Articles | Volume 19, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4027-2025
© 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-19-4027-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Sep 2025
Research article |
| 25 Sep 2025
| 25 Sep 2025
Totten Ice Shelf history over the past century interpreted from satellite imagery
School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK
Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
Robert G. Bingham
School of GeoSciences, Edinburgh University, Edinburgh, UK
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An ice-ocean model is used to explore the 20th-century evolution of Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Several processes are involved as the ice retreats to its present-day state, including ocean melting, the floatation of a historically-grounded ice island, ice crevassing and damage, and changing of ice-flow patterns. Multiple options for steady historical Thwaites Glacier configurations are found, with these options compared against 1940s aerial imagery and evidence from seabed sediments.
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Satellite observations have shown that the Shirase Glacier catchment in East Antarctica has been gaining mass over the past 2 decades, a trend largely attributed to increased snowfall. Our multi-decadal observations of Shirase Glacier show that ocean forcing has also contributed to some of this recent mass gain. This has been caused by strengthening easterly winds reducing the inflow of warm water underneath the Shirase ice tongue, causing the glacier to slow down and thicken.
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An ice-ocean model is used to explore the 20th-century evolution of Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica. Several processes are involved as the ice retreats to its present-day state, including ocean melting, the floatation of a historically-grounded ice island, ice crevassing and damage, and changing of ice-flow patterns. Multiple options for steady historical Thwaites Glacier configurations are found, with these options compared against 1940s aerial imagery and evidence from seabed sediments.
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Tian Li, Geoffrey J. Dawson, Stephen J. Chuter, and Jonathan L. Bamber
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Tancrède P. M. Leger, Andrew S. Hein, Ángel Rodés, Robert G. Bingham, Irene Schimmelpfennig, Derek Fabel, Pablo Tapia, and ASTER Team
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Helen Ockenden, Robert G. Bingham, Andrew Curtis, and Daniel Goldberg
The Cryosphere, 16, 3867–3887, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3867-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3867-2022, 2022
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Hills and valleys hidden under the ice of Thwaites Glacier have an impact on ice flow and future ice loss, but there are not many three-dimensional observations of their location or size. We apply a mathematical theory to new high-resolution observations of the ice surface to predict the bed topography beneath the ice. There is a good correlation with ice-penetrating radar observations. The method may be useful in areas with few direct observations or as a further constraint for other methods.
Alice C. Frémand, Julien A. Bodart, Tom A. Jordan, Fausto Ferraccioli, Carl Robinson, Hugh F. J. Corr, Helen J. Peat, Robert G. Bingham, and David G. Vaughan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 3379–3410, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3379-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3379-2022, 2022
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This paper presents the release of large swaths of airborne geophysical data (including gravity, magnetics, and radar) acquired between 1994 and 2020 over Antarctica by the British Antarctic Survey. These include a total of 64 datasets from 24 different surveys, amounting to >30 % of coverage over the Antarctic Ice Sheet. This paper discusses how these data were acquired and processed and presents the methods used to standardize and publish the data in an interactive and reproducible manner.
Tian Li, Geoffrey J. Dawson, Stephen J. Chuter, and Jonathan L. Bamber
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 535–557, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-535-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-535-2022, 2022
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Accurate knowledge of the Antarctic grounding zone is important for mass balance calculation, ice sheet stability assessment, and ice sheet model projections. Here we present the first ICESat-2-derived high-resolution grounding zone product of the Antarctic Ice Sheet, including three important boundaries. This new data product will provide more comprehensive insights into ice sheet instability, which is valuable for both the cryosphere and sea level science communities.
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Short summary
Totten Glacier, East Antarctica's largest mass-loss source, has thinned since at least the 1990s. No sustained acceleration has occurred since 1973, but earlier grounding-line retreat suggests prior loss. A ~20-year gap in surface undulations implies a mid-20th-century warm period that may have triggered ongoing loss. Collapse of a nearby ice shelf supports this. Current ~30-year satellite records are too short to capture full decadal melt-rate variability.
Totten Glacier, East Antarctica's largest mass-loss source, has thinned since at least the...
