Articles | Volume 17, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4079-2023
© 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-17-4079-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| Highlight paper
| 
26 Sep 2023
Research article | Highlight paper |
| 26 Sep 2023
| 26 Sep 2023
Modes of Antarctic tidal grounding line migration revealed by Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) laser altimetry
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
Oliver J. Marsh
British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK
Anna E. Hogg
School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
Helen Amanda Fricker
Scripps Polar Center, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San
Diego, La Jolla, California 92093-0225, USA
Laurie Padman
Earth and Space Research, Corvallis, Oregon 97333-1536, USA
Related authors
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, Benjamin J. Wallis, Benjamin J. Davison, Heather L. Selley, Ross A. W. Slater, Elise K. Lie, Livia Jakob, Andrew Ridout, Noel Gourmelen, Bryony I. D. Freer, Sally F. Wilson, and Andrew Shepherd
The Cryosphere, 18, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we use satellite observations and an ice flow model to quantify the impact of sea ice buttressing on ice streams on the Antarctic Peninsula. The evacuation of 11-year-old landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment on the East Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022 was closely followed by major changes in the calving behaviour and acceleration (30 %) of the ocean-terminating glaciers. Our results show that sea ice buttressing had a negligible direct role in the observed dynamic changes.
Christian T. Wild, Reinhard Drews, Niklas Neckel, Joohan Lee, Sihyung Kim, Hyangsun Han, Won Sang Lee, Veit Helm, Sebastian Harry Reid Rosier, Oliver J. Marsh, and Wolfgang Rack
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The stability of the Antarctic Ice Sheet depends on how resistance along the sides of large glaciers slows down the flow of ice into the ocean. We present a method to map ice strength using the effect of ocean tides on floating ice shelves. Incorporating weaker ice in shear zones improves the accuracy of model predictions compared to satellite observations. This demonstrates the untapped potential of radar satellites to map ice stiffness in the most critical areas for ice sheet stability.
Philipp Sebastian Arndt and Helen Amanda Fricker
The Cryosphere, 18, 5173–5206, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5173-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5173-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a method for ice-sheet-scale retrieval of supraglacial meltwater depths using ICESat-2 photon data. We report results for two drainage basins in Greenland and Antarctica during two contrasting melt seasons, where our method reveals a total of 1249 lake segments up to 25 m deep. The large volume and wide variety of accurate depth data that our method provides enable the development of data-driven models of meltwater volumes in satellite imagery.
Benjamin J. Wallis, Anna E. Hogg, Yikai Zhu, and Andrew Hooper
The Cryosphere, 18, 4723–4742, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4723-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The grounding line, where ice begins to float, is an essential variable to understand ice dynamics, but in some locations it can be challenging to measure with established techniques. Using satellite data and a new method, Wallis et al. measure the grounding line position of glaciers and ice shelves in the Antarctic Peninsula and find retreats of up to 16.3 km have occurred since the last time measurements were made in the 1990s.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Stephen L. Cornford, and Anna E. Hogg
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2438, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2438, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The speed at which Antarctic ice flows is dependent on its viscosity and the sliperiness of the ice/bedrock interface. Often, these unknown variables are inferred from observations of ice speed. This article presents an attempt to make this difficult procedure easier by making use of additional information in the form of observations of crevasses, which make ice appear less viscous to numerical models. We find in some circumstances that this leads to more appealing solutions to this problem.
Benjamin J. Davison, Anna E. Hogg, Carlos Moffat, Michael P. Meredith, and Benjamin J. Wallis
The Cryosphere, 18, 3237–3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a new dataset of ice motion, we observed glacier acceleration on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The speed-up began around January 2021, but some glaciers sped up earlier or later. Using a combination of ship-based ocean temperature observations and climate models, we show that the speed-up coincided with a period of unusually warm air and ocean temperatures in the region.
Indrani Das, Jowan Barnes, James Smith, Renata Constantino, Sidney Hemming, and Laurie Padman
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1564, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1564, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) on the Antarctic Peninsula is currently thinning and the glaciers feeding it are accelerating. Geologic evidence indicates that GVIIS had disintegrated several thousand years ago due to ocean and atmosphere warming. Here, we use remote sensing and numerical modeling to show that strain thinning reduces buttressing of grounded ice, creating a positive feedback of accelerated ice inflow to the southern GVIIS, likely making it more vulnerable than the northern sector.
Heather Louise Selley, Anna E. Hogg, Benjamin J. Davison, Pierre Dutrieux, and Thomas Slater
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1442, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1442, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite observations to measure recent changes in ice speed and flow direction in the Pope, Smith and Kohler Region of West Antarctica (2005–2022). We found substantial speed up on seven ice streams of up to 87 %. However, Kohler West Glacier has slowed by 10%, due to the redirection of ice flow into its rapidly thinning neighbour. This process of ‘ice piracy’ hasn’t previously been directly observed on this rapid timescale and may influence future ice shelf and sheet mass changes.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, Benjamin J. Wallis, Benjamin J. Davison, Heather L. Selley, Ross A. W. Slater, Elise K. Lie, Livia Jakob, Andrew Ridout, Noel Gourmelen, Bryony I. D. Freer, Sally F. Wilson, and Andrew Shepherd
The Cryosphere, 18, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we use satellite observations and an ice flow model to quantify the impact of sea ice buttressing on ice streams on the Antarctic Peninsula. The evacuation of 11-year-old landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment on the East Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022 was closely followed by major changes in the calving behaviour and acceleration (30 %) of the ocean-terminating glaciers. Our results show that sea ice buttressing had a negligible direct role in the observed dynamic changes.
Oliver J. Marsh, Adrian J. Luckman, and Dominic A. Hodgson
The Cryosphere, 18, 705–710, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-705-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-705-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Brunt Ice Shelf has accelerated rapidly after calving an iceberg in January 2023. A decade of GPS data show that the rate of acceleration in August 2023 was 30 times higher than before calving, and velocity has doubled in 6 months. Satellite velocity maps show the extent of the change. The acceleration is due to loss of contact between the ice shelf and a pinning point known as the McDonald Ice Rumples. The observations highlight how iceberg calving can directly impact ice shelves.
Jennifer Cocks, Alessandro Silvano, Alice Marzocchi, Oana Dragomir, Noémie Schifano, Anna E. Hogg, and Alberto C. Naveira Garabato
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3050, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-3050, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Heat and freshwater fluxes in the Southern Ocean mediate global ocean circulation and abyssal ventilation. These fluxes manifest as changes in steric height: sea level anomalies from changes in ocean density. We compute the steric height anomaly of the Southern Ocean using satellite data and validate it against in-situ observations. We analyse interannual patterns, drawing links to climate variability, and discuss the effectiveness of the method, highlighting issues and suggesting improvements.
Benjamin Joseph Davison, Anna Elizabeth Hogg, Thomas Slater, and Richard Rigby
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-448, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-448, 2023
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Grounding line discharge is a measure of the amount of ice entering the ocean from an ice mass. This paper describes a dataset of grounding line discharge for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and each of its glaciers. The dataset shows that Antarctic Ice Sheet grounding line discharge has increased since 1996.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, and David C. Hogg
The Cryosphere, 17, 4421–4445, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4421-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4421-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The presence of crevasses in Antarctica influences how the ice sheet behaves. It is important, therefore, to collect data on the spatial distribution of crevasses and how they are changing. We present a method of mapping crevasses from satellite radar imagery and apply it to 7.5 years of images, covering Antarctica's floating and grounded ice. We develop a method of measuring change in the density of crevasses and quantify increased fracturing in important parts of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Fernando S. Paolo, Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Johan Nilsson, Michael P. Schodlok, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3409–3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report on a slowdown in the rate of thinning and melting of West Antarctic ice shelves. We present a comprehensive assessment of the Antarctic ice shelves, where we analyze at a continental scale the changes in thickness, flow, and basal melt over the past 26 years. We also present a novel method to estimate ice shelf change from satellite altimetry and a time-dependent data set of ice shelf thickness and basal melt rates at an unprecedented resolution.
Cyrille Mosbeux, Laurie Padman, Emilie Klein, Peter D. Bromirski, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 2585–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica's ice shelves (the floating extension of the ice sheet) help regulate ice flow. As ice shelves thin or lose contact with the bedrock, the upstream ice tends to accelerate, resulting in increased mass loss. Here, we use an ice sheet model to simulate the effect of seasonal sea surface height variations and see if we can reproduce observed seasonal variability of ice velocity on the ice shelf. When correctly parameterised, the model fits the observations well.
Julia R. Andreasen, Anna E. Hogg, and Heather L. Selley
The Cryosphere, 17, 2059–2072, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2059-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2059-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
There are few long-term, high spatial resolution observations of ice shelf change in Antarctica over the past 3 decades. In this study, we use high spatial resolution observations to map the annual calving front location on 34 ice shelves around Antarctica from 2009 to 2019 using satellite data. The results provide a comprehensive assessment of ice front migration across Antarctica over the last decade.
Ashley Morris, Bradley P. Lipovsky, Catherine C. Walker, and Oliver J. Marsh
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-63, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-63, 2023
Revised manuscript under review for TC
Short summary
Short summary
Floating ice shelves hold back Antarctic ice flow, but they are thinning and retreating. To help predict future mass loss we need a better understanding of the behavior of the rifts from which icebergs detach. We automate rift width measurement using surface elevation data from the ICESat-2 laser altimetry satellite, and validate using satellite images and GPS receivers placed around the "Halloween Crack" on Brunt Ice Shelf. We find rift opening stagnated following calving from an adjacent rift.
Martin Horwath, Benjamin D. Gutknecht, Anny Cazenave, Hindumathi Kulaiappan Palanisamy, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Frank Paul, Raymond Le Bris, Anna E. Hogg, Inès Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Petra Döll, Denise Cáceres, Hannes Müller Schmied, Johnny A. Johannessen, Jan Even Øie Nilsen, Roshin P. Raj, René Forsberg, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Valentina R. Barletta, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Per Knudsen, Ole Baltazar Andersen, Heidi Ranndal, Stine K. Rose, Christopher J. Merchant, Claire R. Macintosh, Karina von Schuckmann, Kristin Novotny, Andreas Groh, Marco Restano, and Jérôme Benveniste
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 411–447, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-411-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Global mean sea-level change observed from 1993 to 2016 (mean rate of 3.05 mm yr−1) matches the combined effect of changes in water density (thermal expansion) and ocean mass. Ocean-mass change has been assessed through the contributions from glaciers, ice sheets, and land water storage or directly from satellite data since 2003. Our budget assessments of linear trends and monthly anomalies utilise new datasets and uncertainty characterisations developed within ESA's Climate Change Initiative.
Qiang Sun, Christopher M. Little, Alice M. Barthel, and Laurie Padman
Ocean Sci., 17, 131–145, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-131-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-17-131-2021, 2021
Zachary Fair, Mark Flanner, Kelly M. Brunt, Helen Amanda Fricker, and Alex Gardner
The Cryosphere, 14, 4253–4263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4253-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4253-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Ice on glaciers and ice sheets may melt and pond on ice surfaces in summer months. Detection and observation of these meltwater ponds is important for understanding glaciers and ice sheets, and satellite imagery has been used in previous work. However, image-based methods struggle with deep water, so we used data from the Ice, Clouds, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) and the Airborne Topographic Mapper (ATM) to demonstrate the potential for lidar depth monitoring.
Christian T. Wild, Oliver J. Marsh, and Wolfgang Rack
The Cryosphere, 13, 3171–3191, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3171-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3171-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In Antarctica, ocean tides control the motion of ice sheets near the coastline as well as melt rates underneath the floating ice. By combining the spatial advantage of rare but highly accurate satellite images with the temporal advantage of tide-prediction models, vertical displacement of floating ice due to ocean tides can now be predicted accurately. This allows the detailed study of ice-flow dynamics in areas that matter the most to the stability of Antarctica's ice sheets.
Andrey Pnyushkov, Igor V. Polyakov, Laurie Padman, and An T. Nguyen
Ocean Sci., 14, 1329–1347, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-1329-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-14-1329-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
A total of 4 years of velocity and hydrography records from moored profilers over the Laptev Sea slope reveal multiple events of eddies passing through the mooring site. These events suggest that the advection of mesoscale eddies is an important component of ocean dynamics in the Eurasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean. Increased vertical shear of current velocities found within eddies produces enhanced diapycnal mixing, suggesting their importance for the redistribution of heat in the Arctic Ocean.
Adriano Lemos, Andrew Shepherd, Malcolm McMillan, Anna E. Hogg, Emma Hatton, and Ian Joughin
The Cryosphere, 12, 2087–2097, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2087-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2087-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present time-series of ice surface velocities on four key outlet glaciers in Greenland, derived from sequential satellite imagery acquired between October 2014 and February 2017. We demonstrate it is possible to resolve seasonal and inter-annual changes in outlet glacier with an estimated certainty of 10 %. These datasets are key for the timely identification of emerging signals of dynamic imbalance and for understanding the processes driving ice velocity change.
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.
Thomas Slater, Andrew Shepherd, Malcolm McMillan, Alan Muir, Lin Gilbert, Anna E. Hogg, Hannes Konrad, and Tommaso Parrinello
The Cryosphere, 12, 1551–1562, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1551-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1551-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We present a new digital elevation model of Antarctica derived from 6 years of elevation measurements acquired by ESA's CryoSat-2 satellite radar altimeter. We compare our elevation model to an independent set of NASA IceBridge airborne laser altimeter measurements and find the overall accuracy to be 9.5 m – a value comparable to or better than that of other models derived from satellite altimetry. The new CryoSat-2 digital elevation model of Antarctica will be made freely available.
Rachael D. Mueller, Tore Hattermann, Susan L. Howard, and Laurie Padman
The Cryosphere, 12, 453–476, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-453-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-453-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
There is evidence that climate change in the Weddell Sea will cause warmer water to flow toward the icy continent and into the ocean cavity circulating beneath a thick (~ 1000 m) ice sheet extension that floats over the Weddell Sea, called the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS). This paper addresses the impact of this potential warming on the melting of FRIS. It evaluates the previously unexplored feedbacks between ice melting, changes in cavity geometry, tides, and circulation.
Wolfgang Rack, Matt A. King, Oliver J. Marsh, Christian T. Wild, and Dana Floricioiu
The Cryosphere, 11, 2481–2490, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2481-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2481-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Predicting changes of the Antarctic Ice Sheet involves fully understanding ice dynamics at the transition between grounded and floating ice. We map tidal bending of ice by satellite using InSAR, and we use precise GPS measurements with assumptions of tidal elastic bending to better interpret the satellite signal. It allows us to better define the grounding-line position and to refine the shape of tidal flexure profiles.
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.
S. P. Carter, H. A. Fricker, and M. R. Siegfried
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-2053-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-9-2053-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
We develop a model that simulated the observed filling and draining of active subglacial lakes in Antarctica that suggests the may occurs by the erosion of channels into deformable subglacial sediments, that then deform shut as lake level declines. This contrasts with ice dammed alpine lakes which drain by channels incised into ice. If active subglacial lakes require deformable sediments to fill and drain as observed, then classic radar-based methods of lake detection may fail to find them.
A. A. Borsa, G. Moholdt, H. A. Fricker, and K. M. Brunt
The Cryosphere, 8, 345–357, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-345-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-345-2014, 2014
O. J. Marsh, W. Rack, D. Floricioiu, N. R. Golledge, and W. Lawson
The Cryosphere, 7, 1375–1384, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1375-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Antarctic
A fast and simplified subglacial hydrological model for the Antarctic Ice Sheet and outlet glaciers
Thwaites Glacier thins and retreats fastest where ice-shelf channels intersect its grounding zone
Melt sensitivity of irreversible retreat of Pine Island Glacier
A model framework for atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange and the associated isotope effects at Dome Argus, Antarctica – Part 1: The diurnal changes
The long-term sea-level commitment from Antarctica
The influence of present-day regional surface mass balance uncertainties on the future evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet
How well can satellite altimetry and firn models resolve Antarctic firn thickness variations?
Feedback mechanisms controlling Antarctic glacial-cycle dynamics simulated with a coupled ice sheet–solid Earth model
The effect of ice shelf rheology on shelf edge bending
Hysteresis of idealized, instability-prone outlet glaciers in response to pinning-point buttressing variation
A physics-based Antarctic melt detection technique: combining Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2, radiative-transfer modeling, and firn modeling
Brief communication: Precision measurement of the index of refraction of deep glacial ice at radio frequencies at Summit Station, Greenland
Widespread increase in discharge from west Antarctic Peninsula glaciers since 2018
Surface dynamics and history of the calving cycle of Astrolabe Glacier (Adélie Coast, Antarctica) derived from satellite imagery
Detecting Holocene retreat and readvance in the Amundsen Sea sector of Antarctica: assessing the suitability of sites near Pine Island Glacier for subglacial bedrock drilling
Weak relationship between remotely detected crevasses and inferred ice rheological parameters on Antarctic ice shelves
Speed-up, slowdown, and redirection of ice flow on neighbouring ice streams in the Pope, Smith and Kohler region of West Antarctica
A history-matching analysis of the Antarctic Ice Sheet since the last interglacial – Part 1: Ice sheet evolution
Extensive palaeo-surfaces beneath the Evans–Rutford region of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet control modern and past ice flow
Towards the systematic reconnaissance of seismic signals from glaciers and ice sheets – Part 1: Event detection for cryoseismology
Towards the systematic reconnaissance of seismic signals from glaciers and ice sheets – Part 2: Unsupervised learning for source process characterization
Geometric amplification and suppression of ice-shelf basal melt in West Antarctica
Alpine topography of the Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, Antarctica, mapped from ice sheet surface morphology
Impact of boundary conditions on the modeled thermal regime of the Antarctic ice sheet
The staggered retreat of grounded ice in the Ross Sea, Antarctica, since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)
The effect of landfast sea ice buttressing on ice dynamic speedup in the Larsen B embayment, Antarctica
ISMIP6-based Antarctic Projections to 2100: simulations with the BISICLES ice sheet model
Meteoric water and glacial melt in the southeastern Amundsen Sea: a time series from 1994 to 2020
Evaporative controls on Antarctic precipitation: an ECHAM6 model study using innovative water tracer diagnostics
Disentangling the drivers of future Antarctic ice loss with a historically calibrated ice-sheet model
Modelling GNSS-observed seasonal velocity changes of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using the Ice-sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM)
Insights into the vulnerability of Antarctic glaciers from the ISMIP6 ice sheet model ensemble and associated uncertainty
Evaluation of four calving laws for Antarctic ice shelves
Oceanic gateways in Antarctica – Impact of relative sea-level change on sub-shelf melt
Englacial architecture of Lambert Glacier, East Antarctica
Mass changes of the northern Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet derived from repeat bi-static synthetic aperture radar acquisitions for the period 2013–2017
The evolution of future Antarctic surface melt using PISM-dEBM-simple
Characteristics and rarity of the strong 1940s westerly wind event over the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica
Sensitivity of the MAR regional climate model snowpack to the parameterization of the assimilation of satellite-derived wet-snow masks on the Antarctic Peninsula
Stratigraphic noise and its potential drivers across the plateau of Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Evaluating the impact of enhanced horizontal resolution over the Antarctic domain using a variable-resolution Earth system model
Statistically parameterizing and evaluating a positive degree-day model to estimate surface melt in Antarctica from 1979 to 2022
Widespread slowdown in thinning rates of West Antarctic ice shelves
Seasonal variability in Antarctic ice shelf velocities forced by sea surface height variations
Revisiting temperature sensitivity: how does Antarctic precipitation change with temperature?
Cosmogenic-nuclide data from Antarctic nunataks can constrain past ice sheet instabilities
Exploring ice sheet model sensitivity to ocean thermal forcing and basal sliding using the Community Ice Sheet Model (CISM)
High mid-Holocene accumulation rates over West Antarctica inferred from a pervasive ice-penetrating radar reflector
Seasonal and interannual variability of the landfast ice mass balance between 2009 and 2018 in Prydz Bay, East Antarctica
Megadunes in Antarctica: migration and characterization from remote and in situ observations
Elise Kazmierczak, Thomas Gregov, Violaine Coulon, and Frank Pattyn
The Cryosphere, 18, 5887–5911, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5887-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-5887-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a new fast model for water flow beneath the ice sheet capable of handling various hydrological and bed conditions in a unified way. Applying this model to Thwaites Glacier, we show that accounting for this water flow in ice sheet model projections has the potential to greatly increase the contribution to future sea level rise. We also demonstrate that the sensitivity of the ice sheet in response to external changes depends on the efficiency of the drainage and the bed type.
Allison M. Chartrand, Ian M. Howat, Ian R. Joughin, and Benjamin E. Smith
The Cryosphere, 18, 4971–4992, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4971-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study uses high-resolution remote-sensing data to show that shrinking of the West Antarctic Thwaites Glacier’s ice shelf (floating extension) is exacerbated by several sub-ice-shelf meltwater channels that form as the glacier transitions from full contact with the seafloor to fully floating. In mapping these channels, the position of the transition zone, and thinning rates of the Thwaites Glacier, this work elucidates important processes driving its rapid contribution to sea level rise.
Brad Reed, J. A. Mattias Green, Adrian Jenkins, and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 18, 4567–4587, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4567-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4567-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use a numerical ice-flow model to simulate the response of a 1940s Pine Island Glacier to changes in melting beneath its ice shelf. A decadal period of warm forcing is sufficient to push the glacier into an unstable, irreversible retreat from its long-term position on a subglacial ridge to an upstream ice plain. This retreat can only be stopped when unrealistic cold forcing is applied. These results show that short warm anomalies can lead to quick and substantial increases in ice flux.
Tianming Ma, Zhuang Jiang, Minghu Ding, Pengzhen He, Yuansheng Li, Wenqian Zhang, and Lei Geng
The Cryosphere, 18, 4547–4565, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4547-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4547-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We constructed a box model to evaluate the isotope effects of atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange at Dome A, Antarctica. The results show clear and invisible diurnal changes in surface snow isotopes under summer and winter conditions, respectively. The model also predicts that the annual net effects of atmosphere–snow water vapor exchange would be overall enrichments in snow isotopes since the effects in summer appear to be greater than those in winter at the study site.
Ann Kristin Klose, Violaine Coulon, Frank Pattyn, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4463–4492, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4463-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4463-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We systematically assess the long-term sea-level response from Antarctica to warming projected over the next centuries, using two ice-sheet models. We show that this committed Antarctic sea-level contribution is substantially higher than the transient sea-level change projected for the coming decades. A low-emission scenario already poses considerable risk of multi-meter sea-level increase over the next millennia, while additional East Antarctic ice loss unfolds under the high-emission pathway.
Christian Wirths, Thomas F. Stocker, and Johannes C. R. Sutter
The Cryosphere, 18, 4435–4462, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4435-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4435-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We investigated the influence of several regional climate models on the Antarctic Ice Sheet when applied as forcing for the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM). Our study shows that the choice of regional climate model forcing results in uncertainties of around a tenth of those in future sea level rise projections and also affects the extent of grounding line retreat in West Antarctica.
Maria T. Kappelsberger, Martin Horwath, Eric Buchta, Matthias O. Willen, Ludwig Schröder, Sanne B. M. Veldhuijsen, Peter Kuipers Munneke, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 18, 4355–4378, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4355-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4355-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The interannual variations in the height of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) are mainly due to natural variations in snowfall. Precise knowledge of these variations is important for the detection of any long-term climatic trends in AIS surface elevation. We present a new product that spatially resolves these height variations over the period 1992–2017. The product combines the strengths of atmospheric modeling results and satellite altimetry measurements.
Torsten Albrecht, Meike Bagge, and Volker Klemann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4233–4255, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We performed coupled ice sheet–solid Earth simulations and discovered a positive (forebulge) feedback mechanism for advancing grounding lines, supporting a larger West Antarctic Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. During deglaciation we found that the stabilizing glacial isostatic adjustment feedback dominates grounding-line retreat in the Ross Sea, with a weak Earth structure. This may have consequences for present and future ice sheet stability and potential rates of sea-level rise.
W. Roger Buck
The Cryosphere, 18, 4165–4176, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Standard theory predicts that the edge of an ice shelf should bend downward. Satellite observations show that the edges of many ice shelves bend upward. A new theory for ice shelf bending is developed that, for the first time, includes the kind of vertical variations in ice flow properties expected for ice shelves. Upward bending of shelf edges is predicted as long as the ice surface is very cold and the ice flow properties depend strongly on temperature.
Johannes Feldmann, Anders Levermann, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 18, 4011–4028, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4011-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here we show in simplified simulations that the (ir)reversibility of the retreat of instability-prone, Antarctica-type glaciers can strongly depend on the depth of the bed depression they rest on. If it is sufficiently deep, then the destabilized glacier does not recover from its collapsed state. Our results suggest that glaciers resting on a wide and deep bed depression, such as Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, are particularly susceptible to irreversible retreat.
Marissa E. Dattler, Brooke Medley, and C. Max Stevens
The Cryosphere, 18, 3613–3631, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3613-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3613-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We developed an algorithm based on combining models and satellite observations to identify the presence of surface melt on the Antarctic Ice Sheet. We find that this method works similarly to previous methods by assessing 13 sites and the Larsen C ice shelf. Unlike previous methods, this algorithm is based on physical parameters, and updates to this method could allow the meltwater present on the Antarctic Ice Sheet to be quantified instead of simply detected.
Christoph Welling and The RNO-G Collaboration
The Cryosphere, 18, 3433–3437, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3433-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3433-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We report on the measurement of the index of refraction in glacial ice at radio frequencies. We show that radio echoes from within the ice can be associated with specific features of the ice conductivity and use this to determine the wave velocity. This measurement is especially relevant for the Radio Neutrino Observatory Greenland (RNO-G), a neutrino detection experiment currently under construction at Summit Station, Greenland.
Benjamin J. Davison, Anna E. Hogg, Carlos Moffat, Michael P. Meredith, and Benjamin J. Wallis
The Cryosphere, 18, 3237–3251, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3237-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Using a new dataset of ice motion, we observed glacier acceleration on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. The speed-up began around January 2021, but some glaciers sped up earlier or later. Using a combination of ship-based ocean temperature observations and climate models, we show that the speed-up coincided with a period of unusually warm air and ocean temperatures in the region.
Floriane Provost, Dimitri Zigone, Emmanuel Le Meur, Jean-Philippe Malet, and Clément Hibert
The Cryosphere, 18, 3067–3079, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3067-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3067-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The recent calving of Astrolabe Glacier in November 2021 presents an opportunity to better understand the processes leading to ice fracturing. Optical-satellite imagery is used to retrieve the calving cycle of the glacier ice tongue and to measure the ice velocity and strain rates in order to document fracture evolution. We observed that the presence of sea ice for consecutive years has favoured the glacier extension but failed to inhibit the growth of fractures that accelerated in June 2021.
Joanne S. Johnson, John Woodward, Ian Nesbitt, Kate Winter, Seth Campbell, Keir A. Nichols, Ryan A. Venturelli, Scott Braddock, Brent M. Goehring, Brenda Hall, Dylan H. Rood, and Greg Balco
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1452, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1452, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Determining where and when the Antarctic ice sheet was smaller than present requires recovery and exposure dating of subglacial bedrock. Here we use ice sheet model outputs and field data (geological and glaciological observations, bedrock samples and ground-penetrating radar from subglacial ridges) to assess the suitability for drilling of sites in the Hudson Mountains, West Antarctica. We find that no sites are perfect, but two are feasible, with the most suitable being Winkie Nunatak.
Cristina Gerli, Sebastian Rosier, G. Hilmar Gudmundsson, and Sainan Sun
The Cryosphere, 18, 2677–2689, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2677-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2677-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Recent efforts have focused on using AI and satellite imagery to track crevasses for assessing ice shelf damage and informing ice flow models. Our study reveals a weak connection between these observed products and damage maps inferred from ice flow models. While there is some improvement in crevasse-dense regions, this association remains limited. Directly mapping ice damage from satellite observations may not significantly improve the representation of these processes within ice flow models.
Heather Louise Selley, Anna E. Hogg, Benjamin J. Davison, Pierre Dutrieux, and Thomas Slater
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1442, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1442, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We used satellite observations to measure recent changes in ice speed and flow direction in the Pope, Smith and Kohler Region of West Antarctica (2005–2022). We found substantial speed up on seven ice streams of up to 87 %. However, Kohler West Glacier has slowed by 10%, due to the redirection of ice flow into its rapidly thinning neighbour. This process of ‘ice piracy’ hasn’t previously been directly observed on this rapid timescale and may influence future ice shelf and sheet mass changes.
Benoit S. Lecavalier and Lev Tarasov
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1291, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1291, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) over the last 200 ka by means of a history-matching analysis where an updated observational database constrained ~10,000 model simulations. During peak glaciation at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), the best-fitting sub-ensemble of AIS simulations reached an excess grounded ice volume relative to present of 9.2 to 26.5 meters equivalent sea-level relative to present. The LGM AIS volume can help resolve the LGM missing ice problem.
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.
Rebecca B. Latto, Ross J. Turner, Anya M. Reading, and J. Paul Winberry
The Cryosphere, 18, 2061–2079, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2061-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2061-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study of icequakes allows for investigation of many glacier processes that are unseen by typical reconnaissance methods. However, detection of such seismic signals is challenging due to low signal-to-noise levels and diverse source mechanisms. Here we present a novel algorithm that is optimized to detect signals from a glacier environment. We apply the algorithm to seismic data recorded in the 2010–2011 austral summer from the Whillans Ice Stream and evaluate the resulting event catalogue.
Rebecca B. Latto, Ross J. Turner, Anya M. Reading, Sue Cook, Bernd Kulessa, and J. Paul Winberry
The Cryosphere, 18, 2081–2101, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2081-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2081-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Seismic catalogues are potentially rich sources of information on glacier processes. In a companion study, we constructed an event catalogue for seismic data from the Whillans Ice Stream. Here, we provide a semi-automated workflow for consistent catalogue analysis using an unsupervised cluster analysis. We discuss the defining characteristics of identified signal types found in this catalogue and possible mechanisms for the underlying glacier processes and noise sources.
Jan De Rydt and Kaitlin Naughten
The Cryosphere, 18, 1863–1888, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1863-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1863-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is losing ice at an accelerating pace. This is largely due to the presence of warm ocean water around the periphery of the Antarctic continent, which melts the ice. It is generally assumed that the strength of this process is controlled by the temperature of the ocean. However, in this study we show that an equally important role is played by the changing geometry of the ice sheet, which affects the strength of the ocean currents and thereby the melt rates.
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.
In-Woo Park, Emilia Kyung Jin, Mathieu Morlighem, and Kang-Kun Lee
The Cryosphere, 18, 1139–1155, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1139-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1139-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study conducted 3D thermodynamic ice sheet model experiments, and modeled temperatures were compared with 15 observed borehole temperature profiles. We found that using incompressibility of ice without sliding agrees well with observed temperature profiles in slow-flow regions, while incorporating sliding in fast-flow regions captures observed temperature profiles. Also, the choice of vertical velocity scheme has a greater impact on the shape of the modeled temperature profile.
Matthew A. Danielson and Philip J. Bart
The Cryosphere, 18, 1125–1138, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1125-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1125-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The post-Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Ross Sea was more significant than for any other Antarctic sector. Here we combined the available dates of retreat with new mapping of sediment deposited by the ice sheet during overall retreat. Our work shows that the post-LGM retreat through the Ross Sea was not uniform. This uneven retreat can cause instability in the present-day Antarctic ice sheet configuration and lead to future runaway retreat.
Trystan Surawy-Stepney, Anna E. Hogg, Stephen L. Cornford, Benjamin J. Wallis, Benjamin J. Davison, Heather L. Selley, Ross A. W. Slater, Elise K. Lie, Livia Jakob, Andrew Ridout, Noel Gourmelen, Bryony I. D. Freer, Sally F. Wilson, and Andrew Shepherd
The Cryosphere, 18, 977–993, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-977-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we use satellite observations and an ice flow model to quantify the impact of sea ice buttressing on ice streams on the Antarctic Peninsula. The evacuation of 11-year-old landfast sea ice in the Larsen B embayment on the East Antarctic Peninsula in January 2022 was closely followed by major changes in the calving behaviour and acceleration (30 %) of the ocean-terminating glaciers. Our results show that sea ice buttressing had a negligible direct role in the observed dynamic changes.
James F. O'Neill, Tamsin L. Edwards, Daniel F. Martin, Courtney Shafer, Stephen L. Cornford, Helene L. Seroussi, Sophie Nowicki, and Mira Adhikari
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-441, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-441, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We use an ice sheet model to simulate the Antarctic contribution to sea level over the 21st century, under a range of future climates, varying how sensitive the ice sheet is to different processes. We find that, under stronger warming scenarios, ocean temperatures increases and more snow falls on the ice sheet. When the ice sheet is sensitive to ocean warming, ocean melting driven loss exceeds snowfall driven gains, so that the sea level contribution is greater with more climate warming.
Andrew N. Hennig, David A. Mucciarone, Stanley S. Jacobs, Richard A. Mortlock, and Robert B. Dunbar
The Cryosphere, 18, 791–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-791-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A total of 937 seawater paired oxygen isotope (δ18O)–salinity samples collected during seven cruises on the SE Amundsen Sea between 1994 and 2020 reveal a deep freshwater source with δ18O − 29.4±1.0‰, consistent with the signature of local ice shelf melt. Local mean meteoric water content – comprised primarily of glacial meltwater – increased between 1994 and 2020 but exhibited greater interannual variability than increasing trend.
Qinggang Gao, Louise C. Sime, Alison J. McLaren, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Emilie Capron, Rachael H. Rhodes, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Xiaoxu Shi, and Martin Werner
The Cryosphere, 18, 683–703, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-683-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic precipitation is a crucial component of the climate system. Its spatio-temporal variability impacts sea level changes and the interpretation of water isotope measurements in ice cores. To better understand its climatic drivers, we developed water tracers in an atmospheric model to identify moisture source conditions from which precipitation originates. We find that mid-latitude surface winds exert an important control on moisture availability for Antarctic precipitation.
Violaine Coulon, Ann Kristin Klose, Christoph Kittel, Tamsin Edwards, Fiona Turner, Ricarda Winkelmann, and Frank Pattyn
The Cryosphere, 18, 653–681, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-653-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-653-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We present new projections of the evolution of the Antarctic ice sheet until the end of the millennium, calibrated with observations. We show that the ocean will be the main trigger of future ice loss. As temperatures continue to rise, the atmosphere's role may shift from mitigating to amplifying Antarctic mass loss already by the end of the century. For high-emission scenarios, this may lead to substantial sea-level rise. Adopting sustainable practices would however reduce the rate of ice loss.
Francesca Baldacchino, Nicholas R. Golledge, Huw Horgan, Mathieu Morlighem, Alanna V. Alevropoulos-Borrill, Alena Malyarenko, Alexandra Gossart, Daniel P. Lowry, and Laurine van Haastrecht
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2793, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2793, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how the Ross Ice Shelf flow is changing in a warming world is important for monitoring mass changes. The flow displays an intra-annual variation; however, it is unclear what mechanisms drive this variability. Sensitivity maps are modelled showing areas of the ice shelf where changes in basal melt most influence the ice flow. We suggest that basal melting partly drives the flow variability along the calving front of the ice shelf and will continue to do so in a warming world.
Hélène Seroussi, Vincent Verjans, Sophie Nowicki, Antony J. Payne, Heiko Goelzer, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Torsten Albrecht, Xylar Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Richard Cullather, Christophe Dumas, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Rupert Gladstone, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan M. Gregory, Ralf Greve, Tore Hattermann, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Thomas Kleiner, Eric Larour, Gunter R. Leguy, Daniel P. Lowry, Chistopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Tyler Pelle, Stephen F. Price, Aurélien Quiquet, Ronja Reese, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Sainan Sun, Luke D. Trusel, Jonas Van Breedam, Peter Van Katwyk, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Ricarda Winkelmann, Chen Zhao, Tong Zhang, and Thomas Zwinger
The Cryosphere, 17, 5197–5217, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5197-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Mass loss from Antarctica is a key contributor to sea level rise over the 21st century, and the associated uncertainty dominates sea level projections. We highlight here the Antarctic glaciers showing the largest changes and quantify the main sources of uncertainty in their future evolution using an ensemble of ice flow models. We show that on top of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, Totten and Moscow University glaciers show rapid changes and a strong sensitivity to warmer ocean conditions.
Joel A. Wilner, Mathieu Morlighem, and Gong Cheng
The Cryosphere, 17, 4889–4901, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4889-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4889-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We use numerical modeling to study iceberg calving off of ice shelves in Antarctica. We examine four widely used mathematical descriptions of calving (
calving laws), under the assumption that Antarctic ice shelf front positions should be in steady state under the current climate forcing. We quantify how well each of these calving laws replicates the observed front positions. Our results suggest that the eigencalving and von Mises laws are most suitable for Antarctic ice shelves.
Moritz Kreuzer, Torsten Albrecht, Lena Nicola, Ronja Reese, and Ricarda Winkelmann
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2737, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2737, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The study investigates how changing sea levels around Antarctica can potentially affect the floating ice shelves. It utilizes numerical models for both the Antarctic Ice Sheet and the solid Earth, investigating features like troughs and sills that control the flow of ocean water onto the continental shelf. The research finds that variations in sea level alone can significantly impact the melting rates of ice shelves.
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.
Thorsten Seehaus, Christian Sommer, Thomas Dethinne, and Philipp Malz
The Cryosphere, 17, 4629–4644, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4629-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4629-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Existing mass budget estimates for the northern Antarctic Peninsula (>70° S) are affected by considerable limitations. We carried out the first region-wide analysis of geodetic mass balances throughout this region (coverage of 96.4 %) for the period 2013–2017 based on repeat pass bi-static TanDEM-X acquisitions. A total mass budget of −24.1±2.8 Gt/a is revealed. Imbalanced high ice discharge, particularly at former ice shelf tributaries, is the main driver of overall ice loss.
Julius Garbe, Maria Zeitz, Uta Krebs-Kanzow, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 4571–4599, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4571-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4571-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We adopt the novel surface module dEBM-simple in the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) to investigate the impact of atmospheric warming on Antarctic surface melt and long-term ice sheet dynamics. As an enhancement compared to traditional temperature-based melt schemes, the module accounts for changes in ice surface albedo and thus the melt–albedo feedback. Our results underscore the critical role of ice–atmosphere feedbacks in the future sea-level contribution of Antarctica on long timescales.
Gemma K. O'Connor, Paul R. Holland, Eric J. Steig, Pierre Dutrieux, and Gregory J. Hakim
The Cryosphere, 17, 4399–4420, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4399-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4399-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Glaciers in West Antarctica are rapidly melting, but the causes are unknown due to limited observations. A leading hypothesis is that an unusually large wind event in the 1940s initiated the ocean-driven melting. Using proxy reconstructions (e.g., using ice cores) and climate model simulations, we find that wind events similar to the 1940s event are relatively common on millennial timescales, implying that ocean variability or climate trends are also necessary to explain the start of ice loss.
Thomas Dethinne, Quentin Glaude, Ghislain Picard, Christoph Kittel, Patrick Alexander, Anne Orban, and Xavier Fettweis
The Cryosphere, 17, 4267–4288, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4267-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4267-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the sensitivity of the regional climate model
Modèle Atmosphérique Régional(MAR) to the assimilation of wet-snow occurrence estimated by remote sensing datasets. The assimilation is performed by nudging the MAR snowpack temperature. The data assimilation is performed over the Antarctic Peninsula for the 2019–2021 period. The results show an increase in the melt production (+66.7 %) and a decrease in surface mass balance (−4.5 %) of the model for the 2019–2020 melt season.
Nora Hirsch, Alexandra Zuhr, Thomas Münch, Maria Hörhold, Johannes Freitag, Remi Dallmayr, and Thomas Laepple
The Cryosphere, 17, 4207–4221, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4207-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4207-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Stable water isotopes from firn cores provide valuable information on past climates, yet their utility is hampered by stratigraphic noise, i.e. the irregular deposition and wind-driven redistribution of snow. We found stratigraphic noise on the Antarctic Plateau to be related to the local accumulation rate, snow surface roughness and slope inclination, which can guide future decisions on sampling locations and thus increase the resolution of climate reconstructions from low-accumulation areas.
Rajashree Tri Datta, Adam Herrington, Jan T. M. Lenaerts, David P. Schneider, Luke Trusel, Ziqi Yin, and Devon Dunmire
The Cryosphere, 17, 3847–3866, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3847-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3847-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Precipitation over Antarctica is one of the greatest sources of uncertainty in sea level rise estimates. Earth system models (ESMs) are a valuable tool for these estimates but typically run at coarse spatial resolutions. Here, we present an evaluation of the variable-resolution CESM2 (VR-CESM2) for the first time with a grid designed for enhanced spatial resolution over Antarctica to achieve the high resolution of regional climate models while preserving the two-way interactions of ESMs.
Yaowen Zheng, Nicholas R. Golledge, Alexandra Gossart, Ghislain Picard, and Marion Leduc-Leballeur
The Cryosphere, 17, 3667–3694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3667-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Positive degree-day (PDD) schemes are widely used in many Antarctic numerical ice sheet models. However, the PDD approach has not been systematically explored for its application in Antarctica. We have constructed a novel grid-cell-level spatially distributed PDD (dist-PDD) model and assessed its accuracy. We suggest that an appropriately parameterized dist-PDD model can be a valuable tool for exploring Antarctic surface melt beyond the satellite era.
Fernando S. Paolo, Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Johan Nilsson, Michael P. Schodlok, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3409–3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We report on a slowdown in the rate of thinning and melting of West Antarctic ice shelves. We present a comprehensive assessment of the Antarctic ice shelves, where we analyze at a continental scale the changes in thickness, flow, and basal melt over the past 26 years. We also present a novel method to estimate ice shelf change from satellite altimetry and a time-dependent data set of ice shelf thickness and basal melt rates at an unprecedented resolution.
Cyrille Mosbeux, Laurie Padman, Emilie Klein, Peter D. Bromirski, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 2585–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctica's ice shelves (the floating extension of the ice sheet) help regulate ice flow. As ice shelves thin or lose contact with the bedrock, the upstream ice tends to accelerate, resulting in increased mass loss. Here, we use an ice sheet model to simulate the effect of seasonal sea surface height variations and see if we can reproduce observed seasonal variability of ice velocity on the ice shelf. When correctly parameterised, the model fits the observations well.
Lena Nicola, Dirk Notz, and Ricarda Winkelmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 2563–2583, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2563-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2563-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
For future sea-level projections, approximating Antarctic precipitation increases through temperature-scaling approaches will remain important, as coupled ice-sheet simulations with regional climate models remain computationally expensive, especially on multi-centennial timescales. We here revisit the relationship between Antarctic temperature and precipitation using different scaling approaches, identifying and explaining regional differences.
Anna Ruth W. Halberstadt, Greg Balco, Hannah Buchband, and Perry Spector
The Cryosphere, 17, 1623–1643, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1623-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper explores the use of multimillion-year exposure ages from Antarctic bedrock outcrops to benchmark ice sheet model predictions and thereby infer ice sheet sensitivity to warm climates. We describe a new approach for model–data comparison, highlight an example where observational data are used to distinguish end-member models, and provide guidance for targeted sampling around Antarctica that can improve understanding of ice sheet response to climate warming in the past and future.
Mira Berdahl, Gunter Leguy, William H. Lipscomb, Nathan M. Urban, and Matthew J. Hoffman
The Cryosphere, 17, 1513–1543, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1513-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1513-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Contributions to future sea level from the Antarctic Ice Sheet remain poorly constrained. One reason is that ice sheet model initialization methods can have significant impacts on how the ice sheet responds to future forcings. We investigate the impacts of two key parameters used during model initialization. We find that these parameter choices alone can impact multi-century sea level rise by up to 2 m, emphasizing the need to carefully consider these choices for sea level rise predictions.
Julien A. Bodart, Robert G. Bingham, Duncan A. Young, Joseph A. MacGregor, David W. Ashmore, Enrica Quartini, Andrew S. Hein, David G. Vaughan, and Donald D. Blankenship
The Cryosphere, 17, 1497–1512, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1497-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1497-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Estimating how West Antarctica will change in response to future climatic change depends on our understanding of past ice processes. Here, we use a reflector widely visible on airborne radar data across West Antarctica to estimate accumulation rates over the past 4700 years. By comparing our estimates with current atmospheric data, we find that accumulation rates were 18 % greater than modern rates. This has implications for our understanding of past ice processes in the region.
Na Li, Ruibo Lei, Petra Heil, Bin Cheng, Minghu Ding, Zhongxiang Tian, and Bingrui Li
The Cryosphere, 17, 917–937, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-917-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-917-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The observed annual maximum landfast ice (LFI) thickness off Zhongshan (Davis) was 1.59±0.17 m (1.64±0.08 m). Larger interannual and local spatial variabilities for the seasonality of LFI were identified at Zhongshan, with the dominant influencing factors of air temperature anomaly, snow atop, local topography and wind regime, and oceanic heat flux. The variability of LFI properties across the study domain prevailed at interannual timescales, over any trend during the recent decades.
Giacomo Traversa, Davide Fugazza, and Massimo Frezzotti
The Cryosphere, 17, 427–444, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-427-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-427-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Megadunes are fields of huge snow dunes present in Antarctica and on other planets, important as they present mass loss on the leeward side (glazed snow), on a continent characterized by mass gain. Here, we studied megadunes using remote data and measurements acquired during past field expeditions. We quantified their physical properties and migration and demonstrated that they migrate against slope and wind. We further proposed automatic detections of the glazed snow on their leeward side.
Cited articles
Adusumilli, S., Fricker, H. A., Medley, B., Padman, L., and Siegfried, M.
R.: Interannual variations in meltwater input to the Southern Ocean from
Antarctic ice shelves, Nat. Geosci., 13, 616–620,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-020-0616-z, 2020.
Alley, R. B., Blankenship, D. D., Rooney, S. T., and Bentley, C. R.:
Sedimentation beneath ice shelves – the view from ice stream B, Mar.
Geol., 85, 101–120, https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-3227(89)90150-3, 1989.
Anandakrishnan, S., Voigt, D. E., Alley, R. B., and King, M. A.: Ice stream
D flow speed is strongly modulated by the tide beneath the Ross Ice Shelf,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 30, 1361, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002GL016329, 2003.
Arendt, A., Scheick, J., Shean, D., Buckley, E., Grigsby, S., Haley,
C., Heagy, L., Mohajerani, Y., Neumann, T., Nilsson, J.,
Markus, T., Paolo, F. S., Perez, F., Petty, A.,
Schweiger, A., Smith, B., Steiker, A., Alvis, S., Henderson,
S., Holschuh, N., Liu, Z., and Sutterly, T.: 2020 ICESat-2
Hackweek Tutorials, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3966463,
2020.
Arthern, R. J. and Williams, C. R.: The sensitivity of West Antarctica to
the submarine melting feedback, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 2352–2359,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL072514, 2017.
Begeman, C. B., Tulaczyk, S., Padman, L., King, M., Siegfried, M. R.,
Hodson, T. O., and Fricker, H. A.: Tidal Pressurization of the Ocean Cavity
Near an Antarctic Ice Shelf Grounding Line, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 125, e2019JC015562,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JC015562, 2020.
Bindschadler, R. and Choi, H.: High-resolution Image-derived Grounding and
Hydrostatic Lines for the Antarctic Ice Sheet, U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP)
Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.7265/N56T0JK2, 2011.
Bindschadler, R., Choi, H., Wichlacz, A., Bingham, R., Bohlander, J., Brunt, K., Corr, H., Drews, R., Fricker, H., Hall, M., Hindmarsh, R., Kohler, J., Padman, L., Rack, W., Rotschky, G., Urbini, S., Vornberger, P., and Young, N.: Getting around Antarctica: new high-resolution mappings of the grounded and freely-floating boundaries of the Antarctic ice sheet created for the International Polar Year, The Cryosphere, 5, 569–588, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-5-569-2011, 2011.
Bojinski, S., Verstraete, M., Peterson, T. C., Richter, C., Simmons, A., and
Zemp, M.: The Concept of Essential Climate Variables in Support of Climate
Research, Applications, and Policy, B. Am. Meteorol.
Soc., 95, 1431–1443, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00047.1, 2014.
Brancato, V., Rignot, E., Milillo, P., Morlighem, M., Mouginot, J., An, L.,
Scheuchl, B., Jeong, S., Rizzoli, P., Bueso Bello, J. L., and Prats-Iraola,
P.: Grounding Line Retreat of Denman Glacier, East Antarctica, Measured With
COSMO-SkyMed Radar Interferometry Data, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL086291,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL086291, 2020.
Brunt, K. M., Fricker, H. A., Padman, L., and O'Neel, S.: ICESat-Derived
Grounding Zone for Antarctic Ice Shelves, U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Data
Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.7265/N5CF9N19, 2010a.
Brunt, K. M., Fricker, H. A., Padman, L., Scambos, T. A., and O'Neel, S.:
Mapping the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using ICESat
laser altimetry, Ann. Glaciol., 51, 71–79,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756410791392790, 2010b.
Brunt, K. M., Fricker, H. A., and Padman, L.: Analysis of ice plains of the
Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using ICESat laser altimetry, J.
Glaciol., 57, 965–975, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311798043753, 2011.
Catania, G., Hulbe, C., and Conway, H.: Grounding-line basal melt rates
determined using radar-derived internal stratigraphy, J. Glaciol., 56,
545–554, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214310792447842, 2010.
Chen, H., Rignot, E., Scheuchl, B., and Ehrenfeucht, S.: Grounding Zone of
Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica, From Differential Synthetic-Aperture Radar
Interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, e2022GL102430,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102430, 2023.
Christianson, K., Parizek, B. R., Alley, R. B., Horgan, H. J., Jacobel, R.
W., Anandakrishnan, S., Keisling, B. A., Craig, B. D., and Muto, A.: Ice
sheet grounding zone stabilization due to till compaction, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 5406–5411, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057447, 2013.
Ciracì, E., Rignot, E., Scheuchl, B., Tolpekin, V., Wollersheim, M.,
An, L., Milillo, P., Bueso-Bello, J.-L., Rizzoli, P., and Dini, L.: Melt
rates in the kilometer-size grounding zone of Petermann Glacier, Greenland,
before and during a retreat, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 120,
e2220924120, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220924120, 2023.
Cornford, S. L., Seroussi, H., Asay-Davis, X. S., Gudmundsson, G. H., Arthern, R., Borstad, C., Christmann, J., Dias dos Santos, T., Feldmann, J., Goldberg, D., Hoffman, M. J., Humbert, A., Kleiner, T., Leguy, G., Lipscomb, W. H., Merino, N., Durand, G., Morlighem, M., Pollard, D., Rückamp, M., Williams, C. R., and Yu, H.: Results of the third Marine Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (MISMIP+), The Cryosphere, 14, 2283–2301, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2283-2020, 2020.
Corr, H.: Processed airborne radio-echo sounding data from the GRADES-IMAGE
survey covering the Evans and Rutford Ice Streams, and ice rises in the
Ronne Ice Shelf, West Antarctica (2006/2007) (1.0), NERC EDS UK Polar Data
Centre [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5285/C7EA5697-87E3-4529-A0DD-089A2ED638FB, 2021.
Corr, H. F. J., Doake, C. S. M., Jenkins, A., and Vaughan, D. G.:
Investigations of an “ice plain” in the mouth of Pine Island Glacier,
Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 47, 51–57,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756501781832395, 2001.
Dawson, G. J. and Bamber, J. L.: Antarctic Grounding Line Mapping From
CryoSat-2 Radar Altimetry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 11886–11893,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL075589, 2017.
Dawson, G. J. and Bamber, J. L.: Measuring the location and width of the Antarctic grounding zone using CryoSat-2, The Cryosphere, 14, 2071–2086, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2071-2020, 2020.
Depoorter, M. A., Bamber, J. L., Griggs, J. A., Lenaerts, J. T. M.,
Ligtenberg, S. R. M., van den Broeke, M. R., and Moholdt, G.: Calving fluxes
and basal melt rates of Antarctic ice shelves, Nature, 502, 89–92,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12567, 2013.
Dowdeswell, J. A., Batchelor, C. L., Montelli, A., Ottesen, D., Christie, F.
D. W., Dowdeswell, E. K., and Evans, J.: Delicate seafloor landforms reveal
past Antarctic grounding-line retreat of kilometers per year, Science, 368,
1020–1024, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz3059, 2020.
Drews, R., Pattyn, F., Hewitt, I. J., Ng, F. S. L., Berger, S., Matsuoka,
K., Helm, V., Bergeot, N., Favier, L., and Neckel, N.: Actively evolving
subglacial conduits and eskers initiate ice shelf channels at an Antarctic
grounding line, Nat. Commun., 8, 15228, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15228,
2017.
Dupont, T. K. and Alley, R. B.: Assessment of the importance of ice-shelf
buttressing to ice-sheet flow, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L04503,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL022024, 2005.
Dutrieux, P., De Rydt, J., Jenkins, A., Holland, P. R., Ha, H. K., Lee, S.
H., Steig, E. J., Ding, Q., Abrahamsen, E. P., and Schroder, M.: Strong
Sensitivity of Pine Island Ice-Shelf Melting to Climatic Variability,
Science, 343, 174–178, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1244341, 2014.
Favier, L., Durand, G., Cornford, S. L., Gudmundsson, G. H., Gagliardini,
O., Gillet-Chaulet, F., Zwinger, T., Payne, A. J., and Le Brocq, A. M.:
Retreat of Pine Island Glacier controlled by marine ice-sheet instability,
Nat. Clim. Change, 4, 117–121, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2094, 2014.
Freer, B.: s2002365/Tidal-GL-Migration-ICESat-2: v1.0.0 (v1.0.0), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8037209, 2023.
Fricker, H. A. and Padman, L.: Ice shelf grounding zone structure from
ICESat laser altimetry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L15502,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL026907, 2006.
Fricker, H. A., Coleman, R., Padman, L., Scambos, T. A., Bohlander, J., and
Brunt, K. M.: Mapping the grounding zone of the Amery Ice Shelf, East
Antarctica using InSAR, MODIS and ICESat, Antarct. Sci., 21, 515–532,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S095410200999023X, 2009.
Friedl, P., Weiser, F., Fluhrer, A., and Braun, M. H.: Remote sensing of
glacier and ice sheet grounding lines: A review, Earth-Sci. Rev., 201,
102948, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102948, 2020.
Goldberg, D. N., Gourmelen, N., Kimura, S., Millan, R., and Snow, K.: How
Accurately Should We Model Ice Shelf Melt Rates?, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46,
189–199, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080383, 2019.
Graham, A. G. C., Wåhlin, A., Hogan, K. A., Nitsche, F. O., Heywood, K.
J., Totten, R. L., Smith, J. A., Hillenbrand, C.-D., Simkins, L. M.,
Anderson, J. B., Wellner, J. S., and Larter, R. D.: Rapid retreat of
Thwaites Glacier in the pre-satellite era, Nat. Geosci., 706–713,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01019-9, 2022.
Gudmundsson, G. H.: Tides and the flow of Rutford Ice Stream, West
Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 112, F04007,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000731, 2007.
Gudmundsson, G. H., Paolo, F. S., Adusumilli, S., and Fricker, H. A.:
Instantaneous Antarctic ice- sheet mass loss driven by thinning ice shelves,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 13903–13909.
https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085027, 2019.
Hogg, A. E., Shepherd, A., Gourmelen, N., and Engdahl, M.: Grounding line
migration from 1992 to 2011 on Petermann Glacier, North-West Greenland, J.
Glaciol., 62, 1104–1114, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.83, 2016.
Hogg, A. E., Shepherd, A., Gilbert, L., Muir, A., and Drinkwater, M. R.:
Mapping ice sheet grounding lines with CryoSat-2, Adv. Space Res., 62,
1191–1202, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asr.2017.03.008, 2018.
Holdsworth, G.: Flexure of a Floating Ice Tongue, J. Glaciol., 8, 385–397,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000026976, 1969.
Horgan, H. J., Alley, R. B., Christianson, K., Jacobel, R. W.,
Anandakrishnan, S., Muto, A., Beem, L. H., and Siegfried, M. R.: Estuaries
beneath ice sheets, Geology, 41, 1159–1162,
https://doi.org/10.1130/G34654.1, 2013a.
Horgan, H. J., Christianson, K., Jacobel, R. W., Anandakrishnan, S., and
Alley, R. B.: Sediment deposition at the modern grounding zone of Whillans
Ice Stream, West Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 3934–3939,
https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50712, 2013b.
Howard, S. L., Padman, L., and Erofeeva, S. Y.: CATS2008: Circum-Antarctic
Tidal Simulation version 2008 (1), U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) Data Center
[code], https://doi.org/10.15784/601235, 2019.
Howat, I., Morin, P., Porter, C., and Noh, M.-J.: The Reference Elevation
Model of Antarctica, Version 1, Harvard Dataverse [data set],
https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/SAIK8B, 2018.
Jenkins, A., Corr, H. F. J., Nicholls, K. W., Stewart, C. L., and Doake, C.
S. M.: Interactions between ice and ocean observed with phase-sensitive
radar near an Antarctic ice-shelf grounding line, J. Glaciol., 52, 325–346,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756506781828502, 2006.
Johnson, M. R. and Smith, A. M.: Seabed topography under the southern and
western Ronne Ice Shelf, derived from seismic surveys, Antarct. Sci., 9,
201–208, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102097000254, 1997.
Joughin, I., Smith, B. E., and Holland, D. M.: Sensitivity of 21st century
sea level to ocean-induced thinning of Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 37, L20502, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL044819, 2010.
Joughin, I., Alley, R. B., and Holland, D. M.: Ice-Sheet Response to Oceanic
Forcing, Science, 338, 1172–1176, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1226481,
2012.
King, M. A., Padman, L., Nicholls, K., Clarke, P. J., Gudmundsson, G. H.,
Kulessa, B., and Shepherd, A.: Ocean tides in the Weddell Sea: New
observations on the Filchner-Ronne and Larsen C ice shelves and model
validation, J. of Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 116, C06006,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC006949, 2011.
Konrad, H., Shepherd, A., Gilbert, L., Hogg, A. E., McMillan, M., Muir, A.,
and Slater, T.: Net retreat of Antarctic glacier grounding lines, Nat.
Geosci., 11, 258–262, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0082-z, 2018.
Li, T., Dawson, G. J., Chuter, S. J., and Bamber, J. L.: Mapping the grounding zone of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, from ICESat-2 laser altimetry, The Cryosphere, 14, 3629–3643, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3629-2020, 2020.
Li, T., Dawson, G. J., Chuter, S. J., and Bamber, J. L.: A high-resolution Antarctic grounding zone product from ICESat-2 laser altimetry, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 535–557, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-535-2022, 2022a.
Li, T., Dawson, Geoffrey J., Chuter, Stephen J., and Bamber, Jonathan L.:
ICESat-2 L3 Grounding Zone for Antarctic Ice Shelves, Version 1, NASA
National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center [data
set], https://doi.org/10.5067/RI67B92708M9, 2022b.
Li, T., Dawson, G. J., Chuter, S. J., and Bamber, J. L.: Grounding line retreat and tide-modulated ocean channels at Moscow University and Totten Glacier ice shelves, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 17, 1003–1022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1003-2023, 2023.
Luthcke, S. B., Thomas, T. C., Pennington, T. A., Rebold, T. W., Nicholas,
J. B., Rowlands, D. D., Gardner, A. S., and Bae, S.: ICESat-2 Pointing
Calibration and Geolocation Performance, Earth Space Sci., 8, e2020EA001494,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001494, 2021.
MacGregor, J. A., Anandakrishnan, S., Catania, G. A., and Winebrenner, D.
P.: The grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, West Antarctica, from
ice-penetrating radar, J. Glaciol., 57, 917–928,
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311798043780, 2011.
Magruder, L., Brunt, K., Neumann, T., Klotz, B., and Alonzo, M.: Passive
Ground-Based Optical Techniques for Monitoring the On-Orbit ICESat-2
Altimeter Geolocation and Footprint Diameter, Earth Space Sci., 8, e2020EA001414,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EA001414, 2021.
Makinson, K., Holland, P. R., Jenkins, A., Nicholls, K. W., and Holland, D.
M.: Influence of tides on melting and freezing beneath Filchner-Ronne Ice
Shelf, Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L06601,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2010GL046462, 2011.
Makinson, K., King, M. A., Nicholls, K. W., and Hilmar Gudmundsson, G.:
Diurnal and semidiurnal tide-induced lateral movement of Ronne Ice Shelf,
Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L06601,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL051636, 2012.
Markus, T., Neumann, T., Martino, A., Abdalati, W., Brunt, K., Csatho, B.,
Farrell, S., Fricker, H., Gardner, A., Harding, D., Jasinski, M., Kwok, R.,
Magruder, L., Lubin, D., Luthcke, S., Morison, J., Nelson, R.,
Neuenschwander, A., Palm, S., Popescu, S., Shum, C., Schutz, B. E., Smith,
B., Yang, Y., and Zwally, J.: The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2
(ICESat-2): Science requirements, concept, and implementation, Remote Sens.
Environ., 190, 260–273, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2016.12.029, 2017.
Milillo, P., Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Scheuchl, B., Morlighem, M., Li, X.,
and Salzer, J. T.: On the Short-term Grounding Zone Dynamics of Pine Island
Glacier, West Antarctica, Observed With COSMO-SkyMed Interferometric Data:
PIG Grounding Line Dynamics, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 10436–10444,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL074320, 2017.
Milillo, P., Rignot, E., Rizzoli, P., Scheuchl, B., Mouginot, J.,
Bueso-Bello, J., and Prats-Iraola, P.: Heterogeneous retreat and ice melt of
Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, Sci. Adv., 5, eaau3433,
https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aau3433, 2019.
Milillo, P., Rignot, E., Rizzoli, P., Scheuchl, B., Mouginot, J.,
Bueso-Bello, J. L., Prats-Iraola, P., and Dini, L.: Rapid glacier retreat
rates observed in West Antarctica, Nat. Geosci., 15, 48–53,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-021-00877-z, 2022.
Minchew, B. M., Simons, M., Riel, B., and Milillo, P.: Tidally induced
variations in vertical and horizontal motion on Rutford Ice Stream, West
Antarctica, inferred from remotely sensed observations, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 122, 167–190, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JF003971, 2017.
Moholdt, G., Padman, L., and Fricker, H. A.: Basal mass budget of Ross and
Filchner-Ronne ice shelves, Antarctica, derived from Lagrangian analysis of
ICESat altimetry: Ice shelf basal melting from altimetry, J. Geophys.
Res.-Earth, 119, 2361–2380, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014JF003171, 2014.
Mohajerani, Y., Jeong, S., Scheuchl, B., Velicogna, I., Rignot, E., and Milillo, P.: Automatic delineation of glacier grounding lines in differential interferometric synthetic-aperture radar data using deep learning, Sci. Rep., 11, 4992, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-84309-3, 2021.
Mosbeux, C., Padman, L., Klein, E., Bromirski, P. D., and Fricker, H. A.: Seasonal variability in Antarctic ice shelf velocities forced by sea surface height variations, The Cryosphere, 17, 2585–2606, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2585-2023, 2023.
Mueller, R. D., Padman, L., Dinniman, M. S., Erofeeva, S. Y., Fricker, H.
A., and King, M. A.: Impact of tide-topography interactions on basal melting
of Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 117, C05005,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JC007263, 2012.
Naughten, K. A., De Rydt, J., Rosier, S. H. R., Jenkins, A., Holland, P. R.,
and Ridley, J. K.: Two-timescale response of a large Antarctic ice shelf to
climate change, Nat. Commun., 12, 1991,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22259-0, 2021.
Neumann, T. A., Martino, A. J., Markus, T., Bae, S., Bock, M. R., Brenner,
A. C., Brunt, K. M., Cavanaugh, J., Fernandes, S. T., Hancock, D. W.,
Harbeck, K., Lee, J., Kurtz, N. T., Luers, P. J., Luthcke, S. B., Magruder,
L., Pennington, T. A., Ramos-Izquierdo, L., Rebold, T., Skoog, J., and
Thomas, T. C.: The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite – 2 mission: A
global geolocated photon product derived from the Advanced Topographic Laser
Altimeter System, Remote Sens. Environ., 233, 111325,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111325, 2019.
Nicholls, K. W. and Østerhus, S.: Interannual variability and ventilation
timescales in the ocean cavity beneath Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica,
J. Geophys. Res., 109, C04014, https://doi.org/10.1029/2003JC002149, 2004.
Padman, L., Fricker, H. A., Coleman, R., Howard, S., and Erofeeva, L.: A new
tide model for the Antarctic ice shelves and seas, Ann. Glaciol., 34,
247–254, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756402781817752, 2002.
Padman, L., Siegfried, M. R., and Fricker, H. A.: Ocean Tide Influences on
the Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheets, Rev. Geophys., 56, 142–184,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016RG000546, 2018.
Park, J. W., Gourmelen, N., Shepherd, A., Kim, S. W., Vaughan, D. G., and
Wingham, D. J.: Sustained retreat of the Pine Island Glacier, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 2137–2142, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50379, 2013.
Reeh, N., Mayer, C., Olesen, O. B., Christensen, E. L., and Thomsen, H. H.:
Tidal movement of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden glacier, northeast Greenland:
observations and modelling, Ann. Glaciol., 31, 111–117,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756400781820408, 2000.
Reeh, N., Christensen, E. L., Mayer, C., and Olesen, O. B.: Tidal bending of
glaciers: a linear viscoelastic approach, Ann. Glaciol., 37, 83–89,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756403781815663, 2003.
Rignot, E.: Tidal motion, ice velocity and melt rate of Petermann Gletscher,
Greenland, measured from radar interferometry, J. Glaciol., 42, 476–485,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000003464, 1996.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: Antarctic grounding line mapping
from differential satellite radar interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L10504,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047109, 2011.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Morlighem, M., Seroussi, H., and Scheuchl, B.:
Widespread, rapid grounding line retreat of Pine Island, Thwaites, Smith,
and Kohler glaciers, West Antarctica, from 1992 to 2011, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 41, 3502–3509, https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL060140, 2014.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: MEaSUREs Antarctic
Grounding Line from Differential Satellite Radar Interferometry, Version 2,
NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center
[data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/IKBWW4RYHF1Q, 2016.
Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., and Scheuchl, B.: MEaSUREs InSAR-Based
Antarctica Ice Velocity Map, Version 2, NASA National Snow and Ice Data
Center Distributed Active Archive Center [data set],
https://doi.org/10.5067/D7GK8F5J8M8R, 2017.
Robel, A. A., Tsai, V. C., Minchew, B., and Simons, M.: Tidal modulation of
ice shelf buttressing stresses, Ann. Glaciol., 58, 12–20,
https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.22, 2017.
Robel, A. A., Wilson, E., and Seroussi, H.: Layered seawater intrusion and melt under grounded ice, The Cryosphere, 16, 451–469, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-451-2022, 2022.
Rosier, S. H. R. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: Tidal controls on the flow of ice
streams, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 4433–4440,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL068220, 2016.
Rosier, S. H. R. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: Exploring mechanisms responsible for tidal modulation in flow of the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 17–37, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-17-2020, 2020.
Rosier, S. H. R., Gudmundsson, G. H., and Green, J. A. M.: Temporal variations in the flow of a large Antarctic ice stream controlled by tidally induced changes in the subglacial water system, The Cryosphere, 9, 1649–1661, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1649-2015, 2015.
Ross, N., Bingham, R. G., Corr, H. F. J., Ferraccioli, F., Jordan, T. A., Le
Brocq, A., Rippin, D. M., Young, D., Blankenship, D. D., and Siegert, M. J.:
Steep reverse bed slope at the grounding line of the Weddell Sea sector in
West Antarctica, Nat. Geosci., 5, 393–396,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1468, 2012.
Sayag, R. and Worster, M. G.: Elastic dynamics and tidal migration of
grounding lines modify subglacial lubrication and melting, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 5877–5881, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL057942, 2013.
Scambos, T. A., Haran, T. M., Fahnestock, M. A., Painter, T. H., and
Bohlander, J.: MODIS-based Mosaic of Antarctica (MOA) data sets:
Continent-wide surface morphology and snow grain size, Remote Sens.
Environ., 111, 242–257, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2006.12.020, 2007.
Scheick, J., Leong, W. J., Bisson, K., Arendt, A., Bhushan, S., Fair, Z., Hagen, N. R., Henderson, S., Knuth, F., Li, T., Liu, Z., Piunno, R., Ravinder, N., Setiawan, L. D., Sutterley, T., Swinski, J. P., and Anubhav: icepyx: querying, obtaining, analyzing, and manipulating ICESat-2 datasets. In The Journal of Open Source Software (v0.6.4_JOSS, Vol. 8, Number 84, p. 4912), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7806097, 2023.
Schmeltz, M., Rignot, E., and MacAyeal, D. R.: Ephemeral grounding as a
signal of ice-shelf change, J. Glaciol., 47, 71–77,
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756501781832502, 2001.
Schmeltz, M., Rignot, E., and MacAyeal, D.: Tidal flexure along ice-sheet
margins: comparison of InSAR with an elastic-plate model, Ann. Glaciol., 34,
202–208, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756402781818049, 2002.
Schmidt, B. E., Washam, P., Davis, P. E. D., Nicholls, K. W., Holland, D.
M., Lawrence, J. D., Riverman, K. L., Smith, J. A., Spears, A., Dichek, D.
J. G., Mullen, A. D., Clyne, E., Yeager, B., Anker, P., Meister, M. R.,
Hurwitz, B. C., Quartini, E. S., Bryson, F. E., Basinski-Ferris, A., Thomas,
C., Wake, J., Vaughan, D. G., Anandakrishnan, S., Rignot, E., Paden, J., and
Makinson, K.: Heterogeneous melting near the Thwaites Glacier grounding
line, Nature, 614, 471–478, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05691-0,
2023.
Schoof, C.: Ice sheet grounding line dynamics: Steady states, stability, and
hysteresis, J. Geophys. Res., 112, F03S28,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JF000664, 2007.
Schoof, C.: Marine ice sheet dynamics. Part 2. A Stokes flow contact
problem, J. Fluid Mech., 679, 122–155,
https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2011.129, 2011.
Schutz, B. E., Zwally, H. J., Shuman, C. A., Hancock, D., and DiMarzio, J.
P.: Overview of the ICESat Mission, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L21S01,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2005GL024009, 2005.
Siegert, M., Ross, N., Corr, H., Kingslake, J., and Hindmarsh, R.: Late
Holocene ice-flow reconfiguration in the Weddell Sea sector of West
Antarctica, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 78, 98–107,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2013.08.003, 2013.
Smith, A. M.: The use of tiltmeters to study the dynamics of Antarctic
ice-shelf grounding lines, J. Glaciol., 37, 51–58,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000042799, 1991.
Smith, B., Fricker, H. A., Holschuh, N., Gardner, A. S., Adusumilli, S.,
Brunt, K. M., Csathó, B., Harbeck, K., Huth, A., Neumann, T., Nilsson,
J., and Siegfried, M. R.: Land ice height-retrieval algorithm for NASA's
ICESat-2 photon-counting laser altimeter, Remote Sens. Environ., 233,
111352, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2019.111352, 2019.
Smith, B., Fricker, H. A., Gardner, A., Siegfried, M. R., Adusumilli, S.,
Csathó, B. M., Holschuh, N., Nilsson, J., Paolo, F. S., and the ICESat-2
Science Team: ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3A Land Ice Height, Version 5, Boulder
Colorado USA, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active
Archive Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/ATLAS/ATL06.005, 2021.
Stephenson, S. N., Doake, C. S. M., and Horsfall, J. A. C.: Tidal flexure of
ice shelves measured by tiltmeter, Nature, 282, 496–497,
https://doi.org/10.1038/282496a0, 1979.
Stubblefield, A. G., Spiegelman, M., and Creyts, T. T.: Variational
formulation of marine ice-sheet and subglacial-lake grounding-line dynamics,
J. Fluid Mech., 919, A23, https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2021.394, 2021.
Sutterley, T. C., Markus, T., Neumann, T. A., van den Broeke, M., van Wessem, J. M., and Ligtenberg, S. R. M.: Antarctic ice shelf thickness change from multimission lidar mapping, The Cryosphere, 13, 1801–1817, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1801-2019, 2019.
Thomas, R. H.: The Dynamics of Marine Ice Sheets, J. Glaciol., 24, 167–177,
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000014726, 1979.
Thompson, J., Simons, M., and Tsai, V. C.: Modeling the elastic transmission of tidal stresses to great distances inland in channelized ice streams, The Cryosphere, 8, 2007–2029, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-2007-2014, 2014.
Tsai, V. C. and Gudmundsson, G. H.: An improved model for tidally modulated
grounding-line migration, J. Glaciol., 61, 216–222,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2015JoG14J152, 2015.
Vaughan, D. G.: Tidal flexure at ice shelf margins, J. Geophys. Res.-Sol. Ea.,
100, 6213–6224, https://doi.org/10.1029/94JB02467, 1995.
Walker, R. T., Parizek, B. R., Alley, R. B., Anandakrishnan, S., Riverman,
K. L., and Christianson, K.: Ice-shelf tidal flexure and subglacial pressure
variations, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 361, 422–428,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2012.11.008, 2013.
Warburton, K. L. P., Hewitt, D. R., and Neufeld, J. A.: Tidal Grounding-Line
Migration Modulated by Subglacial Hydrology, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089088,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089088, 2020.
Wild, C. T., Marsh, O. J., and Rack, W.: Viscosity and elasticity: a model
intercomparison of ice-shelf bending in an Antarctic grounding zone, J.
Glaciol., 63, 573–580, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.15, 2017.
Co-editor-in-chief
This paper is worthy of a highlight. The authors show the importance of a process that has been known to exist but hasn’t been measured in this detail before. From a public interest perspective, the results might be tricky to explain in general terms, but the key results fit within the category of “major discovery” and/or “mystery”.
This paper is worthy of a highlight. The authors show the importance of a process that has been...
Short summary
We develop a method using ICESat-2 data to measure how Antarctic grounding lines (GLs) migrate across the tide cycle. At an ice plain on the Ronne Ice Shelf we observe 15 km of tidal GL migration, the largest reported distance in Antarctica, dominating any signal of long-term migration. We identify four distinct migration modes, which provide both observational support for models of tidal ice flexure and GL migration and insights into ice shelf–ocean–subglacial interactions in grounding zones.
We develop a method using ICESat-2 data to measure how Antarctic grounding lines (GLs) migrate...
