Articles | Volume 14, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4507-2020
© 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-14-4507-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Subglacial lakes and hydrology across the Ellsworth Subglacial Highlands, West Antarctica
Felipe Napoleoni
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Stewart S. R. Jamieson
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Neil Ross
School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
Michael J. Bentley
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Andrés Rivera
Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Chile, Portugal 84, Santiago, Chile
Instituto de Conservación, Biodiversidad y Territorio, Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
Andrew M. Smith
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Martin J. Siegert
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
Guy J. G. Paxman
Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, USA
Guisella Gacitúa
Instituto de Ciencias Físicas y Matemáticas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia, Chile
José A. Uribe
Centro de Estudios Científicos, Arturo Prat 514, Valdivia, Chile
Rodrigo Zamora
Centro de Estudios Científicos, Arturo Prat 514, Valdivia, Chile
Alex M. Brisbourne
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
David G. Vaughan
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Related authors
Tobias Roylands, Robert G. Hilton, Erin L. McClymont, Mark H. Garnett, Guillaume Soulet, Sébastien Klotz, Mathis Degler, Felipe Napoleoni, and Caroline Le Bouteiller
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 271–299, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-271-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-271-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Chemical weathering of sedimentary rocks can release carbon dioxide and consume oxygen. We present a new field-based method to measure the exchange of these gases in real time, which allows us to directly compare the amount of reactants and products. By studying two sites with different rock types, we show that the chemical composition is an important factor in driving the weathering reactions. Locally, the carbon dioxide release changes alongside temperature and precipitation.
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.
Elizabeth R. Thomas, Dieter Tetzner, Bradley Markle, Joel Pedro, Guisella Gacitúa, Dorothea Elisabeth Moser, and Sarah Jackson
Clim. Past, 20, 2525–2538, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2525-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-2525-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The chemical records contained in a 12 m firn (ice) core from Peter I Island, a remote sub-Antarctic island situated in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean (the Bellingshausen Sea), capture changes in snowfall and temperature (2002–2017 CE). This data-sparse region has experienced dramatic climate change in recent decades, including sea ice decline and ice loss from adjacent West Antarctic glaciers.
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.
Ole Zeising, Álvaro Arenas-Pingarrón, Alex M. Brisbourne, and Carlos Martín
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2519, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2519, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ice crystal orientation influence 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.
Jim Marschalek, Edward Gasson, Tina van de Flierdt, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Martin Siegert, and Liam Holder
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-104, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2024-104, 2024
Revised manuscript under review for GMD
Short summary
Short summary
Ice sheet models can help predict how Antarctica's ice sheets respond to environmental change, and such models benefit from comparison to geological data. Here, we use an ice sheet model output, plus other data, to predict the erosion of debris and trace its transport to where it is deposited on the ocean floor. This allows the results of ice sheet modelling to be directly and quantitively compared to real-world data, helping to reduce uncertainty regarding Antarctic sea level contribution.
Charlotte M. Carter, Michael J. Bentley, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Guy J. G. Paxman, Tom A. Jordan, Julien A. Bodart, Neil Ross, and Felipe Napoleoni
The Cryosphere, 18, 2277–2296, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2277-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2277-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use radio-echo sounding data to investigate the presence of flat surfaces beneath the Evans–Rutford region in West Antarctica. These surfaces may be what remains of laterally continuous surfaces, formed before the inception of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and we assess two hypotheses for their formation. Tectonic structures in the region may have also had a control on the growth of the ice sheet by focusing ice flow into troughs adjoining these surfaces.
Edmund J. Lea, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, and Michael J. Bentley
The Cryosphere, 18, 1733–1751, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1733-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1733-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use the ice surface expression of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains in East Antarctica to map the horizontal pattern of valleys and ridges in finer detail than possible from previous methods. In upland areas, valleys are spaced much less than 5 km apart, with consequences for the distribution of melting at the bed and hence the likelihood of ancient ice being preserved. Automated mapping techniques were tested alongside manual approaches, with a hybrid approach recommended for future work.
Guy J. G. Paxman, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Aisling M. Dolan, and Michael J. Bentley
The Cryosphere, 18, 1467–1493, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1467-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1467-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses airborne radar data and satellite imagery to map mountainous topography hidden beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that the landscape records the former extent and configuration of ice masses that were restricted to areas of high topography. Computer models of ice flow indicate that valley glaciers eroded this landscape millions of years ago when local air temperatures were at least 4 °C higher than today and Greenland’s ice volume was < 10 % of that of the modern ice sheet.
Guisella Gacitúa, Jacob L. Høyer, Sten Schmidl Søbjærg, Hoyeon Shi, Sotirios Skarpalezos, Ioanna Karagali, Emy Alerskans, and Craig Donlon
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-542, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-542, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents a shipborne intercomparison of sea surface temperature (SST) using thermal Infrared (TIR) and passive microwave (PMW) radiometers along the Denmark-Iceland route. Subskin SST was retrieved from PMW brightness temperatures. The investigation focuses on analyzing PMW data variability, quantifying uncertainty propagation, and comparing skin and subskin SSTs. The findings offer insights to optimize SST intercomparisons, enhancing the synergy between TIR and PMW observations.
Tobias Roylands, Robert G. Hilton, Erin L. McClymont, Mark H. Garnett, Guillaume Soulet, Sébastien Klotz, Mathis Degler, Felipe Napoleoni, and Caroline Le Bouteiller
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 271–299, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-271-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-271-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Chemical weathering of sedimentary rocks can release carbon dioxide and consume oxygen. We present a new field-based method to measure the exchange of these gases in real time, which allows us to directly compare the amount of reactants and products. By studying two sites with different rock types, we show that the chemical composition is an important factor in driving the weathering reactions. Locally, the carbon dioxide release changes alongside temperature and precipitation.
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.
Hannah J. Picton, Chris R. Stokes, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Dana Floricioiu, and Lukas Krieger
The Cryosphere, 17, 3593–3616, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3593-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3593-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides an overview of recent ice dynamics within Vincennes Bay, Wilkes Land, East Antarctica. This region was recently discovered to be vulnerable to intrusions of warm water capable of driving basal melt. Our results show extensive grounding-line retreat at Vanderford Glacier, estimated at 18.6 km between 1996 and 2020. This supports the notion that the warm water is able to access deep cavities below the Vanderford Ice Shelf, potentially making Vanderford Glacier unstable.
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.
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.
Michael J. Bentley, James A. Smith, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Margaret R. Lindeman, Brice R. Rea, Angelika Humbert, Timothy P. Lane, Christopher M. Darvill, Jeremy M. Lloyd, Fiamma Straneo, Veit Helm, and David H. Roberts
The Cryosphere, 17, 1821–1837, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1821-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1821-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream is a major outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Some of its outlet glaciers and ice shelves have been breaking up and retreating, with inflows of warm ocean water identified as the likely reason. Here we report direct measurements of warm ocean water in an unusual lake that is connected to the ocean beneath the ice shelf in front of the 79° N Glacier. This glacier has not yet shown much retreat, but the presence of warm water makes future retreat more likely.
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.
James W. Marschalek, Edward Gasson, Tina van de Flierdt, Claus-Dieter Hillenbrand, Martin J. Siegert, and Liam Holder
Geosci. Model Dev. Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2023-8, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-2023-8, 2023
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Ice sheet models can help predict how Antarctica’s ice sheets respond to environmental change; such models benefit from comparison to geological data. Here, we use ice sheet model results, plus other data, to predict the erosion of Antarctic debris and trace its transport to where it is deposited on the ocean floor. This allows the results of ice sheet modelling to be directly and quantitively compared to real-world data, helping to reduce uncertainty regarding Antarctic sea level contribution.
James A. Smith, Louise Callard, Michael J. Bentley, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Maria Luisa Sánchez-Montes, Timothy P. Lane, Jeremy M. Lloyd, Erin L. McClymont, Christopher M. Darvill, Brice R. Rea, Colm O'Cofaigh, Pauline Gulliver, Werner Ehrmann, Richard S. Jones, and David H. Roberts
The Cryosphere, 17, 1247–1270, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1247-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1247-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting at an accelerating rate. To understand the significance of these changes we reconstruct the history of one of its fringing ice shelves, known as 79° N ice shelf. We show that the ice shelf disappeared 8500 years ago, following a period of enhanced warming. An important implication of our study is that 79° N ice shelf is susceptible to collapse when atmospheric and ocean temperatures are ~2°C warmer than present, which could occur by the middle of this century.
Michał Pętlicki, Andrés Rivera, Jonathan Oberreuter, José Uribe, Johannes Reinthaler, and Francisca Bown
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-10, 2023
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
The terminus of San Quintín glacier, the largest of the Northern Patagonia Icefield in southern Chile, is rapidly disintegrating with large tabular icebergs into a proglacial lake left behind by this retreating glacier. We show that the ongoing retreat is caused by recent detachment of a floating terminus from the glacier bed. This process may lead to the disappearance of the last existing piedmont lobe in Patagonia, and one of the few remaining glaciers of this type in the world.
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.
Dominic A. Hodgson, Tom A. Jordan, Neil Ross, Teal R. Riley, and Peter T. Fretwell
The Cryosphere, 16, 4797–4809, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the drainage (and refill) of a subglacial lake on the Antarctic Peninsula resulting in the collapse of the overlying ice into the newly formed subglacial cavity. It provides evidence of an active hydrological network under the region's glaciers and close coupling between surface climate processes and the base of the ice.
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.
Erin L. McClymont, Michael J. Bentley, Dominic A. Hodgson, Charlotte L. Spencer-Jones, Thomas Wardley, Martin D. West, Ian W. Croudace, Sonja Berg, Darren R. Gröcke, Gerhard Kuhn, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Louise Sime, and Richard A. Phillips
Clim. Past, 18, 381–403, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-381-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-381-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Sea ice is important for our climate system and for the unique ecosystems it supports. We present a novel way to understand past Antarctic sea-ice ecosystems: using the regurgitated stomach contents of snow petrels, which nest above the ice sheet but feed in the sea ice. During a time when sea ice was more extensive than today (24 000–30 000 years ago), we show that snow petrel diet had varying contributions of fish and krill, which we interpret to show changing sea-ice distribution.
Jonathan Oberreuter, Edwin Badillo-Rivera, Edwin Loarte, Katy Medina, Alejo Cochachin, and José Uribe
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-336, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2021-336, 2022
Manuscript not accepted for further review
Short summary
Short summary
We present a representative set of data of interpreted ice thickness and ice surface elevation of the ablation area of the Artesonraju glacier between 2012 and 2020. The results show a maximum depth of 235 ± 18 m and a decreasing mean depth ranging from 134 ± 18 m in 2013 to 110 ± 18 m in 2020. Additionally, we estimate a mean ice thickness change rate of −4.2 ± 3.2 m yr−1 between 2014 and 2020, which is in agreement with the elevation change in the same period of −3.2 ± 0.2 m yr−1.
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.
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.
Elizabeth Ruth Thomas, Guisella Gacitúa, Joel B. Pedro, Amy Constance Faith King, Bradley Markle, Mariusz Potocki, and Dorothea Elisabeth Moser
The Cryosphere, 15, 1173–1186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1173-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1173-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present the first-ever radar and ice core data from the sub-Antarctic islands of Bouvet Island, Peter I Island, and Young Island. These islands have the potential to record past climate in one of the most data-sparse regions on earth. Despite their northerly location, surface melting is generally low, and the upper layer of the ice at most sites is undisturbed. We estimate that a 100 m ice core drilled on these islands could capture climate over the past 100–200 years.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Jim R. Jordan, Chris R. Stokes, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Adrian Jenkins
The Cryosphere, 15, 663–676, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-663-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-663-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We provide a historical overview of changes in Denman Glacier's flow speed, structure and calving events since the 1960s. Based on these observations, we perform a series of numerical modelling experiments to determine the likely cause of Denman's acceleration since the 1970s. We show that grounding line retreat, ice shelf thinning and the detachment of Denman's ice tongue from a pinning point are the most likely causes of the observed acceleration.
Guisella Gacitúa, Christoph Schneider, Jorge Arigony, Inti González, Ricardo Jaña, and Gino Casassa
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 231–236, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-231-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-231-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We performed the first successful ice thickness measurements using terrestrial ground-penetrating radar in the ablation area of Schiaparelli Glacier (Cordillera Darwin, Tierra del Fuego, Chile). Data are fundamental to understand glaciers dynamics, constrain ice dynamical modelling, and predict glacier evolution. Results show a valley-shaped bedrock below current sea level; thus further retreat of Schiaparelli Glacier will probably lead to an enlarged and strongly over-deepened proglacial lake.
William D. Smith, Stuart A. Dunning, Stephen Brough, Neil Ross, and Jon Telling
Earth Surf. Dynam., 8, 1053–1065, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-1053-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-8-1053-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial landslides are difficult to detect and likely underestimated due to rapid covering or dispersal. Without improved detection rates we cannot constrain their impact on glacial dynamics or their potential climatically driven increases in occurrence. Here we present a new open-access tool (GERALDINE) that helps a user detect 92 % of these events over the past 38 years on a global scale. We demonstrate its ability by identifying two new, large glacial landslides in the Hayes Range, Alaska.
Jennifer F. Arthur, Chris R. Stokes, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, J. Rachel Carr, and Amber A. Leeson
The Cryosphere, 14, 4103–4120, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4103-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Surface meltwater lakes can flex and fracture ice shelves, potentially leading to ice shelf break-up. A long-term record of lake evolution on Shackleton Ice Shelf is produced using optical satellite imagery and compared to surface air temperature and modelled surface melt. The results reveal that lake clustering on the ice shelf is linked to melt-enhancing feedbacks. Peaks in total lake area and volume closely correspond with intense snowmelt events rather than with warmer seasonal temperatures.
Xiangbin Cui, Hafeez Jeofry, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Jingxue Guo, Lin Li, Laura E. Lindzey, Feras A. Habbal, Wei Wei, Duncan A. Young, Neil Ross, Mathieu Morlighem, Lenneke M. Jong, Jason L. Roberts, Donald D. Blankenship, Sun Bo, and Martin J. Siegert
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2765–2774, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2765-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2765-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We present a topographic digital elevation model (DEM) for Princess Elizabeth Land (PEL), East Antarctica. The DEM covers an area of approximately 900 000 km2 and was built from radio-echo sounding data collected in four campaigns since 2015. Previously, to generate the Bedmap2 topographic product, PEL’s bed was characterised from low-resolution satellite gravity data across an otherwise large (>200 km wide) data-free zone.
Neil Ross, Hugh Corr, and Martin Siegert
The Cryosphere, 14, 2103–2114, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2103-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2103-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Using airborne ice-penetrating radar we investigated the physical properties and structure of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Ice deep beneath the Institute Ice Stream has prominent layers with physical properties distinct from those around them and which are heavily folded like geological layers. In turn, these folds influence the present-day flow of the ice sheet, with implications for how computer models are used to simulate ice sheet flow and behaviour in a warming world.
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.
Stephen J. Livingstone, Andrew J. Sole, Robert D. Storrar, Devin Harrison, Neil Ross, and Jade Bowling
The Cryosphere, 13, 2789–2796, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2789-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2789-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We report three new subglacial lakes close to the ice sheet margin of West Greenland. The lakes drained and refilled once each between 2009 and 2017, with two lakes draining in < 1 month during August 2014 and August 2015. The 2015 drainage caused a ~ 1-month down-glacier slowdown in ice flow and flooded the foreland, significantly modifying the braided river and depositing up to 8 m of sediment. These subglacial lakes offer accessible targets for future investigations and exploration.
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.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Chris R. Stokes, and Stewart S. R. Jamieson
The Cryosphere, 12, 3123–3136, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3123-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3123-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Cook Glacier, as one of the largest in East Antarctica, may have made significant contributions to sea level during past warm periods. However, despite its potential importance there have been no long-term observations of its velocity. Here, through estimating velocity and ice front position from satellite imagery and aerial photography we show that there have been large previously undocumented changes in the velocity of Cook Glacier in response to ice shelf loss and a subglacial drainage event.
Thomas M. Jordan, Christopher N. Williams, Dustin M. Schroeder, Yasmina M. Martos, Michael A. Cooper, Martin J. Siegert, John D. Paden, Philippe Huybrechts, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 12, 2831–2854, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2831-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2831-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Here, via analysis of radio-echo sounding data, we place a new observational constraint upon the basal water distribution beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. In addition to the outlet glaciers, we demonstrate widespread water storage in the northern and eastern ice-sheet interior, a notable feature being a "corridor" of basal water extending from NorthGRIP to Petermann Glacier. The basal water distribution and its relationship with basal temperature provides a new constraint for numerical models.
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.
Damon Davies, Robert G. Bingham, Edward C. King, Andrew M. Smith, Alex M. Brisbourne, Matteo Spagnolo, Alastair G. C. Graham, Anna E. Hogg, and David G. Vaughan
The Cryosphere, 12, 1615–1628, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1615-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1615-2018, 2018
Short summary
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.
Hafeez Jeofry, Neil Ross, Hugh F. J. Corr, Jilu Li, Mathieu Morlighem, Prasad Gogineni, and Martin J. Siegert
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 10, 711–725, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-711-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-10-711-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Accurately characterizing the complexities of the ice-sheet dynamic specifically close to the grounding line across the Weddell Sea (WS) sector in the ice-sheet models provides challenges to the scientific community. Our main objective is to comprehend these complexities, adding accuracy to the projection of future ice-sheet dynamics. Therefore, we have developed a new bed elevation digital elevation model across the WS sector, which will be of value to ice-sheet modelling experiments.
Frédéric Parrenin, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Donald D. Blankenship, Jérôme Chappellaz, Hubertus Fischer, Olivier Gagliardini, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Olivier Passalacqua, Catherine Ritz, Jason Roberts, Martin J. Siegert, and Duncan A. Young
The Cryosphere, 11, 2427–2437, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2427-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2427-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The oldest dated deep ice core drilled in Antarctica has been retrieved at EPICA Dome C (EDC), reaching ~ 800 000 years. Obtaining an older palaeoclimatic record from Antarctica is one of the greatest challenges of the ice core community. Here, we estimate the age of basal ice in the Dome C area. We find that old ice (> 1.5 Myr) likely exists in two regions a few tens of kilometres away from EDC:
Little Dome C Patchand
North Patch.
Claudio Bravo, Thomas Loriaux, Andrés Rivera, and Ben W. Brock
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 3249–3266, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3249-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-3249-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We present an analysis of meteorological conditions and melt for Universidad Glacier in central Chile. This glacier is characterized by high melt rates over the ablation season, representing a mean contribution of between 10 and 13 % of the total runoff observed in the upper Tinguiririca Basin during the November 2009 to March 2010 period. Few studies have quantified the glacier melt contribution to river runoff in Chile, and this work represents a new precedent for the Andes.
Thomas M. Jordan, Michael A. Cooper, Dustin M. Schroeder, Christopher N. Williams, John D. Paden, Martin J. Siegert, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 11, 1247–1264, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1247-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1247-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Using radio-echo sounding data from northern Greenland, we demonstrate that subglacial roughness exhibits self-affine (fractal) scaling behaviour. This enables us to assess topographic control upon the bed-echo waveform, and explain the spatial distribution of the degree of scattering (specular and diffuse reflections). Via comparison with a prediction for the basal thermal state (thawed and frozen regions of the bed) we discuss the consequences of our study for basal water discrimination.
Felicity S. Graham, Jason L. Roberts, Ben K. Galton-Fenzi, Duncan Young, Donald Blankenship, and Martin J. Siegert
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 267–279, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-267-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-267-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic bed topography datasets are interpolated onto low-resolution grids because our observed topography data are sparsely sampled. This has implications for ice-sheet model simulations, especially in regions prone to instability, such as grounding lines, where detailed knowledge of the topography is required. Here, we constructed a high-resolution synthetic bed elevation dataset using observed covariance properties to assess the dependence of simulated ice-sheet dynamics on grid resolution.
Bertie W. J. Miles, Chris R. Stokes, and Stewart S. R. Jamieson
The Cryosphere, 11, 427–442, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-427-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-427-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We observe a large simultaneous calving event in Porpoise Bay, East Antarctica, where ~ 2900 km2 of ice was removed from floating glacier tongues between January and April 2007. This event was caused by the break-up of the multi-year sea ice usually occupies the bay, which we link to climatic forcing. We also observe a similar large calving event in March 2016 (~ 2200 km2), which we link to the long-term calving cycle of Holmes (West) Glacier.
Christopher N. Williams, Stephen L. Cornford, Thomas M. Jordan, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Martin J. Siegert, Christopher D. Clark, Darrel A. Swift, Andrew Sole, Ian Fenty, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 11, 363–380, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-363-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-363-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Knowledge of ice sheet bed topography and surrounding sea floor bathymetry is integral to the understanding of ice sheet processes. Existing elevation data products for Greenland underestimate fjord bathymetry due to sparse data availability. We present a new method to create physically based synthetic fjord bathymetry to fill these gaps, greatly improving on previously available datasets. This will assist in future elevation product development until further observations become available.
T. M. Jordan, J. L. Bamber, C. N. Williams, J. D. Paden, M. J. Siegert, P. Huybrechts, O. Gagliardini, and F. Gillet-Chaulet
The Cryosphere, 10, 1547–1570, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1547-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1547-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Ice penetrating radar enables determination of the basal properties of ice sheets. Existing algorithms assume stationarity in the attenuation rate, which is not justifiable at an ice sheet scale. We introduce the first ice-sheet-wide algorithm for radar attenuation that incorporates spatial variability, using the temperature field from a numerical model as an initial guess. The study is a step toward ice-sheet-wide data products for basal properties and evaluation of model temperature fields.
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.
Tessa R. Vance, Jason L. Roberts, Andrew D. Moy, Mark A. J. Curran, Carly R. Tozer, Ailie J. E. Gallant, Nerilie J. Abram, Tas D. van Ommen, Duncan A. Young, Cyril Grima, Don D. Blankenship, and Martin J. Siegert
Clim. Past, 12, 595–610, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-595-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-595-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
This study details a systematic approach to finding a new high-resolution East Antarctic ice core site. The study initially outlines seven criteria that a new site must fulfil, encompassing specific accumulation, ice dynamics and atmospheric circulation aspects. We then use numerous techniques including Antarctic surface mass balance syntheses, ground-truthing of satellite data by airborne radar surveys and reanalysis products to pinpoint promising regions.
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
A. Rivera, R. Zamora, J. A. Uribe, R. Jaña, and J. Oberreuter
The Cryosphere, 8, 1445–1456, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1445-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1445-2014, 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
M. Schwikowski, M. Schläppi, P. Santibañez, A. Rivera, and G. Casassa
The Cryosphere, 7, 1635–1644, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1635-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1635-2013, 2013
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
A. K. Melkonian, M. J. Willis, M. E. Pritchard, A. Rivera, F. Bown, and S. A. Bernstein
The Cryosphere, 7, 823–839, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-823-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-823-2013, 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
M. G. P. Cavitte, D. D. Blankenship, D. A. Young, M. J. Siegert, and E. Le Meur
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-7-321-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-7-321-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript not accepted
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: Subglacial Processes
Improved monitoring of subglacial lake activity in Greenland
Basal conditions of Denman Glacier from glacier hydrology and ice dynamics modeling
Mapping age and basal conditions of ice in the Dome Fuji region, Antarctica, by combining radar internal layer stratigraphy and flow modeling
Towards modelling of corrugation ridges at ice-sheet grounding lines
Compensating errors in inversions for subglacial bed roughness: same steady state, different dynamic response
Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
Filling and drainage of a subglacial lake beneath the Flade Isblink ice cap, northeast Greenland
Radar sounding survey over Devon Ice Cap indicates the potential for a diverse hypersaline subglacial hydrological environment
Grounding zone subglacial properties from calibrated active-source seismic methods
The role of electrical conductivity in radar wave reflection from glacier beds
Review article: Geothermal heat flow in Antarctica: current and future directions
Exceptionally high heat flux needed to sustain the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream
Subglacial roughness of the Greenland Ice Sheet: relationship with contemporary ice velocity and geology
Subglacial hydrological control on flow of an Antarctic Peninsula palaeo-ice stream
Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Rasmus Bahbah, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Natalia Havelund Andersen, Jade Bowling, Noel Gourmelen, Alex Horton, Nanna B. Karlsson, Amber Leeson, Jennifer Maddalena, Malcolm McMillan, Anne Solgaard, and Birgit Wessel
The Cryosphere, 18, 505–523, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-505-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-505-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Under the right topographic and hydrological conditions, lakes may form beneath the large ice sheets. Some of these subglacial lakes are active, meaning that they periodically drain and refill. When a subglacial lake drains rapidly, it may cause the ice surface above to collapse, and here we investigate how to improve the monitoring of active subglacial lakes in Greenland by monitoring how their associated collapse basins change over time.
Koi McArthur, Felicity S. McCormack, and Christine F. Dow
The Cryosphere, 17, 4705–4727, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4705-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4705-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Using subglacial hydrology model outputs for Denman Glacier, East Antarctica, we investigated the effects of various friction laws and effective pressure inputs on ice dynamics modeling over the same glacier. The Schoof friction law outperformed the Budd friction law, and effective pressure outputs from the hydrology model outperformed a typically prescribed effective pressure. We propose an empirical prescription of effective pressure to be used in the absence of hydrology model outputs.
Zhuo Wang, Ailsa Chung, Daniel Steinhage, Frédéric Parrenin, Johannes Freitag, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 17, 4297–4314, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4297-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4297-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We combine radar-based observed internal layer stratigraphy of the ice sheet with a 1-D ice flow model in the Dome Fuji region. This results in maps of age and age density of the basal ice, the basal thermal conditions, and reconstructed accumulation rates. Based on modeled age we then identify four potential candidates for ice which is potentially 1.5 Myr old. Our map of basal thermal conditions indicates that melting prevails over the presence of stagnant ice in the study area.
Kelly A. Hogan, Katarzyna L. P. Warburton, Alastair G. C. Graham, Jerome A. Neufeld, Duncan R. Hewitt, Julian A. Dowdeswell, and Robert D. Larter
The Cryosphere, 17, 2645–2664, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2645-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2645-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Delicate sea floor ridges – corrugation ridges – that form by tidal motion at Antarctic grounding lines record extremely fast retreat of ice streams in the past. Here we use a mathematical model, constrained by real-world observations from Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, to explore how corrugation ridges form. We identify
till extrusion, whereby deformable sediment is squeezed out from under the ice like toothpaste as it settles down at each low-tide position, as the most likely process.
Constantijn J. Berends, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Tim van den Akker, and William H. Lipscomb
The Cryosphere, 17, 1585–1600, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1585-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1585-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The rate at which the Antarctic ice sheet will melt because of anthropogenic climate change is uncertain. Part of this uncertainty stems from processes occurring beneath the ice, such as the way the ice slides over the underlying bedrock.
Inversion methodsattempt to use observations of the ice-sheet surface to calculate how these sliding processes work. We show that such methods cannot fully solve this problem, so a substantial uncertainty still remains in projections of sea-level rise.
Dominic A. Hodgson, Tom A. Jordan, Neil Ross, Teal R. Riley, and Peter T. Fretwell
The Cryosphere, 16, 4797–4809, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the drainage (and refill) of a subglacial lake on the Antarctic Peninsula resulting in the collapse of the overlying ice into the newly formed subglacial cavity. It provides evidence of an active hydrological network under the region's glaciers and close coupling between surface climate processes and the base of the ice.
Qi Liang, Wanxin Xiao, Ian Howat, Xiao Cheng, Fengming Hui, Zhuoqi Chen, Mi Jiang, and Lei Zheng
The Cryosphere, 16, 2671–2681, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2671-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2671-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Using multi-temporal ArcticDEM and ICESat-2 altimetry data, we document changes in surface elevation of a subglacial lake basin from 2012 to 2021. The long-term measurements show that the subglacial lake was recharged by surface meltwater and that a rapid drainage event in late August 2019 induced an abrupt ice velocity change. Multiple factors regulate the episodic filling and drainage of the lake. Our study also reveals ~ 64 % of the surface meltwater successfully descended to the bed.
Anja Rutishauser, Donald D. Blankenship, Duncan A. Young, Natalie S. Wolfenbarger, Lucas H. Beem, Mark L. Skidmore, Ashley Dubnick, and Alison S. Criscitiello
The Cryosphere, 16, 379–395, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-379-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-379-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Recently, a hypersaline subglacial lake complex was hypothesized to lie beneath Devon Ice Cap, Canadian Arctic. Here, we present results from a follow-on targeted aerogeophysical survey. Our results support the evidence for a hypersaline subglacial lake and reveal an extensive brine network, suggesting more complex subglacial hydrological conditions than previously inferred. This hypersaline system may host microbial habitats, making it a compelling analog for bines on other icy worlds.
Huw J. Horgan, Laurine van Haastrecht, Richard B. Alley, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Lucas H. Beem, Knut Christianson, Atsuhiro Muto, and Matthew R. Siegfried
The Cryosphere, 15, 1863–1880, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1863-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1863-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The grounding zone marks the transition from a grounded ice sheet to a floating ice shelf. Like Earth's coastlines, the grounding zone is home to interactions between the ocean, fresh water, and geology but also has added complexity and importance due to the overriding ice. Here we use seismic surveying – sending sound waves down through the ice – to image the grounding zone of Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica and learn more about the nature of this important transition zone.
Slawek M. Tulaczyk and Neil T. Foley
The Cryosphere, 14, 4495–4506, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4495-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4495-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Much of what we know about materials hidden beneath glaciers and ice sheets on Earth has been interpreted using radar reflection from the ice base. A common assumption is that electrical conductivity of the sub-ice materials does not influence the reflection strength and that the latter is controlled only by permittivity, which depends on the fraction of water in these materials. Here we argue that sub-ice electrical conductivity should be generally considered when interpreting radar records.
Alex Burton-Johnson, Ricarda Dziadek, and Carlos Martin
The Cryosphere, 14, 3843–3873, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3843-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3843-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic ice sheet is the largest source for sea level rise. However, one key control on ice sheet flow remains poorly constrained: the effect of heat from the rocks beneath the ice sheet (known as
geothermal heat flow). Although this may not seem like a lot of heat, beneath thick, slow ice this heat can control how well the ice flows and can lead to melting of the ice sheet. We discuss the methods used to estimate this heat, compile existing data, and recommend future research.
Silje Smith-Johnsen, Basile de Fleurian, Nicole Schlegel, Helene Seroussi, and Kerim Nisancioglu
The Cryosphere, 14, 841–854, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-841-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-841-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) drains a large part of Greenland and displays fast flow far inland. However, the flow pattern is not well represented in ice sheet models. The fast flow has been explained by abnormally high geothermal heat flux. The heat melts the base of the ice sheet and the water produced may lubricate the bed and induce fast flow. By including high geothermal heat flux and a hydrology model, we successfully reproduce NEGIS flow pattern in an ice sheet model.
Michael A. Cooper, Thomas M. Jordan, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Christopher N. Williams, and Jonathan L. Bamber
The Cryosphere, 13, 3093–3115, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3093-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3093-2019, 2019
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.
Cited articles
An, M., Wiens, D. A., Zhao, Y., Feng, M., Nyblade, A., Kanao, M., Li, Y.,
Maggi, A., and Lévêque, J.-J.: Temperature, lithosphere-asthenosphere
boundary, and heat flux beneath the Antarctic Plate inferred from seismic
velocities, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 120, 8720–8742,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JB011917, 2015. a
Anandakrishnan, S. and Alley, R. B.: Stagnation of ice stream C, West
Antarctica by water piracy, Geophys. Res. Lett., 24, 265–268, 1997. a
Ashmore, D. W. and Bingham, R. G.: Antarctic subglacial hydrology: current
knowledge and future challenges, Antarc. Sci., 26, 758–773,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102014000546, 2014. a
Bell, R. E., Ferraccioli, F., Creyts, T. T., Braaten, D., Corr, H., Das, I.,
Damaske, D., Frearson, N., Jordan, T., Rose, K., Studinger, M., and Wolovick,
M.: Widespread Persistent Thickening of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet by
Freezing from the Base, Science, 331, 1592–1595,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1200109,
2011. a
Bentley, C. R., 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,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000002434, 1998. a
Burton-Johnson, A., Halpin, J. A., Whittaker, J. M., Graham, F. S., and Watson,
S. J.: A new heat flux model for the Antarctic Peninsula incorporating
spatially variable upper crustal radiogenic heat production, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 5436–5446, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073596, 2017. a
Carter, S. P., Fricker, H. A., and Siegfried, M. R.: Antarctic subglacial lakes drain through sediment-floored canals: theory and model testing on real and idealized domains, The Cryosphere, 11, 381–405, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-381-2017, 2017. a
Corr, H., Moore, J. C., and Nicholls, K. W.: Radar absorption due to impurities
in Antarctic ice, Geophys. Res. Lett., 20, 1071–1074, 1993. a
Cuffey, K. M. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The physics of glaciers, Academic Press,
2010. a
Diez, A., Matsuoka, K., Ferraccioli, F., Jordan, T. A., Corr, H. F., Kohler,
J., Olesen, A. V., and Forsberg, R.: Basal Settings Control Fast Ice Flow in
the Recovery/Slessor/Bailey Region, East Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 2706–2715, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL076601, 2018. a
Dowdeswell, J. A. and Siegert, M. J.: The physiography of modern Antarctic
subglacial lakes, Global Planet. Change, 35, 221–236,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8181(02)00128-5, 2003. a
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. a, b
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. a
Fricker, H. A., Carter, S. P., Bell, R. E., and Scambos, T.: Active lakes of
Recovery Ice Stream, East Antarctica: a bedrock-controlled subglacial
hydrological system, J. Glaciol., 60, 1015–1030,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG14J063, 2014. a, b, c
Gacitúa, G., Uribe, J. A., Wilson, R., Loriaux, T., Hernández, J., and
Rivera, A.: 50 MHz helicopter-borne radar data for determination of glacier
thermal regime in the central Chilean Andes, Ann. Glaciol., 56,
193–201, https://doi.org/10.3189/2015AoG70A953, 2015. a, b
Gades, A. M., Raymond, C. F., Conway, H., and Jagobel, R. W.: Bed properties of
Siple Dome and adjacent ice streams, West Antarctica, inferred from
radio-echo sounding measurements, J. Glaciol., 46, 88–94,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756500781833467, 2000. a, b
Glen, J. W. and Paren, J. G.: The Electrical Properties of Snow and Ice,
J. Glaciol., 15, 15–38, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000034249, 1975. a
Gorman, M. R. and Siegert, M. J.: Penetration of Antarctic subglacial lakes by
VHF electromagnetic pulses: Information on the depth and electrical
conductivity of basal water bodies, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 104, 29311–29320, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JB900271, 1999. a, b
Gudlaugsson, E., Humbert, A., Andreassen, K., Clason, C. C., Kleiner, T., and
Beyer, S.: Eurasian ice-sheet dynamics and sensitivity to subglacial
hydrology, J. Glaciol., 63, 556–564, 2017. a
Heliere, F., Lin, C., Corr, H., and Vaughan, D.: Radio Echo Sounding of
Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica: Aperture Synthesis Processing and
Analysis of Feasibility From Space, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 45, 2573–2582, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2007.897433, 2007. a
Jamieson, S. S., Stokes, C. R., Ross, N., Rippin, D. M., Bingham, R. G.,
Wilson, D. S., Margold, M., and Bentley, M. J.: The glacial geomorphology of
the Antarctic ice sheet bed, Antarc. Sci., 26, 724–741,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102014000212, 2014. a, b
Jordan, T. A., Ferraccioli, F., Ross, N., Corr, H. F., Leat, P. T., Bingham,
R. G., Rippin, D. M., le Brocq, A., and Siegert, M. J.: Inland extent of the
Weddell Sea Rift imaged by new aerogeophysical data, Tectonophysics, 585,
137–160, 2013. a
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, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1249055,
2014. a
Kapitsa, A. P., Ridley, J. K., de Q. Robin, G., Siegert, M. J., and Zotikov,
I. A.: A large deep freshwater lake beneath the ice of central East
Antarctica, Nature, 381, 684–686, https://doi.org/10.1038/381684a0, 1996. a
Kirkham, J. D., Hogan, K. A., Larter, R. D., Arnold, N. S., Nitsche, F. O., Golledge, N. R., and Dowdeswell, J. A.: Past water flow beneath Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 1959–1981, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1959-2019, 2019. a, b, c
Leat, P. T., Jordan, T. A., Flowerdew, M. J., Riley, T. R., Ferraccioli, F.,
and Whitehouse, M. J.: Jurassic high heat production granites associated with
the Weddell Sea rift system, Antarctica, Tectonophysics, 722, 249–264, 2018. a
Livingstone, S. J., Clark, C. D., Woodward, J., and Kingslake, J.: Potential subglacial lake locations and meltwater drainage pathways beneath the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, The Cryosphere, 7, 1721–1740, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1721-2013, 2013. a, b, c
Lythe, M. B. and Vaughan, D. G.: BEDMAP: A new ice thickness and subglacial
topographic model of Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 106, 11335–11351, 2001. a
MacGregor, J. A., Winebrenner, D. P., Conway, H., Matsuoka, K., Mayewski,
P. A., and Clow, G. D.: Modeling englacial radar attenuation at Siple Dome,
West Antarctica, using ice chemistry and temperature data, J. Geophys. Res. Earth, 112, 1–14, https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000717, 2007. a
Martos, Y. M., Catalán, M., Jordan, T. A., Golynsky, A., Golynsky, D., Eagles,
G., and Vaughan, D. G.: Heat Flux Distribution of Antarctica Unveiled,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 11417–11426, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075609,
2017. a
Matsuoka, K., MacGregor, J. A., and Pattyn, F.: Predicting radar attenuation
within the Antarctic ice sheet, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 359,
173–183, 2012. a
Maule, C. F., Purucker, M. E., Olsen, N., and Mosegaard, K.: Heat flux
anomalies in Antarctica revealed by satellite magnetic data, Science, 309,
464–467, 2005. a
Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., and Rignot, E.: MEaSUREs Antarctic boundaries for
IPY 2007–2009 from satellite radar, version 2, Boulder, CO: NASA National
Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center, https://doi.org/10.5067/AXE4121732AD, 2017. a
Mouginot, J., Rignot, E., and Scheuchl, B.: Continent-Wide, Interferometric SAR
Phase, Mapping of Antarctic Ice Velocity, Geophys. Res. Lett., 0, 9710–9718,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL083826, 2019. a, b, c, d
Napoleoni, F., Jamieson, S. S. R., Ross, N., Bentley, M., Rivera, A., Smith, A., Siegert, M., Paxman, G., Gacitúa, G., Uribe, J., Zamora, R., Brisbourne, A., and Vaughan, D.: Subglacial lakes and hydrology across the Ellsworth Subglacial Highlands, West Antarctica, 1977–2017 (Version 1.0), UK Polar Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, available at: https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01401, last access: 16 November 2020. a
Oswald, G. and Robin, G.: Lakes Beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Nature, 245,
251–254, https://doi.org/10.1038/245251a0, 1973. a, b
Pattyn, F.: Antarctic subglacial conditions inferred from a hybrid ice
sheet/ice stream model, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 295, 451–461,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.04.025, 2010. a, b, c, d
Pattyn, F., Carter, S. P., and Thoma, M.: Advances in modelling subglacial
lakes and their interaction with the Antarctic ice sheet, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. A, 374, 20140296, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0296, 2016. a, b
Paxman, G., Jamieson, S., Ferraccioli, F., Bentley, M., Forsberg, R., Ross, N.,
Watts, A., F.J. Corr, H., and Jordan, T.: Uplift and tilting of the
Shackleton Range in East Antarctica driven by glacial erosion and normal
faulting: Flexural Uplift of the Shackleton Range, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 122, 2390–2408, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JB013841, 2017. a
Paxman, G. J., Jamieson, S. S., Hochmuth, K., Gohl, K., Bentley, M. J.,
Leitchenkov, G., and Ferraccioli, F.: Reconstructions of Antarctic topography
since the Eocene–Oligocene boundary,
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology,
Palaeoecology,
535, 109346,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109346, 2019. a
Peters, M. E., Blankenship, D. D., and Morse, D. L.: Analysis techniques for
coherent airborne radar sounding: Application to West Antarctic ice streams,
J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 110, 1–17,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JB003222, 2005. a, b, c, d
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, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060140, 2014. a
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., van den Broeke, M., van Wessem, M. J.,
and Morlighem, M.: Four decades of Antarctic Ice Sheet mass balance from
1979–2017, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116,
1095–1103, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812883116, 2019. a
Robin, G. de Q., Swithinbank, C., Smith, B. M. E.: Radio echo exploration of the Antarctic ice sheet, in: International Symposium on Antarctic Glaciological Exploration (ISAGE), edited by: Gow, A. J., Keeler, C., Langway, C. C., Weeks, W. F., Hanover, New Hampshire, 3–7 September 1968, Gentbrugge, International Association of Scientific Hydrology, (IASH Publication, 86), 97–115, 1970. a, b
Ross, N. and Siegert, M.: Basal melting over Subglacial Lake Ellsworth and its
catchment: insights from englacial layering, Ann. Glaciol., 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2020.50, 2020. a, b
Ross, N., Siegert, M., Woodward, J., Smith, A., Corr, H., Bentley, M.,
Hindmarsh, R., King, E., and Rivera, A.: Holocene stability of the
Amundsen-Weddell ice divide, West Antarctica, Geology, 39, 935–938,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G31920.1, 2011. a
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. a
Schroeder, D. M., Seroussi, H., Chu, W., and Young, D. A.: Adaptively
constraining radar attenuation and temperature across the Thwaites Glacier
catchment using bed echoes, J. Glaciol., 62, 1075–1082, 2016. a
Schwanghart, W. and Scherler, D.: Short Communication: TopoToolbox 2 – MATLAB-based software for topographic analysis and modeling in Earth surface sciences, Earth Surf. Dynam., 2, 1–7, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-2-1-2014, 2014. a, b
Shapiro, N. M. and Ritzwoller, M. H.: Inferring surface heat flux distributions
guided by a global seismic model: particular application to Antarctica, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 223, 213–224, 2004. a
Shreve, R. L.: Movement of Water in Glaciers, J. Glaciol., 11,
205–214, https://doi.org/10.3189/S002214300002219X, 1972. a, b, c, d
Siegert, M., Dowdeswell, J., Gorman, M., and McIntyre, N.: An inventory of
Antarctic sub-glacial lakes, Antarc. Sci., 8, 281–286,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102096000405, 1996. a
Siegert, M. J.: Radar evidence of water-saturated sediments beneath the East
Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 176,
217–229, https://doi.org/10.1144/GSL.SP.2000.176.01.17,
2000. a, b, c
Siegert, M. J.: Lakes Beneath the Ice Sheet: The Occurrence, Analysis, and
Future Exploration of Lake Vostok and Other Antarctic Subglacial Lakes,
Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sc., 33, 215–245,
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.earth.33.092203.122725, 2005. a, b, c
Siegert, M. J. and Bamber, J. L.: Subglacial water at the heads of Antarctic
ice-stream tributaries, J. Glaciol., 46, 702–703, 2000. a
Siegert, M. J., Hindmarsh, R., Corr, H., Smith, A., Woodward, J., King, E. C.,
Payne, A. J., and Joughin, I.: Subglacial Lake Ellsworth: A candidate for in
situ exploration in West Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 31, 1–4,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021477, 2004a. a
Siegert, M. J., Welch, B., Morse, D., Vieli, A., Blankenship, D. D., Joughin,
I., King, E. C., Vieli, G. J.-M. C. L., Payne, A. J., and Jacobel, R.: Ice
Flow Direction Change in Interior West Antarctica, Science, 305, 1948–1951,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1101072, 2004b. a
Siegert, M. J., Clarke, R. J., Mowlem, M., Ross, N., Hill, C. S., Tait, A.,
Hodgson, D., Parnell, J., Tranter, M., Pearce, D., Bentley, M. J., Cockell,
C., Tsaloglou, M.-N., Smith, A., Woodward, J., Brito, M. P., and Waugh, E.:
Clean access, measurement, and sampling of Ellsworth Subglacial Lake: A
method for exploring deep Antarctic subglacial lake environments, Rev. Geophys., 50, 1–40, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011RG000361, 2012. a, b, c
Siegert, M. J., Kingslake, J., Ross, N., Whitehouse, P. L., Woodward, J.,
Jamieson, S. S. R., Bentley, M. J., Winter, K., Wearing, M., Hein, A. S.,
Jeofry, H., and Sugden, D. E.: Major Ice Sheet Change in the Weddell Sea
Sector of West Antarctica Over the Last 5000 Years, Rev. Geophys., 57, 1197–1223, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019RG000651, 2019. a
Slater, T., Shepherd, A., McMillan, M., Muir, A., Gilbert, L., Hogg, A. E., Konrad, H., and Parrinello, T.: A new digital elevation model of Antarctica derived from CryoSat-2 altimetry, The Cryosphere, 12, 1551–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1551-2018, 2018. a, b, c
Smith, A. M., Woodward, J., Ross, N., Bentley, M. J., Hodgson, D. A., Siegert,
M. J., and King, E. C.: Evidence for the long-term sedimentary environment in
an Antarctic subglacial lake, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 504, 139–151, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2018.10.011, 2018. a
Smith, B. E., Fricker, H. A., Joughin, I. R., and Tulaczyk, S.: An inventory of
active subglacial lakes in Antarctica detected by ICESat (2003–2008),
J. Glaciol., 55, 573–595, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214309789470879, 2009. a
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. a, b
Stearns, L. A., Smith, B. E., and Hamilton, G. S.: Increased flow speed on a
large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods, Nat. Geosci., 1, 827, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo356, 2008. a
Stenoien, M. D. and Bentley, C. R.: Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica: A study of
the catchment using interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements and
radar altimetry, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea., 105,
21761–21779, 2000. a
Sugden, D. E., Hein, A. S., Woodward, J., Marrero, S. M., Ángel Rodés,
Dunning, S. A., Stuart, F. M., Freeman, S. P., Winter, K., and Westoby,
M. J.: The million-year evolution of the glacial trimline in the southernmost
Ellsworth Mountains, Antarctica, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 469, 42–52, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2017.04.006, 2017. a, b
Uribe, J., Zamora, R., Pulgar, S., Oberreuter, J., and Rivera, A.: Overview of
the low-frequency ice penetrating radar system survey conducted to Subglacial
Lake CECs, West Antarctica, available at: https://www.igsoc.org/symposia/2019/stanford/proceedings/procsfiles/procabstracts_75.html#A2948 (last access: 12 November 2020),
2019. a
van der Veen, C. J., Leftwich, T., von Frese, R., Csatho, B. M., and Li, J.:
Subglacial topography and geothermal heat flux: Potential interactions with
drainage of the Greenland ice sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL030046,
2007. a
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, 1–4,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL025588, 2006. a, b, c, d, e, f, g
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, 2008. a
Wessel, P., Smith, W. H. F., Scharroo, R., Luis, J., and Wobbe, F.: Generic
Mapping Tools: Improved Version Released, Eos, Transactions American
Geophysical Union, 94, 409–410, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013EO450001,
2013. a
Winebrenner, D. P., Smith, B. E., Catania, G. A., Conway, H. B., and Raymond,
C. F.: Radio-frequency attenuation beneath Siple Dome, West Antarctica, from
wide-angle and profiling radar observations, Ann. Glaciol., 37,
226–232, 2003. a
Wingham, D. J., Siegert, M. J., Shepherd, A., and Muir, A. S.: Rapid discharge
connects Antarctic subglacial lakes, Nature, 440, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature04660,
2006. a, b
Winsborrow, M. C., Clark, C. D., and Stokes, C. R.: What controls the location
of ice streams?, Earth-Sci. Rev., 103, 45–59, 2010. a
Winter, K., Woodward, J., Ross, N., Dunning, S. A., Bingham, R. G., Corr,
H. F., and Siegert, M. J.: Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow
switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: Implications for ice
sheet configuration and dynamics, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120, 1611–1625, 2015. a
Woodward, J., Smith, A. M., Ross, N., Thoma, M., Corr, H. F. J., King, E. C.,
King, M. A., Grosfeld, K., Tranter, M., and Siegert, M. J.: Location for
direct access to subglacial Lake Ellsworth: An assessment of geophysical data
and modeling, Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, 1–5, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL042884,
2010. a
Wright, A. and Siegert, M. J.: The Identification and Physiographical Setting
of Antarctic Subglacial Lakes: An Update Based on Recent Discoveries,
American Geophysical Union (AGU), 9–26, https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118670354.ch2, 2011. a, b
Wright, A. P., Siegert, M. J., Le Brocq, A. M., and Gore, D. B.: High
sensitivity of subglacial hydrological pathways in Antarctica to small
ice-sheet changes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 35, 1–5,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL034937,
2008. a
Zamora, R., Uribe, J., Pulgar, S., Oberreuter, J., and Rivera, A.: Ground
penetrating radar system for measuring deep ice in Antarctica using
software-defined radio approach, available at:
https://www.igsoc.org/symposia/2019/stanford/proceedings/procsfiles/procabstracts_75.html#A2968 (last access: 12 November 2020),
2019. a
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.
Subglacial water is important for ice sheet dynamics and stability. Despite this, there is a...