Articles | Volume 19, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2213-2025
Research article
 | 
25 Jun 2025
Research article |  | 25 Jun 2025

Satellite data reveal details of glacial isostatic adjustment in the Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica

Matthias O. Willen, Bert Wouters, Taco Broerse, Eric Buchta, and Veit Helm

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Cited articles

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Albrecht, T., Bagge, M., and Klemann, V.: Feedback mechanisms controlling Antarctic glacial-cycle dynamics simulated with a coupled ice sheet–solid Earth model, The Cryosphere, 18, 4233–4255, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4233-2024, 2024. a, b
Altamimi, Z., Rebischung, P., Collilieux, X., Métivier, L., and Chanard, K.: ITRF2020: an augmented reference frame refining the modeling of nonlinear station motions, J. Geodesy, 97, 47, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-023-01738-w, 2023. a
Barletta, V., Bevis, M., Smith, B., Wilson, T., Brown, A., Bordoni, A., Willis, M., Khan, S., Rovira-Navarro, M., Dalziel, I., Smalley, R., Kendrick, E., Konfal, S., Caccamise, D., Aster, R., Nyblade, A., and Wiens, D.: Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability, Science, 360, 1335–1339, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao1447, 2018. a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j
Book, C., Hoffman, M., Kachuck, S., Hillebrand, T., Price, S., Perego, M., and Bassis, J.: Stabilizing effect of bedrock uplift on retreat of Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, at centennial timescales, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 597, 117798, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2022.117798, 2022. a
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Short summary
Collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet in the Amundsen Sea Embayment is likely in the near future. Vertical uplift of bedrock due to glacial isostatic adjustment stabilizes the ice sheet and may delay its collapse. So far, only spatially and temporally sparse GPS measurements have been able to observe this bedrock motion. We have combined satellite data and quantified a region-wide bedrock motion that independently matches GPS measurements. This can improve ice sheet predictions.
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