Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5247-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5247-2026
Research article
 | 
21 Sep 2026
Research article |  | 21 Sep 2026

Temporal evolution of the Petermann Ice Shelf estuary constrained by satellite remote sensing observations

Michela Savignano, Alison F. Banwell, Waleed Abdalati, Robin E. Bell, Alexandra Boghosian, W. Roger Buck, Sarah E. Esenther, Emily Glazer, Adam L. LeWinter, Laurence C. Smith, and Leigh A. Stearns

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Interactive discussion

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse

Peer review completion

AR – Author's response | RR – Referee report | ED – Editor decision | EF – Editorial file upload
ED: Submit a revised manuscript (03 Jul 2026) by Stephen Livingstone
AR by Michela Savignano on behalf of the Authors (14 Aug 2026)  Author's response   Author's tracked changes   Manuscript 
ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (26 Aug 2026) by Stephen Livingstone
RR by Anonymous Referee #1 (09 Sep 2026)
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (09 Sep 2026) by Stephen Livingstone
AR by Michela Savignano on behalf of the Authors (10 Sep 2026)  Author's response   Manuscript 
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Short summary
Surface rivers can transport meltwater from floating ice-shelves into the ocean, limiting ponding. However, if a river channel deepens to sea level, seawater can flow up into it and form an ice-shelf estuary. This adds load to the ice shelf and increases stresses that weaken the ice. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we develop a new way to measure how quickly these rivers deepen, which we use to constrain the timing of Petermann Ice Shelf’s estuary formation over multiple melt seasons.
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