Articles | Volume 19, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-375-2025
© Author(s) 2025. 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-19-375-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
28 Jan 2025
Research article |
| 28 Jan 2025
| 28 Jan 2025
Evidence of active subglacial lakes under a slowly moving coastal region of the Antarctic Ice Sheet
Jennifer F. Arthur
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Glaciology and Geology section, Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Calvin Shackleton
Glaciology and Geology section, Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Geir Moholdt
Glaciology and Geology section, Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Kenichi Matsuoka
Glaciology and Geology section, Norwegian Polar Institute, 9296 Tromsø, Norway
Jelte van Oostveen
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, 9294 Tromsø, Norway
Related authors
No articles found.
Jonas Liebsch, Jörg Ebbing, and Kenichi Matsuoka
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1905, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-1905, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Solid Earth (SE).
Short summary
Short summary
The evolution of the Antarctic ice sheets depends, in addition to factors representing the warming climate, on the earth structure beneath the ice. What’s beneath the ice is largely inaccessible for direct sampling, but can be interpreted with the use of satellite or airborne measurements. We apply an unsupervised machine learning method to such data in East Antarctica to test whether this can ease interpretation and hence our understanding of what rocks are beneath the ice.
Robert G. Bingham, Julien A. Bodart, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Ailsa Chung, Rebecca J. Sanderson, Johannes C. R. Sutter, Olaf Eisen, Nanna B. Karlsson, Joseph A. MacGregor, Neil Ross, Duncan A. Young, David W. Ashmore, Andreas Born, Winnie Chu, Xiangbin Cui, Reinhard Drews, Steven Franke, Vikram Goel, John W. Goodge, A. Clara J. Henry, Antoine Hermant, Benjamin H. Hills, Nicholas Holschuh, Michelle R. Koutnik, Gwendolyn J.-M. C. Leysinger Vieli, Emma J. Mackie, Elisa Mantelli, Carlos Martín, Felix S. L. Ng, Falk M. Oraschewski, Felipe Napoleoni, Frédéric Parrenin, Sergey V. Popov, Therese Rieckh, Rebecca Schlegel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Xueyuan Tang, Thomas O. Teisberg, Kate Winter, Shuai Yan, Harry Davis, Christine F. Dow, Tyler J. Fudge, Tom A. Jordan, Bernd Kulessa, Kenichi Matsuoka, Clara J. Nyqvist, Maryam Rahnemoonfar, Matthew R. Siegfried, Shivangini Singh, Verjan Višnjević, Rodrigo Zamora, and Alexandra Zuhr
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2593, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The ice sheets covering Antarctica have built up over millenia through successive snowfall events which become buried and preserved as internal surfaces of equal age detectable with ice-penetrating radar. This paper describes an international initiative to work together on this archival data to build a comprehensive 3-D picture of how old the ice is everywhere across Antarctica, and how this will be used to reconstruct past and predict future ice and climate behaviour.
Eledath M. Gayathri, Chavarukonam M. Laluraj, Karathazhiyath Satheesan, Kenichi Matsuoka, Mahalinganathan Kanthanathan, and Meloth Thamban
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1666, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1666, 2024
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we study the effects of short–term atmospheric warming events on the ice sheet surface and subsurface temperatures of coastal Dronning Maud Land during 2014–2018. Our results revealed that the impact of warming events over ice sheet surface and subsurface temperatures varies with the mechanism of warming and prevailing meteorological conditions. The frequency and duration of such events are important for the surface and sub-surface processes of ice sheets.
Eledath M. Gayathri, Chavarukonam M. Laluraj, Karathazhiyath Satheesan, Kenichi Matsuoka, and Meloth Thamban
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2515, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2515, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
Episodic Antarctic Ice Sheet Surface Warming events can affect the mass balance of ice sheets by sublimation and melting during summer. Our study using five-year borehole thermistor measurements revealed two types of events over the coastal Dronning Maud Land region: cloud-induced and wind-induced. Understanding the frequency and duration of these events is important for predicting their future impacts on ice shelves and ice sheets.
Marie G. P. Cavitte, Hugues Goosse, Kenichi Matsuoka, Sarah Wauthy, Vikram Goel, Rahul Dey, Bhanu Pratap, Brice Van Liefferinge, Thamban Meloth, and Jean-Louis Tison
The Cryosphere, 17, 4779–4795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4779-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4779-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The net accumulation of snow over Antarctica is key for assessing current and future sea-level rise. Ice cores record a noisy snowfall signal to verify model simulations. We find that ice core net snowfall is biased to lower values for ice rises and the Dome Fuji site (Antarctica), while the relative uncertainty in measuring snowfall increases rapidly with distance away from the ice core sites at the ice rises but not at Dome Fuji. Spatial variation in snowfall must therefore be considered.
Alice C. Frémand, Peter Fretwell, Julien A. Bodart, Hamish D. Pritchard, Alan Aitken, Jonathan L. Bamber, Robin Bell, Cesidio Bianchi, Robert G. Bingham, Donald D. Blankenship, Gino Casassa, Ginny Catania, Knut Christianson, Howard Conway, Hugh F. J. Corr, Xiangbin Cui, Detlef Damaske, Volkmar Damm, Reinhard Drews, Graeme Eagles, Olaf Eisen, Hannes Eisermann, Fausto Ferraccioli, Elena Field, René Forsberg, Steven Franke, Shuji Fujita, Yonggyu Gim, Vikram Goel, Siva Prasad Gogineni, Jamin Greenbaum, Benjamin Hills, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Andrew O. Hoffman, Per Holmlund, Nicholas Holschuh, John W. Holt, Annika N. Horlings, Angelika Humbert, Robert W. Jacobel, Daniela Jansen, Adrian Jenkins, Wilfried Jokat, Tom Jordan, Edward King, Jack Kohler, William Krabill, Mette Kusk Gillespie, Kirsty Langley, Joohan Lee, German Leitchenkov, Carlton Leuschen, Bruce Luyendyk, Joseph MacGregor, Emma MacKie, Kenichi Matsuoka, Mathieu Morlighem, Jérémie Mouginot, Frank O. Nitsche, Yoshifumi Nogi, Ole A. Nost, John Paden, Frank Pattyn, Sergey V. Popov, Eric Rignot, David M. Rippin, Andrés Rivera, Jason Roberts, Neil Ross, Anotonia Ruppel, Dustin M. Schroeder, Martin J. Siegert, Andrew M. Smith, Daniel Steinhage, Michael Studinger, Bo Sun, Ignazio Tabacco, Kirsty Tinto, Stefano Urbini, David Vaughan, Brian C. Welch, Douglas S. Wilson, Duncan A. Young, and Achille Zirizzotti
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2695–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents the release of over 60 years of ice thickness, bed elevation, and surface elevation data acquired over Antarctica by the international community. These data are a crucial component of the Antarctic Bedmap initiative which aims to produce a new map and datasets of Antarctic ice thickness and bed topography for the international glaciology and geophysical community.
Anirudha Mahagaonkar, Geir Moholdt, and Thomas V. Schuler
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-4, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-4, 2023
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Surface meltwater lakes along the margins of the Antarctic Ice Sheet can be important for ice shelf dynamics and stability. We used optical satellite imagery to study seasonal evolution of meltwater lakes in Dronning Maud Land. We found large interannual variability in lake extents, but with consistent seasonal patterns. Although correlation with summer air temperature was strong locally, other climatic and environmental factors need to be considered to explain the large regional variability.
Katrin Lindbäck, Geir Moholdt, Keith W. Nicholls, Tore Hattermann, Bhanu Pratap, Meloth Thamban, and Kenichi Matsuoka
The Cryosphere, 13, 2579–2595, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2579-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2579-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we used a ground-penetrating radar technique to measure melting at high precision under Nivlisen, an ice shelf in central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. We found that summer-warmed ocean surface waters can increase melting close to the ice shelf front. Our study shows the use of and need for measurements in the field to monitor Antarctica's coastal margins; these detailed variations in basal melting are not captured in satellite data but are vital to predict future changes.
Alex S. Gardner, Geir Moholdt, Ted Scambos, Mark Fahnstock, Stefan Ligtenberg, Michiel van den Broeke, and Johan Nilsson
The Cryosphere, 12, 521–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-521-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-521-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We map present-day Antarctic surface velocities from Landsat imagery and compare to earlier estimates from radar. Flow accelerations across the grounding lines of West Antarctica's Amundsen Sea Embayment, Getz Ice Shelf and the western Antarctic Peninsula, account for 89 % of the observed increase in ice discharge. In contrast, glaciers draining the East Antarctic have been remarkably stable. Our work suggests that patterns of mass loss are part of a longer-term phase of enhanced flow.
Vikram Goel, Joel Brown, and Kenichi Matsuoka
The Cryosphere, 11, 2883–2896, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2883-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2883-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Ice rises are locally grounded features surrounded by ice shelves. They help to stabilize the Antarctic Ice Sheet and in turn are affected by ice-sheet evolution. However, details of these influences depend on the glaciological settings of the ice rises. We first present detailed ground-based investigations from Blåskimen Island ice rise in East Antarctica. We found that the ice rise is at least ~ 600-years old and has been thickening by ~ 0.3 m per year over the past decade.
Johannes Jakob Fürst, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Toby J. Benham, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Mariusz Grabiec, Francisco Navarro, Rickard Pettersson, Geir Moholdt, Christopher Nuth, Björn Sass, Kjetil Aas, Xavier Fettweis, Charlotte Lang, Thorsten Seehaus, and Matthias Braun
The Cryosphere, 11, 2003–2032, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2003-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2003-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
For the large majority of glaciers and ice caps, there is no information on the thickness of the ice cover. Any attempt to predict glacier demise under climatic warming and to estimate the future contribution to sea-level rise is limited as long as the glacier thickness is not well constrained. Here, we present a two-step mass-conservation approach for mapping ice thickness. Measurements are naturally reproduced. The reliability is readily assessible from a complementary map of error estimates.
Laurence Gray, David Burgess, Luke Copland, Thorben Dunse, Kirsty Langley, and Geir Moholdt
The Cryosphere, 11, 1041–1058, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1041-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We use surface height data from west Greenland and Devon Ice Cap to check the performance of the new interferometric mode of the ESA CryoSat radar altimeter. The detailed height comparison allows an improved system calibration and processing methodology and measurement of the height of supraglacial lakes which form each summer around the periphery of the Greenland Ice Cap. The advantages of the SARIn mode suggest that future satellite radar altimeters for glacial ice should use this technology.
Reinhard Drews, Joel Brown, Kenichi Matsuoka, Emmanuel Witrant, Morgane Philippe, Bryn Hubbard, and Frank Pattyn
The Cryosphere, 10, 811–823, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-811-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-811-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The thickness of ice shelves is typically inferred using hydrostatic equilibrium which requires knowledge of the firn density. Here, we infer density from wide-angle radar using a novel algorithm including traveltime inversion and ray tracing. We find that firn is denser inside a 2 km wide ice-shelf channel which is confirmed by optical televiewing of two boreholes. Such horizontal density variations must be accounted for when using the hydrostatic ice thickness for determining basal melt rate.
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
W. Colgan, W. Abdalati, M. Citterio, B. Csatho, X. Fettweis, S. Luthcke, G. Moholdt, and M. Stober
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-8-537-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-8-537-2014, 2014
Revised manuscript not accepted
J. F. Levinsen, K. Khvorostovsky, F. Ticconi, A. Shepherd, R. Forsberg, L. S. Sørensen, A. Muir, N. Pie, D. Felikson, T. Flament, R. Hurkmans, G. Moholdt, B. Gunter, R. C. Lindenbergh, and M. Kleinherenbrink
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-7-5433-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tcd-7-5433-2013, 2013
Revised manuscript not accepted
C. Nuth, J. Kohler, M. König, A. von Deschwanden, J. O. Hagen, A. Kääb, G. Moholdt, and R. Pettersson
The Cryosphere, 7, 1603–1621, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1603-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1603-2013, 2013
M. Zemp, E. Thibert, M. Huss, D. Stumm, C. Rolstad Denby, C. Nuth, S. U. Nussbaumer, G. Moholdt, A. Mercer, C. Mayer, P. C. Joerg, P. Jansson, B. Hynek, A. Fischer, H. Escher-Vetter, H. Elvehøy, and L. M. Andreassen
The Cryosphere, 7, 1227–1245, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1227-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1227-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Glacier Hydrology
The organization of subglacial drainage during the demise of the Finnish Lake District Ice Lobe
Volumetric evolution of supraglacial lakes in southwestern Greenland using ICESat-2 and Sentinel-2
Supraglacial lake drainage through gullies and fractures
Deep clustering in subglacial radar reflectance reveals subglacial lakes
Partial melting in polycrystalline ice: pathways identified in 3D neutron tomographic images
Evaluation of satellite methods for estimating supraglacial lake depth in southwest Greenland
Observed and modeled moulin heads in the Pâkitsoq region of Greenland suggest subglacial channel network effects
In situ measurements of meltwater flow through snow and firn in the accumulation zone of the SW Greenland Ice Sheet
Controls on Greenland moulin geometry and evolution from the Moulin Shape model
Supraglacial streamflow and meteorological drivers from southwest Greenland
Hourly surface meltwater routing for a Greenlandic supraglacial catchment across hillslopes and through a dense topological channel network
Challenges in predicting Greenland supraglacial lake drainages at the regional scale
Role of discrete water recharge from supraglacial drainage systems in modeling patterns of subglacial conduits in Svalbard glaciers
A confined–unconfined aquifer model for subglacial hydrology and its application to the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream
Modelling the fate of surface melt on the Larsen C Ice Shelf
Modelled subglacial floods and tunnel valleys control the life cycle of transitory ice streams
Adam J. Hepburn, Christine F. Dow, Antti Ojala, Joni Mäkinen, Elina Ahokangas, Jussi Hovikoski, Jukka-Pekka Palmu, and Kari Kajuutti
The Cryosphere, 18, 4873–4916, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4873-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4873-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Terrain formerly occupied by ice sheets in the last ice age allows us to parameterize models of basal water flow using terrain and data unavailable beneath current ice sheets. Using GlaDS, a 2D basal hydrology model, we explore the origin of murtoos, a specific landform found throughout Finland that is thought to mark the upper limit of channels beneath the ice. Our results validate many of the predictions of murtoo origins and demonstrate that such models can be used to explore past ice sheets.
Tiantian Feng, Xinyu Ma, and Xiaomin Liu
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2195, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2195, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
During the melting season, substantial quantities of surface meltwater converge in topographically depressed regions, forming supraglacial lakes (SGLs). We extract SGLs area and profile depth using remote sensing data, and then inversion the depth of entire SGLs based on machine learning method. By applying above-mentioned methods, we capture the volumetric evolution of SGLs throughout the entire melt season of 2022 in southwestern Greenland.
Angelika Humbert, Veit Helm, Ole Zeising, Niklas Neckel, Matthias H. Braun, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Martin Rückamp, Holger Steeb, Julia Sohn, Matthias Bohnen, and Ralf Müller
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1151, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We study the evolution of a massive lake on the Greenland Ice Sheet using satellite and airborne data and some modelling. The lake is emptying rapidly. The water flows to the base of the glacier through cracks and gullies that remain visible over years. Some of them become reactive. We find features inside the glacier that stem from the drainage events with even 1 km width. These features are persistent over the years, although they are changing in shape.
Sheng Dong, Lei Fu, Xueyuan Tang, Zefeng Li, and Xiaofei Chen
The Cryosphere, 18, 1241–1257, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1241-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1241-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Subglacial lakes are a unique environment at the bottom of ice sheets, and they have distinct features in radar echo images that allow for visual detection. In this study, we use machine learning to analyze radar reflection waveforms and identify candidate subglacial lakes. Our approach detects more lakes than known inventories and can be used to expand the subglacial lake inventory. Additionally, this analysis may also provide insights into interpreting other subglacial conditions.
Christopher J. L. Wilson, Mark Peternell, Filomena Salvemini, Vladimir Luzin, Frieder Enzmann, Olga Moravcova, and Nicholas J. R. Hunter
The Cryosphere, 18, 819–836, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-819-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-819-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
As the temperature increases within a deforming ice aggregate, composed of deuterium (D2O) ice and water (H2O) ice, a set of meltwater segregations are produced. These are composed of H2O and HDO and are located in conjugate shear bands and in compaction bands which accommodate the deformation and weaken the ice aggregate. This has major implications for the passage of meltwater in ice sheets and the formation of the layering recognized in glaciers.
Laura Melling, Amber Leeson, Malcolm McMillan, Jennifer Maddalena, Jade Bowling, Emily Glen, Louise Sandberg Sørensen, Mai Winstrup, and Rasmus Lørup Arildsen
The Cryosphere, 18, 543–558, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-543-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-543-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Lakes on glaciers hold large volumes of water which can drain through the ice, influencing estimates of sea level rise. To estimate water volume, we must calculate lake depth. We assessed the accuracy of three satellite-based depth detection methods on a study area in western Greenland and considered the implications for quantifying the volume of water within lakes. We found that the most popular method of detecting depth on the ice sheet scale has higher uncertainty than previously assumed.
Celia Trunz, Kristin Poinar, Lauren C. Andrews, Matthew D. Covington, Jessica Mejia, Jason Gulley, and Victoria Siegel
The Cryosphere, 17, 5075–5094, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5075-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5075-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Models simulating water pressure variations at the bottom of glaciers must use large storage parameters to produce realistic results. Whether that storage occurs englacially (in moulins) or subglacially is a matter of debate. Here, we directly simulate moulin volume to constrain the storage there. We find it is not enough. Instead, subglacial processes, including basal melt and input from upstream moulins, must be responsible for stabilizing these water pressure fluctuations.
Nicole Clerx, Horst Machguth, Andrew Tedstone, Nicolas Jullien, Nander Wever, Rolf Weingartner, and Ole Roessler
The Cryosphere, 16, 4379–4401, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4379-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4379-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Meltwater runoff is one of the main contributors to mass loss on the Greenland Ice Sheet that influences global sea level rise. However, it remains unclear where meltwater runs off and what processes cause this. We measured the velocity of meltwater flow through snow on the ice sheet, which ranged from 0.17–12.8 m h−1 for vertical percolation and from 1.3–15.1 m h−1 for lateral flow. This is an important step towards understanding where, when and why meltwater runoff occurs on the ice sheet.
Lauren C. Andrews, Kristin Poinar, and Celia Trunz
The Cryosphere, 16, 2421–2448, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2421-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2421-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce a model for moulin geometry motivated by the wide range of sizes and shapes of explored moulins. Moulins comprise 10–14 % of the Greenland englacial–subglacial hydrologic system and act as time-varying water storage reservoirs. Moulin geometry can vary approximately 10 % daily and over 100 % seasonally. Moulin shape modulates the efficiency of the subglacial system that controls ice flow and should thus be included in hydrologic models.
Rohi Muthyala, Åsa K. Rennermalm, Sasha Z. Leidman, Matthew G. Cooper, Sarah W. Cooley, Laurence C. Smith, and Dirk van As
The Cryosphere, 16, 2245–2263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2245-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2245-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
In situ measurements of meltwater discharge through supraglacial stream networks are rare. The unprecedentedly long record of discharge captures diurnal and seasonal variability. Two major findings are (1) a change in the timing of peak discharge through the melt season that could impact meltwater delivery in the subglacial system and (2) though the primary driver of stream discharge is shortwave radiation, longwave radiation and turbulent heat fluxes play a major role during high-melt episodes.
Colin J. Gleason, Kang Yang, Dongmei Feng, Laurence C. Smith, Kai Liu, Lincoln H. Pitcher, Vena W. Chu, Matthew G. Cooper, Brandon T. Overstreet, Asa K. Rennermalm, and Jonathan C. Ryan
The Cryosphere, 15, 2315–2331, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2315-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We apply first-principle hydrology models designed for global river routing to route flows hourly through 10 000 individual supraglacial channels in Greenland. Our results uniquely show the role of process controls (network density, hillslope flow, channel friction) on routed meltwater. We also confirm earlier suggestions that large channels do not dewater overnight despite the shutdown of runoff and surface mass balance runoff being mistimed and overproducing runoff, as validated in situ.
Kristin Poinar and Lauren C. Andrews
The Cryosphere, 15, 1455–1483, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1455-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1455-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study addresses Greenland supraglacial lake drainages. We analyze ice deformation associated with lake drainages over 18 summers to assess whether
precursorstrain-rate events consistently precede lake drainages. We find that currently available remote sensing data products cannot resolve these events, and thus we cannot predict future lake drainages. Thus, future avenues for evaluating this hypothesis will require major field-based GPS or photogrammetry efforts.
Léo Decaux, Mariusz Grabiec, Dariusz Ignatiuk, and Jacek Jania
The Cryosphere, 13, 735–752, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-735-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-735-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Due to the fast melting of glaciers around the world, it is important to characterize the evolution of the meltwater circulation beneath them as it highly impacts their velocity. By using very
high-resolution satellite images and field measurements, we modelized it for two Svalbard glaciers. We determined that for most of Svalbard glaciers it is crucial to include their surface morphology to obtain a reliable model, which is not currently done. Having good models is key to predicting our future.
Sebastian Beyer, Thomas Kleiner, Vadym Aizinger, Martin Rückamp, and Angelika Humbert
The Cryosphere, 12, 3931–3947, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3931-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3931-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The evolution of subglacial channels below ice sheets is very important for the dynamics of glaciers as the water acts as a lubricant. We present a new numerical model (CUAS) that generalizes existing approaches by accounting for two different flow situations within a single porous medium layer: (1) a confined aquifer if sufficient water supply is available and (2) an unconfined aquifer, otherwise. The model is applied to artificial scenarios as well as to the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream.
Sammie Buzzard, Daniel Feltham, and Daniela Flocco
The Cryosphere, 12, 3565–3575, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3565-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3565-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Surface lakes on ice shelves can not only change the amount of solar energy the ice shelf receives, but may also play a pivotal role in sudden ice shelf collapse such as that of the Larsen B Ice Shelf in 2002.
Here we simulate current and future melting on Larsen C, Antarctica’s most northern ice shelf and one on which lakes have been observed. We find that should future lakes occur closer to the ice shelf front, they may contain sufficient meltwater to contribute to ice shelf instability.
Thomas Lelandais, Édouard Ravier, Stéphane Pochat, Olivier Bourgeois, Christopher Clark, Régis Mourgues, and Pierre Strzerzynski
The Cryosphere, 12, 2759–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2759-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2759-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Scattered observations suggest that subglacial meltwater routes drive ice stream dynamics and ice sheet stability. We use a new experimental approach to reconcile such observations into a coherent story connecting ice stream life cycles with subglacial hydrology and bed erosion. Results demonstrate that subglacial flooding, drainage reorganization, and valley development can control an ice stream lifespan, thus opening new perspectives on subglacial processes controlling ice sheet instabilities.
Cited articles
Andersen, J. K., Rathmann, N., Hvidberg, C. S., Grinsted, A., Kusk, A., Merryman Boncori, J. P., and Mouginot, J.: Episodic subglacial drainage cascades below the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, e2023GL103240, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103240, 2023.
Arthur, J.: DML-SubglacialLakes, Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13640820, 2024.
Arthur, J., Shackleton, C., Matsuoka, K., Moholdt, G., and van Oostveen, J.: Active subglacial lakes in coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica derived from ICESat-2 and ICESat, Norwegian Polar Institute [data set], https://doi.org/10.21334/npolar.2024.ab777130, 2024.
Arthur, J. F., Stokes, C. R., Jamieson, S. S., Rachel Carr, J., Leeson, A. A., and Verjans, V.: Large interannual variability in supraglacial lakes around East Antarctica, Nat. Commun., 13, 1711, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29385-3, 2022.
Boening, C., Lebsock, M., Landerer, F., and Stephens, G.: Snowfall-driven mass change on the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L21501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053316, 2012.
Brenner, A. C., DiMarzio, J. P., and Zwally, H. J.: Precision and accuracy of satellite radar and laser altimeter data over the continental ice sheets, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 45, 321–331, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2006.887172, 2007.
Brunt, K. M., Smith, B. E., Sutterley, T. C., Kurtz, N. T., and Neumann, T. A.: Comparisons of Satellite and Airborne Altimetry With Ground-Based Data From the Interior of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL090572, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL090572, 2021.
Carter, S. P. and Fricker, H. A.: The supply of subglacial meltwater to the grounding line of the Siple Coast, West Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 53, 267–280, https://doi.org/10.3189/2012AoG60A119, 2012.
Carter, S. P., Fricker, H. A., Blankenship, D. D., Johnson, J. V., Lipscomb, W. H., Price, S. F., and Young, D. A.: Modeling 5 years of subglacial lake activity in the MacAyeal Ice Stream (Antarctica) catchment through assimilation of ICESat laser altimetry, J. Glaciol., 57, 1098–1112, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311798843421, 2011.
Chartrand, A. M. and Howat, I. M.: Basal channel evolution on the Getz Ice Shelf, West Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2019JF005293, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005293, 2020.
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.
Dell, R., Arnold, N., Willis, I., Banwell, A., Williamson, A., Pritchard, H., and Orr, A.: Lateral meltwater transfer across an Antarctic ice shelf, The Cryosphere, 14, 2313–2330, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2313-2020, 2020.
Dow, C. F., Ross, N., Jeofry, H., Siu, K., and Siegert, M. J.: Antarctic basal environment shaped by high-pressure flow through a subglacial river system, Nat. Geosci., 15, 892–898, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-01059-1, 2022.
Drews, R.: Evolution of ice-shelf channels in Antarctic ice shelves, The Cryosphere, 9, 1169–1181, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1169-2015, 2015.
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.
Drews, R., Schannwell, C., Ehlers, T. A., Gladstone, R., Pattyn, F., and Matsuoka, K.: Atmospheric and oceanographic signatures in the ice shelf channel morphology of Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, inferred from radar data, J. Geophys. Res., 125, e2020JF005587, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005587, 2020.
Dunmire, D., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Banwell, A. F., Wever, N., Shragge, J., Lhermitte, S., Drews, R., Pattyn, F., Hansen, J. S. S., Willis, I. C., and Miller, J.: Observations of buried lake drainage on the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL087970, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL087970, 2020.
Fan, Y., Hao, W., Zhang, B., Ma, C., Gao, S., Shen, X., and Li, F.: Monitoring the Hydrological Activities of Antarctic Subglacial Lakes Using CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 Altimetry Data, Remote Sens., 14, 898, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14040898, 2022.
Fan, Y., Ke, C.-Q., Shen, X., Xiao, Y., Livingstone, S. J., and Sole, A. J.: Subglacial lake activity beneath the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet, The Cryosphere, 17, 1775–1786, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1775-2023, 2023.
Flament, T., Berthier, E., and Rémy, F.: Cascading water underneath Wilkes Land, East Antarctic ice sheet, observed using altimetry and digital elevation models, The Cryosphere, 8, 673–687, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-673-2014, 2014.
Frémand, A. C., Fretwell, P., Bodart, J. A., Pritchard, H. D., Aitken, A., Bamber, J. L., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R. G., Blankenship, D. D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Christianson, K., Conway, H., Corr, H. F. J., Cui, X., Damaske, D., Damm, V., Drews, R., Eagles, G., Eisen, O., Eisermann, H., Ferraccioli, F., Field, E., Forsberg, R., Franke, S., Fujita, S., Gim, Y., Goel, V., Gogineni, S. P., Greenbaum, J., Hills, B., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Hoffman, A. O., Holmlund, P., Holschuh, N., Holt, J. W., Horlings, A. N., Humbert, A., Jacobel, R. W., Jansen, D., Jenkins, A., Jokat, W., Jordan, T., King, E., Kohler, J., Krabill, W., Kusk Gillespie, M., Langley, K., Lee, J., Leitchenkov, G., Leuschen, C., Luyendyk, B., MacGregor, J., MacKie, E., Matsuoka, K., Morlighem, M., Mouginot, J., Nitsche, F. O., Nogi, Y., Nost, O. A., Paden, J., Pattyn, F., Popov, S. V., Rignot, E., Rippin, D. M., Rivera, A., Roberts, J., Ross, N., Ruppel, A., Schroeder, D. M., Siegert, M. J., Smith, A. M., Steinhage, D., Studinger, M., Sun, B., Tabacco, I., Tinto, K., Urbini, S., Vaughan, D., Welch, B. C., Wilson, D. S., Young, D. A., and Zirizzotti, A.: Antarctic Bedmap data: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) sharing of 60 years of ice bed, surface, and thickness data, Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 2695–2710, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-2695-2023, 2023.
Fretwell, P., Pritchard, H. D., Vaughan, D. G., Bamber, J. L., Barrand, N. E., Bell, R., Bianchi, C., Bingham, R. G., Blankenship, D. D., Casassa, G., Catania, G., Callens, D., Conway, H., Cook, A. J., Corr, H. F. J., Damaske, D., Damm, V., Ferraccioli, F., Forsberg, R., Fujita, S., Gim, Y., Gogineni, P., Griggs, J. A., Hindmarsh, R. C. A., Holmlund, P., Holt, J. W., Jacobel, R. W., Jenkins, A., Jokat, W., Jordan, T., King, E. C., Kohler, J., Krabill, W., Riger-Kusk, M., Langley, K. A., Leitchenkov, G., Leuschen, C., Luyendyk, B. P., Matsuoka, K., Mouginot, J., Nitsche, F. O., Nogi, Y., Nost, O. A., Popov, S. V., Rignot, E., Rippin, D. M., Rivera, A., Roberts, J., Ross, N., Siegert, M. J., Smith, A. M., Steinhage, D., Studinger, M., Sun, B., Tinto, B. K., Welch, B. C., Wilson, D., Young, D. A., Xiangbin, C., and Zirizzotti, A.: Bedmap2: improved ice bed, surface and thickness datasets for Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 7, 375–393, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-375-2013, 2013.
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. and Scambos, T.: Connected subglacial lake activity on lower Mercer and Whillans ice streams, West Antarctica, 2003–2008, J. Glaciol., 55, 303-315, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214309788608813, 2009.
Fricker, H. A., Scambos, T., Bindschadler, R., and Padman, L.: An Active Subglacial Water System in West Antarctica Mapped from Space, Science, 315, 1544–1548, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136897, 2007.
Fricker, H. A., Scambos, T., Carter, S., Davis, C., Haran, T., and Joughin, I.: Synthesizing multiple remote-sensing techniques for subglacial hydrologic mapping: application to a lake system beneath MacAyeal Ice Stream, West Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 56, 187–199, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214310791968557, 2010.
Fricker, H. A., Carter, S. P., Bell, R. E., and Scambos, T.: Active lakes of Recovery Ice Stream, East Antarctica: a bedrock-controlled subglacial hydrological system, J. Glaciol., 60, 1015–1030, https://doi.org/10.3189/2014JoG14J063, 2014.
Gardner, A. S., Moholdt, G., Scambos, T., Fahnstock, M., Ligtenberg, S., van den Broeke, M., and Nilsson, J.: Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years, The Cryosphere, 12, 521–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-521-2018, 2018 (data available at: https://its-live.jpl.nasa.gov/#data-portal, last access: 1 May 2024).
Goel, V., Martín, C., and Matsuoka, K.: Evolution of ice rises in the Fimbul Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud Land, over the last millennium, Ant. Sci., 36, 110–124, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102023000330, 2024.
Goeller, S., Steinhage, D., Thoma, M., and Grosfeld, K.: Assessing the subglacial lake coverage of Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 57, 109–117, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2016.23, 2016.
Goldberg, D., Twelves, A., Holland, P., and Wearing, M. G.: The Non-Local Impacts of Antarctic Subglacial Runoff, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 128, e2023JC019823 https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JC019823, 2023.
Gray, L., Joughin, I., Tulaczyk, S., Spikes, V. B., Bindschadler, R., and Jezek, K.: Evidence for subglacial water transport in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet through three-dimensional satellite radar interferometry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L03501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004GL021387, 2005.
Gwyther, D. E., Dow, C. F., Jendersie, S., Gourmelen, N., and Galton-Fenzi, B. K.: Subglacial freshwater drainage increases simulated basal melt of the Totten Ice Shelf, Geophys. Res. Lett., 50, e2023GL103765, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103765, 2023.
Hodgson, D. A., Jordan, T. A., Ross, N., Riley, T. R., and Fretwell, P. T.: Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network, The Cryosphere, 16, 4797–4809, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022, 2022.
Hoffman, A. O., Christianson, K., Shapero, D., Smith, B. E., and Joughin, I.: Brief communication: Heterogenous thinning and subglacial lake activity on Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 14, 4603–4609, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4603-2020, 2020.
Howat, I. M., Porter, C., Smith, B. E., Noh, M.-J., and Morin, P.: The Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 665–674, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-665-2019, 2019 (data available at: https://www.pgc.umn.edu/data/rema/, last access: : 2 November 2024).
Humbert, A., Steinhage, D., Helm, V., Beyer, S., and Kleiner, T.: Missing evidence of widespread subglacial lakes at Recovery Glacier, Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 123, 2802–2826, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004591, 2018.
Jenkins, A.: Convection-driven melting near the grounding lines of ice shelves and tidewater glaciers, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 2279–2294, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-11-03.1, 2011.
Jezek, K. C., Curlander, J. C., Carsey, F., Wales, C., and Barry, R.G.: RAMP AMM-1 SAR Image Mosaic of Antarctica, Version2, National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/8AF4ZRPULS4H, 2013.
Kim, B.-H., Lee, C.-K., Seo, K.-W., Lee, W. S., and Scambos, T.: Active subglacial lakes and channelized water flow beneath the Kamb Ice Stream, The Cryosphere, 10, 2971–2980, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2971-2016, 2016.
Kohler, J., Neumann, T. A., Robbins, J. W., Tronstad, S., and Melland, G.: ICESat elevations in Antarctica along the 2007–09 Norway–USA traverse: Validation with ground-based GPS, IEEE T. Geosci. Remote, 51, 1578–1587, https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2012.2207963, 2012.
Lepp, A. P., Simkins, L. M., Anderson, J. B., Clark, R. W., Wellner, J. S., Hillenbrand, C. D., Smith, J. A., Lehrmann, A. A., Totten, R., Larter, R. D., and Hogan, K. A.: Sedimentary signatures of persistent subglacial meltwater drainage from Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica, Front. Earth Sci., 10, 863200, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.863200, 2022.
Li, L., Aitken, A. R., Lindsay, M. D., and Kulessa, B.: Sedimentary basins reduce stability of Antarctic ice streams through groundwater feedbacks, Nat. Geosci., 15, 645–650, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-022-00992-5, 2022.
Li, Y., Lu, Y., and Siegert, M. J.: Radar sounding confirms a hydrologically active deep-water subglacial lake in East Antarctica, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 294, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00294, 2020.
Livingstone, S. J., Li, Y., Rutishauser, A., Sanderson, R. J., Winter, K., Mikucki, J. A., Björnsson, H., Bowling, J. S., Chu, W., Dow, C. F., and Fricker, H. A.: Subglacial lakes and their changing role in a warming climate, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 3, 106–124, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00246-9, 2022.
MacKie, E. J., Schroeder, D. M., Caers, J., Siegfried, M. R., and Scheidt, C.: Antarctic topographic realizations and geostatistical modeling used to map subglacial lakes, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 125, e2019JF005420, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JF005420, 2020.
MacKie, E. J., Schroeder, D. M., Zuo, C., Yin, Z., and Caers, J.: Stochastic modeling of subglacial topography exposes uncertainty in water routing at Jakobshavn Glacier, J. Glaciol., 67, 75–83, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.84, 2021.
MacKie, E. J., Field, M., Wang, L., Yin, Z., Schoedl, N., Hibbs, M., and Zhang, A.: GStatSim V1.0: a Python package for geostatistical interpolation and conditional simulation, Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 3765–3783, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-3765-2023, 2023.
Mahagaonkar, A., Moholdt, G., Glaude, Q., and Schuler, T. V.: Supraglacial lake evolution and its drivers in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 70, e49, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.66, 2024.
Malczyk, G., Gourmelen, N., Goldberg, D., Wuite, J., and Nagler, T.: Repeat subglacial lake drainage and filling beneath Thwaites Glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL089658, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089658, 2020.
Malczyk, G., Gourmelen, N., Werder, M., Wearing, M., and Goldberg, D.: Constraints on subglacial melt fluxes from observations of active subglacial lake recharge, J. Glaciol., 69, 1900–1914, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2023.70, 2023.
Mälicke, M.: SciKit-GStat 1.0: a SciPy-flavored geostatistical variogram estimation toolbox written in Python, Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 2505–2532, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-2505-2022, 2022.
Markus, T., Neumann, T., Martino, A., Abdalati, W., Brunt, K., Csatho, B., Farrell, S., Fricker, H., Gardner, A., Harding, D., and Jasinski, M.: 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.
Matsuoka, K., Forsberg, R., Ferraccioli, F., Moholdt, G., and Morlighem, M.: Circling Antarctica to unveil the bed below its icy edge, Eos, 103, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022EO220276, 2022.
Medley, B., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Dattler, M., Keenan, E., and Wever, N.: Predicting Antarctic net snow accumulation at the kilometer scale and its impact on observed height changes, Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, e2022GL099330, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099330, 2022.
Moholdt, G., Nuth, C., Hagen, J. O., and Kohler, J.: Recent elevation changes of Svalbard glaciers derived from ICESat laser altimetry, Remote Sens. Environ., 114, 2756–2767, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2010.06.008, 2010.
Moon, J., Lee, H., and Lee, H.: Elevation Change of CookE2 Subglacial Lake in East Antarctica Observed by DInSAR and Time-Segmented PSInSAR, Remote Sens., 14, 4616, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14184616, 2022.
Morlighem, M.: MEaSUREs BedMachine Antarctica, Version 3, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/FPSU0V1MWUB6, 2022.
Mouginot, J., Scheuchl B., and Rignot E.: MEaSURE's Antarctic Boundaries for IPY 2007–2009 from Satellite Radar, Version 2, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/AXE4121732AD, 2017.
Pattyn, F.: Antarctic subglacial conditions inferred from a hybrid ice sheet/ice stream model, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 295, 451–461, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2010.04.025, 2010.
Pattyn, F., Carter, S. P., and Thoma, M.: Advances in modelling subglacial lakes and their interaction with the Antarctic ice sheet, Philos. T. R. Soc. A, 374, 20140296, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2014.0296, 2016.
Pratap, B., Dey, R., Matsuoka, K., Moholdt, G., Lindbäck, K., Goel, V., Laluraj, L., and Thamban, M.: Three-decade spatial patterns in surface mass balance of the Nivlisen Ice Shelf, central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 68, 174–186, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.93, 2022.
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 [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/IKBWW4RYHF1Q, 2016.
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.
Scambos, T. A, Berthier, E., and Shuman, C. A.: The triggering of subglacial lake drainage during rapid glacier drawdown: Crane Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula, Ann. Glaciol., 52, 74–82, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411799096204, 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.
Sergienko, O. V., MacAyeal, D. R., and Bindschadler, R. A.: Causes of sudden, short-term changes in ice-stream surface elevation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L22503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007GL031775, 2007.
Shackleton, C.: calvinshackleton/DML-SubglacialHydrology: DML-SubglacialHydrology (v1.0), Zenodo [code], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13627356, 2024.
Shackleton, C., Matsuoka, K., Moholdt, G., Van Liefferinge, B., and Paden, J.: Stochastic simulations of bed topography constrain geothermal heat flow and subglacial drainage near Dome Fuji, East Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 128, e2023JF007269, https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JF007269, 2023.
Shackleton, C., Matsuoka, K., Arthur, J., Moholdt, G., and van Oostveen, J.: Ensemble analysis of potential subglacial meltwater streams in coastal Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, Norwegian Polar Institute [data set], https://doi.org/10.21334/npolar.2024.b438191c, 2024.
Shean, D. E., Joughin, I. R., Dutrieux, P., Smith, B. E., and Berthier, E.: Ice shelf basal melt rates from a high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) record for Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 13, 2633–2656, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2633-2019, 2019.
Shreve, R. L.: Movement of water in glaciers, J. Glaciol., 11, 205–214, https://doi.org/10.3189/S002214300002219X, 1972.
Siegfried, M., Fricker, H. A., Carter, S. P., and Tulaczyk, T.: Episodic ice velocity fluctuations triggered by a subglacial flood in West Antarctica, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 2640–2648, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL067758, 2016.
Siegfried, M. R. and Fricker, H. A.: Thirteen years of subglacial lake activity in Antarctica from multi-mission satellite altimetry, Ann. Glaciol., 59, 42–55, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.36, 2018.
Siegfried, M. R. and Fricker, H. A.: Illuminating active subglacial lake processes with ICESat-2 laser altimetry, Geophys. Res. Lett., 48, e2020GL091089, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL091089, 2021.
Smith, B. E., Fricker, H. A., Joughin, I. R., and Tulaczyk, S.: An inventory of active subglacial lakes in Antarctica detected by ICESat (2003–2008), J. Glaciol., 55, 573–595, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214309789470879, 2009.
Smith, B. E., Gourmelen, N., Huth, A., and Joughin, I.: Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 11, 451–467, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-451-2017, 2017.
Smith, B. E, Fricker, H. A., Gardner, A. S., Medley, B., Nilsson, J., Paolo, F. S., Holschuh, N., Adusumilli, S., Brunt, K., Csatho, B., and Harbeck, K.: Pervasive ice sheet mass loss reflects competing ocean and atmosphere processes, Science, 368, 1239–1242, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaz5845, 2020.
Smith, B. E, Dickinson, S., Jelley, B. P., Neumann, T. A., Hancock, D., Lee, J., and Harbeck, K.: ATLAS/ICESat-2 L3B Slope-Corrected Land Ice Height Time Series, ATL11, Version 6,NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/ATLAS/ATL11.006, 2023a.
Smith, B. E., Medley, B., Fettweis, X., Sutterley, T., Alexander, P., Porter, D., and Tedesco, M.: Evaluating Greenland surface-mass-balance and firn-densification data using ICESat-2 altimetry, The Cryosphere, 17, 789–808, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-789-2023, 2023b.
Stearns, L. A., Smith, B. E., and Hamilton, G. S.: Increased flow speed on a large East Antarctic outlet glacier caused by subglacial floods, Nat. Geosci, 1, 827–831, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo356, 2008.
Tarboton, D. G.: A new method for the determination of flow directions and upslope areas in grid digital elevation models, Water Resour. Res., 33, 309–319, https://doi.org/10.1029/96WR03137, 1997.
Wadham, J. L., De'ath, R., Monteiro, F. M., Tranter, M., Ridgwell, A., Raiswell, R., and Tulaczyk, S.: The potential role of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in global biogeochemical cycles, Earth Environ. Sci. Trans., 104, 55–67, https://doi.org/10.1017/S1755691013000108, 2013.
Whiteford, A., Horgan, H. J., Leong, W. J., and Forbes, M.: Melting and refreezing in an ice shelf basal channel at the grounding line of the Kamb Ice Stream, West Antarctica, J. Geophys. Res., 127, e2021JF006532, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JF006532, 2022.
Wright, A. and Siegert, M.: A fourth inventory of Antarctic subglacial lakes, Ant. Sci., 24, 659–664, https://doi.org/10.1017/S095410201200048X, 2012.
Zinck, A.-S. P., Wouters, B., Lambert, E., and Lhermitte, S.: Unveiling spatial variability within the Dotson Melt Channel through high-resolution basal melt rates from the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 17, 3785–3801, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3785-2023, 2023.
Zwally, H. J., Schutz, R., Hancock, D., and Dimarzio, J.: GLAS/ICESat L2 Global Antarctic and Greenland Ice Sheet Altimetry Data (HDF5), GLAH12, Version 34, NASA National Snow and Ice Data Center Distributed Active Archive Center [data set], https://doi.org/10.5067/ICESAT/GLAS/DATA209, 2014.
Short summary
Lakes can form beneath the large ice sheets and can influence ice-sheet dynamics and stability. Some of these subglacial lakes are active, meaning that they periodically drain and refill. Here we report seven new active subglacial lakes close to the Antarctic Ice Sheet margin using satellite measurements of ice surface height changes in a region where little was known previously. These findings improve our understanding of subglacial hydrology and will help refine subglacial hydrological models.
Lakes can form beneath the large ice sheets and can influence ice-sheet dynamics and stability....
