Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-17
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-17
15 Mar 2021
 | 15 Mar 2021
Status: this discussion paper is a preprint. It has been under review for the journal The Cryosphere (TC). The manuscript was not accepted for further review after discussion.

Basal Water Storage Variations beneath Antarctic Ice Sheet

Jingyu Kang, Yang Lu, Yan Li, Zizhan Zhang, and Hongling Shi

Abstract. Antarctic basal water storage variations (BWSV) contain basal water migrations and basal melting. Identifying these variations are critical to understand the behaviour of ice sheet, yet it is rarely accessible to direct observation. We presented a layered gravity density forward/inversion method for constructing Antarctic basal mass balance (BMB) estimates from multisource satellite observation data, and evaluated BWSV based on basal melting rate. As an example, spatial annual BWSV trend during 2003–2009 are estimated. Results reveal spatial variability of BWSV, with the rate of 46.3 Gt/y. Similar spatial distribution between basal water increases regions and locations of active subglacial lakes indicates that basal water storage in most active subglacial lakes are increasing. Comparison of spatial BWSV and ice surface velocity display a positive correlation between considerable basal water decreases and rapid ice flows, however, exceptions are when the massive rapid ice flows connected to huge ice shelves that hold up by surrounding terrains, that slows down the basal water discharge outward.

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Jingyu Kang, Yang Lu, Yan Li, Zizhan Zhang, and Hongling Shi

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on tc-2021-17', Anonymous Referee #1, 06 Apr 2021
  • RC2: 'Comment on tc-2021-17', Pippa Whitehouse, 27 Apr 2021

Status: closed

Comment types: AC – author | RC – referee | CC – community | EC – editor | CEC – chief editor | : Report abuse
  • RC1: 'Comment on tc-2021-17', Anonymous Referee #1, 06 Apr 2021
  • RC2: 'Comment on tc-2021-17', Pippa Whitehouse, 27 Apr 2021
Jingyu Kang, Yang Lu, Yan Li, Zizhan Zhang, and Hongling Shi

Data sets

Code-and-data-for-Basal-Water-Storage-Variations-beneath-Antarctic-Ice-sheet Jingyu Kang https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4568724

Jingyu Kang, Yang Lu, Yan Li, Zizhan Zhang, and Hongling Shi

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Short summary
Antarctic basal water storage variations (BWSV) effect basal effective pressure and produces changing ice velocity, yet it is rarely accessible to direct observation. We estimated the BWSV by using multisource satellite data. We found that basal water in most active subglacial lakes is increasing, despite water discharging occur frequently. In marginal regions, fierce basal water decreases are often accompanied with massive rapid ice flows, while huge ice shelves can block basal water discharge.