The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1725-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 5
Research article
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08 May 2025
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 08 May 2025

Speed-up, slowdown, and redirection of ice flow on neighbouring ice streams in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler region of West Antarctica

Heather L. Selley, Anna E. Hogg, Benjamin J. Davison, Pierre Dutrieux, and Thomas Slater

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Editorial statement
Ice streams are dynamical features that control the ice flow from an ice sheet's interior to its margin. Due to their dynamical nature, ice streams may change flow speed and direction in response to external forcing or due to internal variability. This study investigates the interplay between neighbouring ice streams that feed the Dotson and Crosson Ice Shelves in West Antarctica. The authors use satellite observations to measure the change in ice speed and flow direction from 2005 to 2022, and their observations reveal a highly complex pattern of dynamical changes and the redirection of ice flow from one stream to another. These observations reveal previously undocumented impacts of spatially varying ice flow, which may influence the ice shelf and ice sheet.
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Short summary
We used satellite observations to measure recent changes in ice speed and flow direction in the Pope, Smith, and Kohler region of West Antarctica (2005–2022). We found substantial speed-up on seven ice streams of up to 87 %. However, Kohler West Glacier has slowed by 10 %, due to the redirection of ice flow into its rapidly thinning neighbour. This process of “ice piracy” has not previously been directly observed on this rapid timescale and may influence future ice shelf and sheet mass changes.
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