Articles | Volume 17, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2139-2023
© Author(s) 2023. 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-17-2139-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 May 2023
Research article |
| 25 May 2023
| 25 May 2023
Simulating the Laurentide Ice Sheet of the Last Glacial Maximum
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Jorge Alvarez-Solas
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Javier Blasco
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
Marisa Montoya
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Alexander Robinson
Departamento de Física de la Tierra y Astrofísica, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Físicas, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Instituto de Geociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
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Daniel Moreno-Parada, Alexander Robinson, Marisa Montoya, and Jorge Alvarez-Solas
The Cryosphere, 18, 4215–4232, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4215-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4215-2024, 2024
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Our study tries to understand how the ice temperature evolves in a large mass as in the case of Antarctica. We found a relation that tells us the ice temperature at any point. These results are important because they also determine how the ice moves. In general, ice moves due to slow deformation (as if pouring honey from a jar). Nevertheless, in some regions the ice base warms enough and melts. The liquid water then serves as lubricant and the ice slides and its velocity increases rapidly.
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Clim. Past, 20, 1919–1938, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1919-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1919-2024, 2024
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The climate of the last 3 Myr varies between cold and warm periods. Numerous independent mechanisms have been proposed to explain this, however no effort has been made to study their competing effects. Here we present a simple but physically motivated model that includes these mechanisms in a modular way. We find that the main trigger is the displacement of the lithosphere due to the ice thickness evolution, but reproducing the climate records additionally requires the natural darkening of ice.
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Yanjun Li, Violaine Coulon, Javier Blasco, Gang Qiao, Qinghua Yang, and Frank Pattyn
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2916, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2916, 2024
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We incorporate ice damage processes into an ice-sheet model and apply the new model to Thwaites Glacier. The upgraded model more accurately captures the observed ice geometry and mass balance of Thwaites Glacier over 1990–2020. Our simulations show that ice damage has a notable impact on the ice sheet evolution, ice mass loss and the resulted sea-level rise. This study highlights the necessity for incorporating ice damage into ice-sheet models.
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The Cryosphere, 18, 4257–4283, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4257-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4257-2024, 2024
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Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 6987–7000, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-6987-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-6987-2024, 2024
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We present the open-source model ELSA, which simulates the internal age structure of large ice sheets. It creates layers of snow accumulation at fixed times during the simulation, which are used to model the internal stratification of the ice sheet. Together with reconstructed isochrones from radiostratigraphy data, ELSA can be used to assess ice sheet models and to improve their parameterization. ELSA can be used coupled to an ice sheet model or forced with its output.
Daniel Moreno-Parada, Alexander Robinson, Marisa Montoya, and Jorge Alvarez-Solas
The Cryosphere, 18, 4215–4232, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4215-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4215-2024, 2024
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Our study tries to understand how the ice temperature evolves in a large mass as in the case of Antarctica. We found a relation that tells us the ice temperature at any point. These results are important because they also determine how the ice moves. In general, ice moves due to slow deformation (as if pouring honey from a jar). Nevertheless, in some regions the ice base warms enough and melts. The liquid water then serves as lubricant and the ice slides and its velocity increases rapidly.
Javier Blasco, Ilaria Tabone, Daniel Moreno-Parada, Alexander Robinson, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Frank Pattyn, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past, 20, 1919–1938, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1919-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-1919-2024, 2024
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In this study, we assess Antarctic tipping points which may had been crossed during the mid-Pliocene Warm Period. For this, we use data from the PlioMIP2 ensemble. Additionally, we investigate various sources of uncertainty, like ice dynamics and bedrock configuration. Our research significantly enhances our comprehension of Antarctica's response to a warming climate, shedding light on potential future tipping points that may be surpassed.
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Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 5263–5290, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5263-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-5263-2024, 2024
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Ice sheets present a thickness of a few kilometres, leading to a vertical deformation of the crust of up to a kilometre. This process depends on properties of the solid Earth, which can be regionally very different. We propose a model that accounts for this often-ignored heterogeneity and run 100 000 simulation years in minutes. Thus, the evolution of ice sheets is modeled with better accuracy, which is critical for a good mitigation of climate change and, in particular, sea-level rise.
Sergio Pérez-Montero, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Jan Swierczek-Jereczek, Daniel Moreno-Parada, Marisa Montoya, and Alexander Robinson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1842, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1842, 2024
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The climate of the last 3 Myr varies between cold and warm periods. Numerous independent mechanisms have been proposed to explain this, however no effort has been made to study their competing effects. Here we present a simple but physically motivated model that includes these mechanisms in a modular way. We find that the main trigger is the displacement of the lithosphere due to the ice thickness evolution, but reproducing the climate records additionally requires the natural darkening of ice.
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2690, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2690, 2023
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We introduce Nix, an ice-sheet model designed for understanding how large masses of ice behave. Nix as a computer program that simulates the movement and temperature changes in ice sheets. Nix helps us study how ice sheets respond to changes in the atmosphere and ocean. We found that how fast ice melts under the shelves and how heat is exchanged, play a role in determining the future of ice sheets. Nix is a useful tool for learning more about how climate change affects polar ice sheets.
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The Cryosphere, 16, 689–709, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-689-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-689-2022, 2022
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Andreas Born and Alexander Robinson
The Cryosphere, 15, 4539–4556, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4539-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4539-2021, 2021
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Javier Blasco, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
The Cryosphere, 15, 215–231, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-215-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-215-2021, 2021
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During the Last Glacial Maximum the Antarctic Ice Sheet was larger and more extended than at present. However, neither its exact position nor the total ice volume are well constrained. Here we investigate how the different climatic boundary conditions, as well as basal friction configurations, affect the size and extent of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and discuss its potential implications.
Alexander Robinson, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Marisa Montoya, Heiko Goelzer, Ralf Greve, and Catherine Ritz
Geosci. Model Dev., 13, 2805–2823, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2805-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-13-2805-2020, 2020
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Here we describe Yelmo v1.0, an intuitive and state-of-the-art hybrid ice sheet model. The model design and physics are described, and benchmark simulations are provided to validate its performance. Yelmo is a versatile ice sheet model that can be applied to a wide variety of problems.
Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Marisa Montoya, and Alexander Robinson
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2019-96, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2019-96, 2019
Publication in CP not foreseen
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Modelling the past abrupt climate changes often resorts to the use of freshwater flux (FWF) in the North Atlantic as an effective method to cause reorganizations of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. This procedure has allowed to reproduce the timing of the events. However, the required FWF is inconsistent with reconstructions. Conversely, using a forcing derived from the sea-level record results in a poor fit with the data, highlighting the need of exploring other mechanisms.
Ilaria Tabone, Alexander Robinson, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, and Marisa Montoya
The Cryosphere, 13, 1911–1923, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1911-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1911-2019, 2019
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Recent reconstructions show that the North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) retreated away from its present-day position by 20–40 km during MIS-3. Atmospheric and external forcings were proposed as potential causes of this retreat, but the role of the ocean was not considered. Here, using a 3-D ice-sheet model, we suggest that oceanic warming is sufficient to induce a retreat of the NEGIS margin of many tens of kilometres during MIS-3, helping to explain this conundrum.
Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Rubén Banderas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past, 15, 957–979, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-957-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-957-2019, 2019
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The last glacial period was marked by the existence of of abrupt climatic changes; it is generally accepted that the presence of ice sheets played an important role in their occurrence. While an important effort has been made to investigate the dynamics and evolution of the Laurentide ice sheet during this period, the Eurasian ice sheet (EIS) has not received much attention. Here we investigate the response of the EIS to millennial-scale climate variability using a hybrid 3-D ice-sheet model.
Ilaria Tabone, Alexander Robinson, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past, 15, 593–609, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-593-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-593-2019, 2019
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By using a 3-D hybrid ice-sheet–shelf model, we investigate the impact of millennial-scale oceanic variability on the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) evolution during the last glacial period (LGP). We show that the GrIS may have strongly reacted to oceanic temperature fluctuations associated with Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles, contributing to sea-level variations of more than 1 m. Our results open the chance for a non-negligible role of the GrIS in millennial-scale oceanic reorganisations during the LGP.
Javier Blasco, Ilaria Tabone, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past, 15, 121–133, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-121-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-121-2019, 2019
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The LGP is a period punctuated by the presence of several abrupt climate events and sea-level variations of up to 20 m at millennial timescales. The origin of those fluctuations is attributed to NH paleo ice sheets, but a contribution from the AIS cannot be excluded. Here, for the first time, we investigate the response of the AIS to millennial climate variability using an ice sheet–shelf model. We shows that the AIS produces substantial sea-level rises and grounding line migrations.
Rubén Banderas, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
Geosci. Model Dev., 11, 2299–2314, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2299-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-2299-2018, 2018
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Here we present a new approach to force ice-sheet models offline, which accounts for a more realistic treatment of millennial-scale climate variability as compared to the existing methods. Our results reveal that an incorrect representation of the characteristic pattern of millennial-scale climate variability within the climate forcing not only affects NH ice-volume variations at millennial timescales but has consequences for glacial–interglacial ice-volume changes too.
Ilaria Tabone, Javier Blasco, Alexander Robinson, Jorge Alvarez-Solas, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past, 14, 455–472, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-455-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-455-2018, 2018
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The response of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to palaeo-oceanic changes on a glacial–interglacial timescale is studied from a modelling perspective. A 3-D hybrid ice-sheet–shelf model which includes a parameterization of the basal melting rate at the GrIS marine margins is used. The results show that the oceanic forcing plays a key role in the GrIS evolution, not only by controlling the ice retreat during the deglaciation but also by driving the ice expansion in glacial periods.
Jorge Alvarez-Solas, Rubén Banderas, Alexander Robinson, and Marisa Montoya
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2017-143, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2017-143, 2017
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
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The last glacial period was marked by the existence of of abrupt climatic changes. It is generally accepted that the presence of ice sheets played an
important role in their occurrence. While an important effort has been made to investigate the dynamics and evolution of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during this period, the Eurasian Ice Sheet (EIS) has not received much attention. Here we investigate the response of the EIS to millennial-scale climate variability. We use a hybrid 3D ice-sheet model.
Mario Krapp, Alexander Robinson, and Andrey Ganopolski
The Cryosphere, 11, 1519–1535, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1519-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1519-2017, 2017
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We present the snowpack model SEMIC. It calculates snow height, surface temperature, surface albedo, and the surface mass balance of snow- and ice-covered surfaces while using meteorological data as input. In this paper we describe how SEMIC works and how well it compares with snowpack data of a more sophisticated regional climate model applied to the Greenland ice sheet. Because of its simplicity and efficiency, SEMIC can be used as a coupling interface between atmospheric and ice sheet models.
A. Robinson and M. Perrette
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 1877–1883, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1877-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-1877-2015, 2015
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Here we present a concise interface to the NetCDF library designed to simplify reading and writing tasks of up to 6-D arrays in Fortran programs.
R. Calov, A. Robinson, M. Perrette, and A. Ganopolski
The Cryosphere, 9, 179–196, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-179-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-179-2015, 2015
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Ice discharge into the ocean from outlet glaciers is an important
component of mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet. Here, we present a
simple parameterization of ice discharge for coarse resolution ice
sheet models, suitable for large ensembles or long-term palaeo
simulations. This parameterization reproduces in a good approximation
the present-day ice discharge compared with estimates, and the
simulation of the present-day ice sheet elevation is considerably
improved.
A. Robinson and H. Goelzer
The Cryosphere, 8, 1419–1428, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1419-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1419-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Paleo-Glaciology (including Former Ice Reconstructions)
Millennial-scale fluctuations of palaeo-ice margin at the southern fringe of the last Fennoscandian Ice Sheet
The influence of glacial landscape evolution on Scandinavian ice-sheet dynamics and dimensions
Antarctic permafrost processes and antiphase dynamics of cold-based glaciers in the McMurdo Dry Valleys inferred from 10Be and 26Al cosmogenic nuclides
Reversible ice sheet thinning in the Amundsen Sea Embayment during the Late Holocene
The collapse of the Cordilleran–Laurentide ice saddle and early opening of the Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada, constrained by 10Be exposure dating
A model for interaction between conduits and surrounding hydraulically connected distributed drainage based on geomorphological evidence from Keewatin, Canada
Repeated ice streaming on the northwest Greenland continental shelf since the onset of the Middle Pleistocene Transition
Nonlinear response of the Antarctic Ice Sheet to late Quaternary sea level and climate forcing
Eemian Greenland ice sheet simulated with a higher-order model shows strong sensitivity to surface mass balance forcing
The impact of model resolution on the simulated Holocene retreat of the southwestern Greenland ice sheet using the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM)
Marine ice sheet instability and ice shelf buttressing of the Minch Ice Stream, northwest Scotland
Persistent tracers of historic ice flow in glacial stratigraphy near Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica
West Antarctic sites for subglacial drilling to test for past ice-sheet collapse
Karol Tylmann, Wojciech Wysota, Vincent Rinterknecht, Piotr Moska, Aleksandra Bielicka-Giełdoń, and ASTER Team
The Cryosphere, 18, 1889–1909, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1889-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1889-2024, 2024
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Our results indicate millennial-scale oscillations of the last Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) in northern Poland between ~19000 and ~17000 years ago. Combined luminescence (OSL) and 10Be dating show the last FIS left basal tills of three ice re-advances at a millennial-scale cycle: 19.2 ± 1.1 ka, 17.8 ± 0.5 ka and 16.9 ± 0.5 ka. This is the first terrestrial record of millennial-scale palaeo-ice margin oscillations at the southern fringe of the FIS during the last glacial cycle.
Gustav Jungdal-Olesen, Jane Lund Andersen, Andreas Born, and Vivi Kathrine Pedersen
The Cryosphere, 18, 1517–1532, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1517-2024, 2024
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We explore how the shape of the land and underwater features in Scandinavia affected the former Scandinavian ice sheet over time. Using a computer model, we simulate how the ice sheet evolved during different stages of landscape development. We discovered that early glaciations were limited in size by underwater landforms, but as these changed, the ice sheet expanded more rapidly. Our findings highlight the importance of considering landscape changes when studying ice-sheet history.
Jacob T. H. Anderson, Toshiyuki Fujioka, David Fink, Alan J. Hidy, Gary S. Wilson, Klaus Wilcken, Andrey Abramov, and Nikita Demidov
The Cryosphere, 17, 4917–4936, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4917-2023, 2023
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Antarctic permafrost processes are not widely studied or understood in the McMurdo Dry Valleys. Our data show that near-surface permafrost sediments were deposited ~180 000 years ago in Pearse Valley, while in lower Wright Valley sediments are either vertically mixed after deposition or were deposited < 25 000 years ago. Our data also record Taylor Glacier retreat from Pearse Valley ~65 000–74 000 years ago and support antiphase dynamics between alpine glaciers and sea ice in the Ross Sea.
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
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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.
Benjamin J. Stoker, Martin Margold, John C. Gosse, Alan J. Hidy, Alistair J. Monteath, Joseph M. Young, Niall Gandy, Lauren J. Gregoire, Sophie L. Norris, and Duane Froese
The Cryosphere, 16, 4865–4886, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4865-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4865-2022, 2022
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The Laurentide Ice Sheet was the largest ice sheet to grow and disappear in the Northern Hemisphere during the last glaciation. In northwestern Canada, it covered the Mackenzie Valley, blocking the migration of fauna and early humans between North America and Beringia and altering the drainage systems. We reconstruct the timing of ice sheet retreat in this region and the implications for the migration of early humans into North America, the drainage of glacial lakes, and past sea level rise.
Emma L. M. Lewington, Stephen J. Livingstone, Chris D. Clark, Andrew J. Sole, and Robert D. Storrar
The Cryosphere, 14, 2949–2976, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2949-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2949-2020, 2020
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We map visible traces of subglacial meltwater flow across Keewatin, Canada. Eskers are commonly observed to form within meltwater corridors up to a few kilometres wide, and we interpret different traces to have formed as part of the same integrated drainage system. In our proposed model, we suggest that eskers record the imprint of a central conduit while meltwater corridors represent the interaction with the surrounding distributed drainage system.
Andrew M. W. Newton, Mads Huuse, Paul C. Knutz, and David R. Cox
The Cryosphere, 14, 2303–2312, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2303-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2303-2020, 2020
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Seismic reflection data offshore northwest Greenland reveal buried landforms that have been interpreted as mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGLs). These have been formed by ancient ice streams that advanced hundreds of kilometres across the continental shelf. The stratigraphy and available chronology show that the MSGLs are confined to separate stratigraphic units and were most likely formed during several glacial maxima after the onset of the Middle Pleistocene Transition at ~ 1.3 Ma.
Michelle Tigchelaar, Axel Timmermann, Tobias Friedrich, Malte Heinemann, and David Pollard
The Cryosphere, 13, 2615–2631, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2615-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2615-2019, 2019
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The Antarctic Ice Sheet has expanded and retracted often in the past, but, so far, studies have not identified which environmental driver is most important: air temperature, snowfall, ocean conditions or global sea level. In a modeling study of 400 000 years of Antarctic Ice Sheet variability we isolated different drivers and found that no single driver dominates. Air temperature and sea level are most important and combine in a synergistic way, with important implications for future change.
Andreas Plach, Kerim H. Nisancioglu, Petra M. Langebroek, Andreas Born, and Sébastien Le clec'h
The Cryosphere, 13, 2133–2148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2133-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2133-2019, 2019
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Meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) rises sea level and knowing how the GrIS behaved in the past will help to become better in predicting its future. Here, the evolution of the past GrIS is shown to be dominated by how much ice melts (a result of the prevailing climate) rather than how ice flow is represented in the simulations. Therefore, it is very important to know past climates accurately, in order to be able to simulate the evolution of the GrIS and its contribution to sea level.
Joshua K. Cuzzone, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Mathieu Morlighem, Eric Larour, Jason P. Briner, Helene Seroussi, and Lambert Caron
The Cryosphere, 13, 879–893, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-879-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-879-2019, 2019
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We present ice sheet modeling results of ice retreat over southwestern Greenland during the last 12 000 years, and we also test the impact that model horizontal resolution has on differences in the simulated spatial retreat and its associated rate. Results indicate that model resolution plays a minor role in simulated retreat in areas where bed topography is not complex but plays an important role in areas where bed topography is complex (such as fjords).
Niall Gandy, Lauren J. Gregoire, Jeremy C. Ely, Christopher D. Clark, David M. Hodgson, Victoria Lee, Tom Bradwell, and Ruza F. Ivanovic
The Cryosphere, 12, 3635–3651, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3635-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3635-2018, 2018
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We use the deglaciation of the last British–Irish Ice Sheet as a valuable case to examine the processes of contemporary ice sheet change, using an ice sheet model to simulate the Minch Ice Stream. We find that ice shelves were a control on retreat and that the Minch Ice Stream was vulnerable to the same marine mechanisms which threaten the future of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. This demonstrates the importance of marine processes when projecting the future of our contemporary ice sheets.
Nicholas Holschuh, Knut Christianson, Howard Conway, Robert W. Jacobel, and Brian C. Welch
The Cryosphere, 12, 2821–2829, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2821-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2821-2018, 2018
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Models of the Antarctic Sheet are tuned using observations of historic ice-sheet behavior, but we have few observations that tell us how inland ice behaved over the last few millennia. A 2 km tall volcano sitting under the ice sheet has left a record in the ice as it flows by, and that feature provides unique insight into the regional ice-flow history. It indicates that observed, rapid changes in West Antarctica flow dynamics have not affected the continental interior over the last 5700 years.
Perry Spector, John Stone, David Pollard, Trevor Hillebrand, Cameron Lewis, and Joel Gombiner
The Cryosphere, 12, 2741–2757, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2741-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2741-2018, 2018
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Cosmogenic-nuclide analyses in bedrock recovered from below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet have the potential to establish whether and when large-scale deglaciation occurred in the past. Here we (i) discuss the criteria and considerations for subglacial drill sites, (ii) evaluate candidate sites in West Antarctica, and (iii) describe reconnaissance at three West Antarctic sites, focusing on the Pirrit Hills, which we present as a case study of site selection on the scale of an individual nunatak.
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Short summary
We have reconstructed the Laurentide Ice Sheet, located in North America during the Last Glacial Maximum (21 000 years ago). The absence of direct measurements raises a number of uncertainties. Here we study the impact of different physical laws that describe the friction as the ice slides over its base. We found that the Laurentide Ice Sheet is closest to prior reconstructions when the basal friction takes into account whether the base is frozen or thawed during its motion.
We have reconstructed the Laurentide Ice Sheet, located in North America during the Last Glacial...
