea level rise, with the understanding of driving processes enabling better future predictions. Our statistical approach enables us to estimate this previously poorly surveyed regions mass balance more accurately.
Lennert B. Stap, Constantijn J. Berends, Meike D. W. Scherrenberg, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, and Edward G. W. Gasson
The Cryosphere, 16, 1315–1332, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1315-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1315-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
To gain understanding of how the Antarctic ice sheet responded to CO2 changes during past warm climate conditions, we simulate its variability during the Miocene. We include feedbacks between the ice sheet and atmosphere in our model and force the model using time-varying climate conditions. We find that these feedbacks reduce the amplitude of ice volume variations. Erosion-induced changes in the bedrock below the ice sheet that manifested during the Miocene also have a damping effect.
Christiaan T. van Dalum, Willem Jan van de Berg, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 16, 1071–1089, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1071-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we improve the regional climate model RACMO2 and investigate the climate of Antarctica. We have implemented a new radiative transfer and snow albedo scheme and do several sensitivity experiments. When fully tuned, the results compare well with observations and snow temperature profiles improve. Moreover, small changes in the albedo and the investigated processes can lead to a strong overestimation of melt, locally leading to runoff and a reduced surface mass balance.
Rongxing Li, Yuan Cheng, Haotian Cui, Menglian Xia, Xiaohan Yuan, Zhen Li, Shulei Luo, and Gang Qiao
The Cryosphere, 16, 737–760, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-737-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-737-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Historical velocity maps of the Antarctic ice sheet are valuable for long-term ice flow dynamics analysis. We developed an innovative method for correcting overestimations existing in historical velocity maps. The method is validated rigorously using high-quality Landsat 8 images and then successfully applied to historical velocity maps. The historical change signatures are preserved and can be used for assessing the impact of long-term global climate changes on the ice sheet.
Nicolaj Hansen, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Fredrik Boberg, Christoph Kittel, Andrew Orr, Niels Souverijns, J. Melchior van Wessem, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 16, 711–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the impact of different ice masks when modelling surface mass balance over Antarctica. We used ice masks and data from five of the most used regional climate models and a common mask. We see large disagreement between the ice masks, which has a large impact on the surface mass balance, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula and some of the largest glaciers. We suggest a solution for creating a new, up-to-date, high-resolution ice mask that can be used in Antarctic modelling.
Peter A. Tuckett, Jeremy C. Ely, Andrew J. Sole, James M. Lea, Stephen J. Livingstone, Julie M. Jones, and J. Melchior van Wessem
The Cryosphere, 15, 5785–5804, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5785-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5785-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes form on the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the summer. These lakes can generate further melt, break up floating ice shelves and alter ice dynamics. Here, we describe a new automated method for mapping surface lakes and apply our technique to the Amery Ice Shelf between 2005 and 2020. Lake area is highly variable between years, driven by large-scale climate patterns. This technique will help us understand the role of Antarctic surface lakes in our warming world.
Zhongyang Hu, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Stef Lhermitte, Maaike Izeboud, and Michiel van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 15, 5639–5658, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5639-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica is shrinking, and part of the mass loss is caused by higher temperatures leading to more snowmelt. We use computer models to estimate the amount of melt, but this can be inaccurate – specifically in the areas with the most melt. This is because the model cannot account for small, darker areas like rocks or darker ice. Thus, we trained a computer using artificial intelligence and satellite images that showed these darker areas. The model computed an improved estimate of melt.
Jamey Stutz, Andrew Mackintosh, Kevin Norton, Ross Whitmore, Carlo Baroni, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Richard S. Jones, Greg Balco, Maria Cristina Salvatore, Stefano Casale, Jae Il Lee, Yeong Bae Seong, Robert McKay, Lauren J. Vargo, Daniel Lowry, Perry Spector, Marcus Christl, Susan Ivy Ochs, Luigia Di Nicola, Maria Iarossi, Finlay Stuart, and Tom Woodruff
The Cryosphere, 15, 5447–5471, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5447-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5447-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the long-term behaviour of ice sheets is essential to projecting future changes due to climate change. In this study, we use rocks deposited along the margin of the David Glacier, one of the largest glacier systems in the world, to reveal a rapid thinning event initiated over 7000 years ago and endured for ~ 2000 years. Using physical models, we show that subglacial topography and ocean heat are important drivers for change along this sector of the Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Birgit Wessel, Martin Huber, Christian Wohlfart, Adina Bertram, Nicole Osterkamp, Ursula Marschalk, Astrid Gruber, Felix Reuß, Sahra Abdullahi, Isabel Georg, and Achim Roth
The Cryosphere, 15, 5241–5260, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5241-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5241-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new digital elevation model (DEM) of Antarctica derived from the TanDEM-X DEM, with new interferometric radar acquisitions incorporated and edited elevations, especially at the coast. A strength of this DEM is its homogeneity and completeness. Extensive validation work shows a vertical accuracy of just -0.3 m ± 2.5 m standard deviation on blue ice surfaces compared to ICESat laser altimeter heights. The new TanDEM-X PolarDEM 90 m of Antarctica is freely available.
Mariel C. Dirscherl, Andreas J. Dietz, and Claudia Kuenzer
The Cryosphere, 15, 5205–5226, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5205-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We provide novel insight into the temporal evolution of supraglacial lakes across six major Antarctic ice shelves in 2015–2021. For Antarctic Peninsula ice shelves, we observe extensive meltwater ponding during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 summers. Over East Antarctica, lakes were widespread during 2016–2019 and at a minimum in 2020–2021. We investigate environmental controls, revealing lake ponding to be coupled to atmospheric modes, the near-surface climate and the local glaciological setting.
Baptiste Frankinet, Thomas Lecocq, and Thierry Camelbeeck
The Cryosphere, 15, 5007–5016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5007-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5007-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Icequakes are the result of processes occurring within the ice mass or between the ice and its environment. Having a complete catalogue of those icequakes provides a unique view on the ice dynamics. But the instruments recording these events are polluted by different noise sources such as the wind. Using the data from multiple instruments, we found how the wind noise affects the icequake monitoring at the Princess Elisabeth Station in Antarctica.
Martim Mas e Braga, Richard Selwyn Jones, Jennifer C. H. Newall, Irina Rogozhina, Jane L. Andersen, Nathaniel A. Lifton, and Arjen P. Stroeven
The Cryosphere, 15, 4929–4947, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4929-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4929-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Mountains higher than the ice surface are sampled to know when the ice reached the sampled elevation, which can be used to guide numerical models. This is important to understand how much ice will be lost by ice sheets in the future. We use a simple model to understand how ice flow around mountains affects the ice surface topography and show how much this influences results from field samples. We also show that models need a finer resolution over mountainous areas to better match field samples.
Emily A. Hill, Sebastian H. R. Rosier, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Matthew Collins
The Cryosphere, 15, 4675–4702, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4675-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4675-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Using an ice flow model and uncertainty quantification methods, we provide probabilistic projections of future sea level rise from the Filchner–Ronne region of Antarctica. We find that it is most likely that this region will contribute negatively to sea level rise over the next 300 years, largely as a result of increased surface mass balance. We identify parameters controlling ice shelf melt and snowfall contribute most to uncertainties in projections.
Sarah U. Neuhaus, Slawek M. Tulaczyk, Nathan D. Stansell, Jason J. Coenen, Reed P. Scherer, Jill A. Mikucki, and Ross D. Powell
The Cryosphere, 15, 4655–4673, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4655-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We estimate the timing of post-LGM grounding line retreat and readvance in the Ross Sea sector of Antarctica. Our analyses indicate that the grounding line retreated over our field sites within the past 5000 years (coinciding with a warming climate) and readvanced roughly 1000 years ago (coinciding with a cooling climate). Based on these results, we propose that the Siple Coast grounding line motions in the middle to late Holocene were driven by relatively modest changes in regional climate.
Nicolaj Hansen, Peter L. Langen, Fredrik Boberg, Rene Forsberg, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Peter Thejll, Baptiste Vandecrux, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 15, 4315–4333, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4315-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4315-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have used computer models to estimate the Antarctic surface mass balance (SMB) from 1980 to 2017. Our estimates lies between 2473.5 ± 114.4 Gt per year and 2564.8 ± 113.7 Gt per year. To evaluate our models, we compared the modelled snow temperatures and densities to in situ measurements. We also investigated the spatial distribution of the SMB. It is very important to have estimates of the Antarctic SMB because then it is easier to understand global sea level changes.
Johannes Sutter, Hubertus Fischer, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 15, 3839–3860, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3839-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3839-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Projections of global sea-level changes in a warming world require ice-sheet models. We expand the calibration of these models by making use of the internal architecture of the Antarctic ice sheet, which is formed by its evolution over many millennia. We propose that using our novel approach to constrain ice sheet models, we will be able to both sharpen our understanding of past and future sea-level changes and identify weaknesses in the parameterisation of current continental-scale models.
Ruth Mottram, Nicolaj Hansen, Christoph Kittel, J. Melchior van Wessem, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Fredrik Boberg, Willem Jan van de Berg, Xavier Fettweis, Alexandra Gossart, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Erik van Meijgaard, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Stuart Webster, Sebastian B. Simonsen, and Niels Souverijns
The Cryosphere, 15, 3751–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We compare the calculated surface mass budget (SMB) of Antarctica in five different regional climate models. On average ~ 2000 Gt of snow accumulates annually, but different models vary by ~ 10 %, a difference equivalent to ± 0.5 mm of global sea level rise. All models reproduce observed weather, but there are large differences in regional patterns of snowfall, especially in areas with very few observations, giving greater uncertainty in Antarctic mass budget than previously identified.
Madison L. Ghiz, Ryan C. Scott, Andrew M. Vogelmann, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, Matthew Lazzara, and Dan Lubin
The Cryosphere, 15, 3459–3494, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3459-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate how melt occurs over the vulnerable ice shelves of West Antarctica and determine that the three primary mechanisms can be evaluated using archived numerical weather prediction model data and satellite imagery. We find examples of each mechanism: thermal blanketing by a warm atmosphere, radiative heating by thin clouds, and downslope winds. Our results signify the potential to make a multi-decadal assessment of atmospheric stress on West Antarctic ice shelves in a warming climate.
Suzanne L. Bevan, Adrian J. Luckman, Douglas I. Benn, Susheel Adusumilli, and Anna Crawford
The Cryosphere, 15, 3317–3328, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3317-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet depends on the behaviour of the fast-flowing glaciers, such as Thwaites, that connect it to the ocean. Here we show that a large ocean-melted cavity beneath Thwaites Glacier has remained stable since it first formed, implying that, in line with current theory, basal melt is now concentrated close to where the ice first goes afloat. We also show that Thwaites Glacier continues to thin and to speed up and that continued retreat is therefore likely.
Cited articles
Ackert, R. P.: Antarctic glacial chronology?: new constraints from surface
exposure dating, PhD thesis, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States of America, 213 pp.,
2000.
Ackert, R. P. and Kurz, M. D.: Age and uplift rates of Sirius Group
sediments in the Dominion Range, Antarctica, from surface exposure dating
and geomorphology, Global Planet. Change, 42, 207–225, 2004.
Atkins, C. B.: Geomorphological evidence of cold-based glacier activity in
South Victoria Land, Antarctica, Geol. Soc. London Spec. Publ., 381,
299–318, https://doi.org/10.1144/SP381.18, 2013.
Atkins, C. B., Barrett, P. J., and Hicock, S. R.: Cold glaciers erode and
deposit: Evidence from Allan Hills, Antarctica, Geology, 30, 659–662,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)030<0659:CGEADE>2.0.CO;2,
2002.
Austermann, J., Pollard, D., Mitrovica, J. X., Moucha, R., Forte, A. M.,
DeConto, R. M., Rowley, D. B., and Raymo, M. E.: The impact of dynamic
topography change on Antarctic ice sheet stability during the mid-Pliocene
warm period, Geology, 43, 927–930, https://doi.org/10.1130/G36988.1, 2015.
Bader, N. A., Licht, K. J., Kaplan, M. R., and Kassab, C.: East Antarctic ice sheet
stability recorded in a high-elevation ice-cored moraine, Quaternary Sci. Rev.,
159, 88–102, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2016.12.005, 2017.
Balco, G.: Contributions and unrealized potential contributions of cosmogenic-nuclide exposure dating to glacier chronology, 1990–2010, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 30, 3–27, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.11.003, 2011.
Balco, G.: The absence of evidence of absence of the East Antarctic Ice
Sheet, Geology, 43, 943–944, https://doi.org/10.1130/focus102015.1, 2015.
Balco, G.: Saturated Surfaces in Antarctica, available at:
http://www.cosmognosis.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/saturated-surfaces-in-antarctica/
(last access: 15 February 2020), 2016.
Balco, G.: ICE-D:Antarctica, available at: http://antarctica.ice-d.org, last access: 22 July 2020.
Balco, G. and Shuster, D. L.: Production rate of cosmogenic 21Ne in quartz
estimated from 10Be, 26Al, and 21Ne concentrations in slowly eroding
Antarctic bedrock surfaces, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 281, 48–58,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2009.02.006, 2009b.
Balco, G., Stone, J. O., Lifton, N. A. and Dunai, T. J.: A complete and
easily accessible means of calculating surface exposure ages or erosion
rates from 10Be and 26Al measurements, Quat. Geochronol., 3, 174–195,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2007.12.001, 2008.
Balco, G., Blard, P. H., Shuster, D. L., and Stone, J. O. H.: Cosmogenic and
nucleogenic 21Ne in quartz in a 28-meter sandstone core from the McMurdo Dry
Valleys, Antarctica, Quat. Geochronol., 52, 63–76, 2019.
Beerling, D. J., Fox, A., and Anderson, C. W.: Quantitative uncertainty
analyses of ancient atmospheric CO2 estimates from fossil leaves, Am. J.
Sci., 309, 775–787, https://doi.org/10.2475/09.2009.01, 2009.
Blard, P. H. and Farley, K. A.: The influence of radiogenic 4He on
cosmogenic 3He determinations in volcanic olivine and pyroxene, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 276, 20–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2008.09.003, 2008.
Blard, P. H., Balco, G., Burnard, P. G., Farley, K. A., Fenton, C. R.,
Friedrich, R., Jull, A. J. T., Niedermann, S., Pik, R., Schaefer, J. M.,
Scott, E. M., Shuster, D. L., Stuart, F. M., Stute, M., Tibari, B.,
Winckler, G., and Zimmermann, L.: An inter-laboratory comparison of
cosmogenic 3He and radiogenic 4He in the CRONUS-P pyroxene standard, Quat.
Geochronol., 26, 11–19, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2014.08.004, 2015.
Bockheim, J. G., Wilson, S. C., Denton, G. H., Andersen, B. G., and Stuiver, M.:
Late Quaternary ice-surface fluctuations of Hatherton Glacier,
Transantarctic Mountains, Quaternary Res., 31, 229–254, 1989.
Borchers, B., Marrero, S., Balco, G., Caffee, M., Goehring, B., Lifton, N.,
Nishiizumi, K., Phillips, F., Schaefer, J., and Stone, J.: Geological
calibration of spallation production rates in the CRONUS-Earth project,
Quat. Geochronol., 31, 188–198, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2015.01.009, 2016.
Breecker, D. O. and Retallack, G. J.: Refining the pedogenic carbonate
atmospheric CO2 proxy and application to Miocene CO2, Palaeogeogr.
Palaeocl., 406, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.04.012,
2014.
Bromley, G. R., Hall, B. L., Stone, J. O.: and Conway, H.: Late
Pleistocene evolution of Scott Glacier, southern Transantarctic Mountains:
implications for the Antarctic contribution to deglacial sea level, Quaternary
Sci. Rev., 50, 1–13, 2012.
Bromley, G. R. M., Hall, B. L., Stone, J. O., Conway, H., and Todd, C. E.:
Late Cenozoic deposits at Reedy Glacier, Transantarctic Mountains:
implications for former thickness of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, Quaternary
Sci. Rev., 29, 384–398, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2009.07.001, 2010.
Bromley, G. R. M., Winckler, G., Schaefer, J. M., Kaplan, M. R., Licht, K.
J., and Hall, B. L.: Pyroxene separation by HF leaching and its impact on
helium surface-exposure dating, Quat. Geochronol., 23, 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2014.04.003, 2014.
Brook, E. J., Kurz, M. D., Ackert Jr., R. P., Denton, G. H., Brown, E. T.,
Raisbeck, G. M., and Yiou, F.: Chronology of Taylor Glacier Advances in Arena
Valley, Antarctica, Using in Situ Cosmogenic 3He and 10Be, Quaternary Res., 39,
11–23, 1993.
Brook, E. J., Brown, E. T., Kurz, M. D., Ackert, R. P., Raisbeck, G. M., and
Yiou, F.: Constraints on Age, Erosion, and Uplift of Neogene Glacial
Deposits in the Transantarctic-Mountains Determined From in-Situ Cosmogenic
Be-10 and Al-26, Geology, 23, 1063–1066,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<1063:COAEAU>2.3.CO;2, 1995.
Brown, E. T., Edmond, J. M., Raisbeck, G. M., Yiou, F., Kurz, M. D., and
Brook, E. J.: Examination of surface exposure ages of Antarctic moraines
using in situ produced 10Be and 26Al, Geochim. Cosmochim. Ac., 55,
2269–2283, https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(91)90103-C, 1991.
Bruno, A. L., Baur, H., Graf, T., Schlkhter, C., Signer, P., and Wieler, R.:
Dating of Sirius Group tillites in the Antarctic Dry Valleys with cosmogenic
3He and 21Ne, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 147, 37–54,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(97)00003-4, 1997.
Burke, K. D., Williams, J. W., Chandler, M. A., Haywood, A. M., Lunt, D. J.,
and Otto-Bliesner, B. L.: Pliocene and Eocene provide best analogs for
near-future climates, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 115,
13288–13293, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1809600115, 2018.
Burnard, P. G. and Farley, K. A.: Calibration of pressure-dependent
sensitivity and discrimination in Nier-type noble gas ion sources,
Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 1, 2000GC000038, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000GC000038, 2000.
Da, J., Zhang, Y. G., Li, G., Meng, X., and Ji, J.: Low CO2 levels of the
entire Pleistocene epoch, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–9,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-12357-5, 2019.
Denton, G. H. and Hall, B. L.: Glacial and Paleoclimatic history of the
Ross Ice drainage system of Antarctica, Geogr. Ann., 87, 139–432, 2000.
Denton, G. H. and Sugden, D. E.: Meltwater features that suggest Miocene
ice-sheet overriding of the Transantarctic Mountains in Victoria Land,
Antarctica, Geogr. Ann., 87, 67–85, 2005.
Denton, G. H., Bockheim, J. G., Wilson, S. C., and Leide, J. E.: Late
Quaternary ice surface fluctuations of Beardmore Glacier, Transantarctic
Mountains, Quaternary Res., 31, 183–209, 1989.
Denton, G. H., Sugden, D. E., Marchant, D. R., Hall, B. L., and Thomas, I.:
East Antarctic Ice Sheet Sensitivity To Pliocene Climatic Change From a Dry
Valleys Perspective, Geogr. Ann., 75, 155–204, 1993.
De Vleeschouwer, D., Vahlenkamp, M., Crucifix, M., and Pälike, H.:
Alternating Southern and Northern Hemisphere climate response to
astronomical forcing during the past 35 m.y, Geology, 45, 375–378,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G38663.1, 2017.
Dutton, A., Carlson, A. E., Long, A. J., Milne, G. A., Clark, P. U., DeConto, R., Horton, B. P., Rahmstorf, S. and Raymo, M. E.: Sea-level rise due to polar ice-sheet mass loss during past warm periods, Science, 349, aaa4019, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa4019, 2015.
Dyez, K. A., Hönisch, B., and Schmidt, G. A.: Early Pleistocene
Obliquity-Scale pCO2 Variability at ∼1.5 Million Years Ago,
Paleoceanogr. Paleoclim., 33, 1270–1291,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018PA003349, 2018.
Fitzgerald, P. G.: Thermochronologic constraints on post-Paleozoic tectonic
evolution of the central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, Tectonics,
13, 818–836, https://doi.org/10.1029/94TC00595, 1994.
Gasson, E., DeConto, R. M., Pollard, D., and Levy, R. H.: Dynamic Antarctic
ice sheet during the early to mid-Miocene, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
113, 3459–3464, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516130113, 2016.
Gillespie, A. R. and Bierman, P. R.: Precision of terrestrial exposure ages
and erosion rates estimated from analysis of cosmogenic isotopes produced in
situ, J. Geophys. Res., 100, 24637–24649, https://doi.org/10.1029/95jb02911, 1995.
Goehring, B. M., Muzikar, P., and Lifton, N. A.: Establishing a Bayesian
approach to determining cosmogenic nuclide reference production rates using
He-3, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 481, 91–100,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.10.025, 2018.
Golledge, N. R., Marsh, O. J., Rack, W., Braaten, D., and Jones, R. S.: Basal
conditions of two Transantarctic Mountains outlet glaciers from
observation-constrained diagnostic modelling, J. Glaciol., 60,
855–866, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG13J131, 2014.
Graly, J. A., Licht, K. J., Kassab, C. M., Bird, B. W., and Kaplan, M. R.: Warm-based
basal sediment entrainment and far-field Pleistocene origin evidenced in
central Transantarctic blue ice through stable isotopes and internal
structures, J. Glaciol, 64, 185–196, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.4, 2018.
Hambrey, M. J., Webb, P. N., Harwood, D. M., and Krissek, L. A.: Neogene glacial record from the Sirius Group of the Shackleton Glacier region, central Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 115, 994–1015, https://doi.org/10.1130/B25183.1, 2003.
Haywood, A. M., Hill, D. J., Dolan, A. M., Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Bragg, F., Chan, W.-L., Chandler, M. A., Contoux, C., Dowsett, H. J., Jost, A., Kamae, Y., Lohmann, G., Lunt, D. J., Abe-Ouchi, A., Pickering, S. J., Ramstein, G., Rosenbloom, N. A., Salzmann, U., Sohl, L., Stepanek, C., Ueda, H., Yan, Q., and Zhang, Z.: Large-scale features of Pliocene climate: results from the Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project, Clim. Past, 9, 191–209, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-191-2013, 2013.
Herbert, T. D., Lawrence, K. T., Tzanova, A., Peterson, L. C.,
Caballero-Gill, R., and Kelly, C. S.: Late Miocene global cooling and the
rise of modern ecosystems, Nat. Geosci., 9, 843–847,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2813, 2016.
Holbourn, A., Kuhnt, W., Clemens, S., Prell, W., and Andersen, N.: Middle to
late Miocene stepwise climate cooling: Evidence from a high-resolution deep
water isotope curve spanning 8 million years, Paleoceanography, 28,
688–699, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013PA002538, 2013.
Huybrechts, P.: Glaciological Modelling of the Late Cenezoic East Antarctic
Ice Sheet: Stability or Dynamism, Geogr. Ann., 75, 221–238, 1993.
Ivy-Ochs, S., Schluchter, C., Kubik, P. W., Dittrich-Hannen, B., and Beer,
J.: Minimum 10Be exposure ages of early Pliocene for the Table Mountain
plateau and the Sirius Group at Mount Fleming, Dry Valleys, Antarctica,
Geology, 23, 1007–1010, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023<1007:MBEAOE>2.3.CO;2, 1995.
Ji, S., Nie, J., Lechler, A., Huntington, K. W., Heitmann, E. O., and
Breecker, D. O.: A symmetrical CO2 peak and asymmetrical climate change
during the middle Miocene, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 499, 134–144,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.07.011, 2018.
Jull, A. J. T., Scott, E. M., and Bierman, P.: The CRONUS-Earth
inter-comparison for cosmogenic isotope analysis, Quat. Geochronol., 26,
3–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2013.09.003, 2015.
Kaplan, M. R., Licht, K. J., Winckler, G., Schaefer, J. M., Bader, N.,
Mathieson, C., Roberts, M., Kassab, C. M., Schwartz, R., and Graly, J. A.:
Middle to Late Pleistocene stability of the central East Antarctic Ice Sheet
at the head of Law Glacier, Geology, 45, 963–966, https://doi.org/10.1130/G39189.1,
2017.
Kober, F., Alfimov, V., Ivy-Ochs, S., Kubik, P. W., and Wieler, R.: The
cosmogenic 21Ne production rate in quartz evaluated on a large set of
existing 21Ne-10Be data, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 302, 163–171,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.12.008, 2011.
Lal, D.: Cosmic ray labeling of erosion surfaces: in situ nuclide production
rates and erosion models, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 104, 424–439, 1991.
Lear, C. H., Coxall, H., Foster, G. L., Lunt, D. J., Mawbey, E. M.,
Rosenthal, Y., Sosdian, S. M., Thomas, E., and Wilson, P. A.: Neogene ice
volume and ocean temperatures: Insights from infaunal foraminiferal Mg/Ca
paleothermometry, Paleoceanography, 30, 1437–1454,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015PA002833, 2015.
Levy, R., Harwood, D., Florindo, F., Sangiorgi, F., Tripati, R., von
Eynatten, H., Gasson, E., Kuhn, G., Tripati, A., Deconto, R., Fielding, C.,
Field, B., Golledge, N., McKay, R., Naish, T., Olney, M., Pollard, D.,
Schouten, S., Talarico, F., Warny, S., Willmott, V., Acton, G., Panter, K.,
Paulsen, T., Taviani, M., Askin, R., Atkins, C., Bassett, K., Beu, A.,
Blackstone, B., Browne, G., Ceregato, A., Cody, R., Cornamusini, G.,
Corrado, S., Del Carlo, P., Di Vincenzo, G., Dunbar, G., Falk, C., Frank,
T., Giorgetti, G., Grelle, T., Gui, Z., Handwerger, D., Hannah, M., Harwood,
D. M., Hauptvogel, D., Hayden, T., Henrys, S., Hoffmann, S., Iacoviello, F.,
Ishman, S., Jarrard, R., Johnson, K., Jovane, L., Judge, S., Kominz, M.,
Konfirst, M., Krissek, L., Lacy, L., Maffioli, P., Magens, D., Marcano, M.
C., Millan, C., Mohr, B., Montone, P., Mukasa, S., Niessen, F., Ohneiser,
C., Passchier, S., Patterson, M., Pekar, S., Pierdominici, S., Raine, I.,
Reed, J., Reichelt, L., Riesselman, C., Rocchi, S., Sagnotti, L., Sandroni,
S., Schmitt, D., Speece, M., Storey, B., Strada, E., Tuzzi, E., Verosub, K.,
Wilson, G., Wilson, T., Wonik, T., and Zattin, M.: Antarctic ice sheet
sensitivity to atmospheric CO2 variations in the early to mid-Miocene, P.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 113, 3453–3458, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1516030113,
2016.
Lewis, A. R., Marchant, D. R., Ashworth, A. C., Hedenas, L., Hemming, S. R.,
Johnson, J. V., Leng, M. J., Machlus, M. L., Newton, A. E., Raine, J. I.,
Willenbring, J. K., Williams, M., and Wolfe, A. P.: Mid-Miocene cooling and
the extinction of tundra in continental Antarctica, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA,
105, 10676–10680, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0802501105, 2008.
Lifton, N., Sato, T., and Dunai, T. J.: Scaling in situ cosmogenic nuclide
production rates using analytical approximations to atmospheric cosmic-ray
fluxes, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 386, 149–160,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.10.052, 2014.
Lisiecki, L. E. and Raymo, M. E.: A Pliocene-Pleistocene stack of 57
globally distributed benthic d18O records, Paleoceanography, 20, 1–17,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004PA001071, 2005.
Margerison, H. R., Phillips, W. M., Stuart, F. M., and Sugden, D. E.:
Cosmogenic 3He concentrations in ancient flood deposits from the Coombs
Hills, northern Dry Valleys, East Antarctica: Interpreting exposure ages and
erosion rates, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 230, 163–175,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2004.11.007, 2005.
Mayewski, P. A.: Glacial geology and late Cenozoic history of the
Transantarctic Mountains, Antarctica, PhD Thesis, Institute of Polar
Studies, The Ohio State University, United States of America, 1975.
Mercer, J. H.: Glacial geology of the Reedy glacier area, Antarctica,
Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 79, 471–486, 1968.
Mercer, J. H.: Some observations on the glacial geology of the Beardmore
Glacier area, Antarct Geol. Geophys., 1972, 427–433, 1972.
Middleton, J. L., Ackert, R. P., and Mukhopadhyay, S.: Pothole and channel
system formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of Antarctica: New insights from
cosmogenic nuclides, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 355–356, 341–350,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.08.017, 2012.
Miller, K. G., Kominz, M. A., Browning, J. V., Wright, J. D., Mountain, G.
S., Katz, M. E., Sugarman, P. J., Cramer, B. S., Christie-Blick, N., and
Pekar, S. F.: The phanerozoic record of global sea-level change, Science,
310, 1293–1298, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1116412, 2005.
Miller, S. R., Fitzgerald, P. G., and Baldwin, S. L.: Cenozoic range-front
faulting and development of the Transantarctic Mountains near Cape Surprise,
Antarctica: Thermochronologic and geomorphologic constraints, Tectonics,
29, 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009TC002457, 2010.
Nishiizumi, K.: Preparation of 26Al AMS standards, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. B, 223–224, 388–392,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2004.04.075, 2004.
Nishiizumi, K., Imamura, M., Caffee, M. W., Southon, J. R., Finkel, R. C.,
and McAninch, J.: Absolute calibration of 10Be AMS standards, Nucl.
Instrum. Meth. B,
258, 403–413, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2007.01.297, 2007.
Orombelli, G., Baroni, C., and Denton, G. H.: Late Cenozoic glacial history
of the Terra Nova Bay region, northern Victoria Land, Antarctica, Geografica
Fisica e Dinamica Quaternaria 13, 139–163, 1990.
Pagani, M., Liu, Z., Lariviere, J., and Ravelo, A. C.: High Earth-system
climate sensitivity determined from Pliocene carbon dioxide concentrations,
Nat. Geosci., 3, 27–30, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo724, 2010.
Phillips, F. M., Argento, D. C., Balco, G., Caffee, M. W., Clem, J., Dunai,
T. J., Finkel, R., Goehring, B., Gosse, J. C., Hudson, A. M., Jull, A. J.
T., Kelly, M. A., Kurz, M., Lal, D., Lifton, N., Marrero, S. M., Nishiizumi,
K., Reedy, R. C., Schaefer, J., Stone, J. O. H., Swanson, T., and Zreda, M.
G.: Quaternary Geochronology The CRONUS-Earth Project?: A synthesis, Quat.
Geochronol., 31, 119–154, 2016.
Pollard, D. and DeConto, R. M.: Contribution of Antarctica to past and
future sea-level rise, Nature, 531, 591–597, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature17145, 2016.
Pollard, D., DeConto, R. M., and Alley, R. B.: Potential Antarctic Ice Sheet
retreat driven by hydrofracturing and ice cliff failure, Earth Planet. Sc.
Lett., 412, 112–121, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.12.035, 2015.
Prentice, M. L., Denton, G. H., Lowell, T. V, Conway, H. C., and Heusser, L.
E.: Pre-late Quaternary glaciation of the Beardmore glacier region,
Antarctica, Antarct. J. US, 21, 95–98, 1986.
Railsback, L. B., Gibbard, P. L., Head, M. J., Voarintsoa, N. R. G., and
Toucanne, S.: An optimized scheme of lettered marine isotope substages for
the last 1.0 million years, and the climatostratigraphic nature of isotope
stages and substages, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 111, 94–106,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.01.012, 2015.
Rovere, A., Raymo, M. E., Mitrovica, J. X., Hearty, P. J., O'Leary, M. J.,
Inglis, J. D., Leary, M. J. O., and Inglis, J. D.: The Mid-Pliocene sea-level
conundrum: Glacial isostasy, eustasy and dynamic topography, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 387, 27–33, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2013.10.030, 2014.
Scambos, T. A., Haran, T. M., Fahnestock, M. A., Painter, T. H., and
Bohlander, J.: MODIS-based Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) data sets:
Continent-wide surface morphology and snow grain size, Remote Sens.
Environ., 111, 242–257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2006.12.020, 2007.
Schaefer, J. M., Ivy-Ochs, S., Wieler, R., Leya, I., Baur, Denton, G. H., and
Schluchter, C.: Cosmogenic noble gas studies in the oldest landscape on
Earth: surface exposure age of the Dry Valleys, Antarctica, Earth Planet.
Sc. Lett., 167, 215–226, 1999.
Schaefer, J. M., Denton, G. H., Kaplan, M., Putnam, A., Finkel, R. C.,
Barrell, D. J. A., Andersen, B. G., Schwartz, R., Mackintosh, A., Chinn, T.,
and Schlüchter, C.: High-frequency Holocene glacier fluctuations in New
Zealand differ from the northern signature, Science, 324, 622–625,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1169312, 2009.
Scherer, R. P., DeConto, R. M., Pollard, D., and Alley, R. B.: Windblown
Pliocene diatoms and East Antarctic Ice Sheet retreat, Nat. Commun., 7,
1–9, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms12957, 2016.
Seki, O., Foster, G. L., Schmidt, D. N., Mackensen, A., Kawamura, K., and
Pancost, R. D.: Alkenone and boron-based Pliocene pCO2 records, Earth
Planet. Sc. Lett., 292, 201–211, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.01.037, 2010.
Shevenell, A. E., Kennett, J. P., and Lea, D. W.: Middle Miocene ice sheet
dynamics, deep-sea temperatures, and carbon cycling: A Southern Ocean
perspective, Geochem. Geophy. Geosy., 9, 2007GC001736, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GC001736, 2008.
Sosdian, S. M., Greenop, R., Hain, M. P., Foster, G. L., Pearson, P. N., and
Lear, C. H.: Constraining the evolution of Neogene ocean carbonate chemistry
using the boron isotope pH proxy, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 498, 362–376,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.06.017, 2018.
Spector, P., Stone, J., Cowdery, S. G., Hall, B., Conway, H., and Bromley,
G.: Rapid early-Holocene deglaciation in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, Geophys.
Res. Lett., 44, 7817–7825, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074216, 2017.
Stern, T. A. and ten Brink, U. S.: Flexural Uplift of the Transantarctic
Mountains, J. Geophys. Res., 94, 10315–10330, 1989.
Stern, T. A., Baxter, A. K., and Barrett, P. J.: Isostatic rebound due to
glacial erosion within the Transantarctic Mountains, Geology, 33,
221–224, https://doi.org/10.1130/G21068.1, 2005.
Stone, J. O.: Air pressure and cosmogenic isotope production, J. Geophys.
Res., 105, 23753–23759, 2000.
Stone, J. O., Balco, G., Sugden, D. E., Caffee, M. W., Sass, L. C. I.,
Cowdery, S. G., and Siddoway, C.: Holcene Deglaciation of Marie Byrd Land,
West Antarctica, Science, 299, 99–102, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1115233,
2003.
Strasky, S., Di Nicola, L., Baroni, C., Salvatore, M. C., Baur, H., Kubik,
P. W., Schlüchter, C., and Wieler, R.: Surface exposure ages imply
multiple low-amplitude Pleistocene variations in East Antarctic Ice Sheet,
Ricker Hills, Victoria Land, Antarct. Sci., 21, 59–69,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102008001478, 2009.
Sugden, D. E., Summerfield, M. A., Denton, G. H., Wilch, T. I., McIntosh, W. C., Marchant, D. R., and Rutford, R. H.: Landscape development in the Royal Society Range, southern Victoria Land, Antarctica: stability since the mid-Miocene, Geomorphology, 28, 181–200, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(98)00108-1, 1999.
Sugden, D. and Denton, G.: Cenozoic landscape evolution of the Convoy Range
to Mackay Glacier area, Transantartic Mountains: Onshore to offshore
synthesis, Bull. Geol. Soc. Am., 116, 840–857, https://doi.org/10.1130/B25356.1,
2004.
Sugden, D. E., Marchant, D. R., and Denton, G. H.: The Case for a
Stable East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geogr. Ann. A, 75,
151–154, 1993.
Swanger, K. M., Marchant, D. R., Schaefer, J. M., Winckler, G., and Head, J.
W.: Elevated East Antarctic outlet glaciers during warmer-than-present
climates in southern Victoria Land, Global Planet. Change, 79, 61–72,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2011.07.012, 2011.
Todd, C., Stone, J., Conway, H., Hall, B., and Bromley, G.: Late Quaternary
evolution of Reedy Glacier, Antarctica, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 29,
1328–1341, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.02.001, 2010.
Van der Wateren, F. M., Dunai, T. J., Van Balen, R. T., Klas, W., Verbers,
A. L. L. M., Passchier, S., and Herpers, U.: Contrasting neogene denudation
histories of different structural regions in the transantarctic mountains
rift flank constrained by cosmogenic isotope measurements, Global Planet.
Change, 23, 145–172, 1999.
Vermeesch, P., Balco, G., Blard, P. H., Dunai, T. J., Kober, F., Niedermann,
S., Shuster, D. L., Strasky, S., Stuart, F. M., Wieler, R., and Zimmermann,
L.: Interlaboratory comparison of cosmogenic21Ne in quartz, Quat.
Geochronol., 26, 20–28, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quageo.2012.11.009, 2015.
Wang, Y., Momohara, A., Wang, L., Lebreton-Anberrée, J., and Zhou, Z.:
Evolutionary history of atmospheric CO2 during the late cenozoic from
fossilized metasequoia needles, PLoS One, 10, 1–15,
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130941, 2015.
Webb, P. N., Harwood, D. M., McKelvey, B. C., Mercer, J. H., and Stott, L.
D.: Cenozoic marine sedimentation and ice-volume variation on the East
Antarctic craton, Geology, 12, 287–291,
https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1984)12<287:CMSAIV>2.0.CO;2,
1984.
Wilch, T. I., Lux, D. R., Denton, G. H., and McIntosh, W. C.: Minimal
Pliocene-Pleistocene uplift of the dry valleys sector of the Transantarctic
Mountains: a key parameter in ice-sheet reconstructions, Geology, 21,
841–844, https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021<0841:MPPUOT>2.3.CO;2, 1993.
Willeit, M., Ganopolski, A., Calov, R., and Brovkin, V.: Mid-Pleistocene
transition in glacial cycles explained by declining CO2 and regolith
removal, Sci. Adv., 5, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aav7337, 2019.
Winnick, M. J. and Caves, J. K.: Oxygen isotope mass-balance constraints on
Pliocene sea level and East Antarctic Ice Sheet stability, Geology, 43,
879–882, https://doi.org/10.1130/G36999.1, 2015.
Zhang, Y. G., Pagani, M., Liu, Z., Bohaty, S. M., and DeConto,
R.: A 40-million-year history of atmospheric CO2, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A,
371, 1–20, 2013.
Short summary
We describe new geologic evidence from Antarctica that demonstrates changes in East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) extent over the past ~ 15 million years. Our data show that the EAIS was a persistent feature in the Transantarctic Mountains for much of that time, including some (but not all) times when global temperature may have been warmer than today. Overall, our results comprise a long-term record of EAIS change and may provide useful constraints for ice sheet models and sea-level estimates.
We describe new geologic evidence from Antarctica that demonstrates changes in East Antarctic...
