Articles | Volume 19, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4893-2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-4893-2025
Research article
 | 
22 Oct 2025
Research article |  | 22 Oct 2025

Spatio-temporal melt and basal channel evolution on Pine Island Glacier ice shelf from CryoSat-2

Katie Lowery, Pierre Dutrieux, Paul R. Holland, Anna E. Hogg, Noel Gourmelen, and Benjamin J. Wallis

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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. a, b
Alley, K., Scambos, T. A., Siegfried, M. J., and Fricker, H. A.: Impacts of warm water on Antarctic ice shelf stability through basal channel formation, Nat. Geosci., 9, 290–293, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2675, 2016. a, b, c, d
Alley, K. E., Scambos, T. A., and Alley, R. B.: The role of channelized basal melt in ice-shelf stability: recent progress and future priorities, Ann. Glaciol., 63, 18–22, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.5, 2022. a
Alley, K. E., Alley, R. B., Crawford, A. D., Ochwat, N., Wild, C. T., Marson, J., Snow, T., Muto, A., Pettit, E. C., Child, S. F., Truffer, M., Collao-Barrios, G., and Scambos., T. A.: Evolution of sub-ice-shelf channels reveals changes in ocean-driven melt in West Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 70, e50, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2024.20, 2024. a
Arndt, J. E., Larter, R. D., Friedl, P., Gohl, K., Höppner, K., and the Science Team of Expedition PS104: Bathymetric controls on calving processes at Pine Island Glacier, The Cryosphere, 12, 2039–2050, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2039-2018, 2018. a
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Short summary
Using CryoSat-2, we observe monthly changes in the Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf surface and derive oceanic melt at its base. Basal channels, kilometres wide, are reflected in the ice surface and captured in our observations. We demonstrate that melt is concentrated on the western walls of channels, that channels play a role in grounding pinning points, and that PIG's main channel geometry is inherited upstream of the grounding line. These results highlight the importance of channels to ice shelf stability.
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