scholarly journals Radar studies at the mouths of ice streams D and E, Antarctica

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 262-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Jacobel ◽  
Robert Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Topography ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
The West ◽  
Mass Balance Calculation ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Ice thickness measurements have been carried out at the mouths of ice streams D and E, West Antarctica using a surface-based impulse radar. These studies have been undertaken as a part of the continuing effort to understand the state of the West Antarctica ice sheet and its response to climate change. Thickness measurements will be used in the mass balance calculation currently in progress and to better understand features in the surface topography seen at low angle sun illumination in the satellite imagery. Results show that the discharge areas of ice streams D and E are thickening by approximately 1 m per year, and thus that these ice streams are probably loosing mass. Aperiodic wavelike features in the surface topography are described which pose interesting questions about migration of the grounding line and ice-stream dynamics.

scholarly journals Radar studies at the mouths of ice streams D and E, Antarctica

1993 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 262-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Jacobel ◽  
Robert Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Surface Topography ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
The West ◽  
Mass Balance Calculation ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Ice thickness measurements have been carried out at the mouths of ice streams D and E, West Antarctica using a surface-based impulse radar. These studies have been undertaken as a part of the continuing effort to understand the state of the West Antarctica ice sheet and its response to climate change. Thickness measurements will be used in the mass balance calculation currently in progress and to better understand features in the surface topography seen at low angle sun illumination in the satellite imagery. Results show that the discharge areas of ice streams D and E are thickening by approximately 1 m per year, and thus that these ice streams are probably loosing mass. Aperiodic wavelike features in the surface topography are described which pose interesting questions about migration of the grounding line and ice-stream dynamics.

scholarly journals Siple Coast Project research of Crary Ice Rise and the mouths of Ice Streams B and C, West Antarctica: review and new perspectives

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (133) ◽  
pp. 538-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Surface Topography ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
The Past ◽  
Grounding Line

Abstract Satellite imagery is used as a basis to review and critique the results of studies at the mouths of Ice Streams Β and C and Crary Ice Rise. In many cases, these past analyses are extended by taking advantage of the broad coverage within each image. New perspectives are provided by the image data and some longstanding controversies are resolved. The grounding line is easily delineated and mapped in areas covered by imagery. Extensive areas of grounded ice with complex patterns of flow stripes are identified on the flanks of Crary Ice Rise. The imagery also allows a corrected map of surface topography in the vicinity of the Downstream Β camp. New questions are posed by hitherto unseen features. Data from the IGY traverse of the Ross Ice Shelf in 1957 are included to demonstrate that large changes have occurred in the past almost 30 years in the area upstream of Crary Ice Rise. These changes include modifications in the surface topography, elimination of crevasses and increases in the ice thickness by approximately 60 m.

scholarly journals Siple Coast Project research of Crary Ice Rise and the mouths of Ice Streams B and C, West Antarctica: review and new perspectives

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (133) ◽  
pp. 538-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Surface Topography ◽  
Satellite Imagery ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
The Past ◽  
Grounding Line

AbstractSatellite imagery is used as a basis to review and critique the results of studies at the mouths of Ice Streams Β and C and Crary Ice Rise. In many cases, these past analyses are extended by taking advantage of the broad coverage within each image. New perspectives are provided by the image data and some longstanding controversies are resolved. The grounding line is easily delineated and mapped in areas covered by imagery. Extensive areas of grounded ice with complex patterns of flow stripes are identified on the flanks of Crary Ice Rise. The imagery also allows a corrected map of surface topography in the vicinity of the Downstream Β camp. New questions are posed by hitherto unseen features. Data from the IGY traverse of the Ross Ice Shelf in 1957 are included to demonstrate that large changes have occurred in the past almost 30 years in the area upstream of Crary Ice Rise. These changes include modifications in the surface topography, elimination of crevasses and increases in the ice thickness by approximately 60 m.

scholarly journals Studies of the grounding-line location on Ice Streams D and E, Antarctica

1994 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 39-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Jacobel ◽  
Audrey E. Robinson ◽  
Robert A. Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Flow Direction ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Landsat Thematic Mapper ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Radar Echo ◽  
Field Season ◽  
Tidal Variations ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used prior to the 1991–92 field season to infer the position of the grounding line at the mouths of Ice Streams D and E, West Antarctica. Our field plan for mass-balance studies was based on this determination, and thus the imagery played a central role in both the scientific and logistics planning. A radar profile along the flow direction was made across the inferred grounding line at one location, and ice-thickness measurements together with surface surveying enable us to compare the hydrostatic surface and the actual topography to determine the point at which the ice becomes grounded. The profile transits from floating to grounded ice at the same location as the grounding line inferred from the imagery. Changes in the radar-echo strength also occur at this location, giving further support to this interpretation. Tilt studies of the ice flexure caused by tidal variations at locations on either side of this grounding point give additional evidence that grounding is occurring close by. The combination of these three measurements therefore confirms the grounding-line location derived from the satellite imagery and supports the use of this technique to determine grounding.

scholarly journals Studies of the grounding-line location on Ice Streams D and E, Antarctica

1994 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 39-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert W. Jacobel ◽  
Audrey E. Robinson ◽  
Robert A. Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Flow Direction ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Landsat Thematic Mapper ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Radar Echo ◽  
Field Season ◽  
Tidal Variations ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images were used prior to the 1991–92 field season to infer the position of the grounding line at the mouths of Ice Streams D and E, West Antarctica. Our field plan for mass-balance studies was based on this determination, and thus the imagery played a central role in both the scientific and logistics planning. A radar profile along the flow direction was made across the inferred grounding line at one location, and ice-thickness measurements together with surface surveying enable us to compare the hydrostatic surface and the actual topography to determine the point at which the ice becomes grounded. The profile transits from floating to grounded ice at the same location as the grounding line inferred from the imagery. Changes in the radar-echo strength also occur at this location, giving further support to this interpretation. Tilt studies of the ice flexure caused by tidal variations at locations on either side of this grounding point give additional evidence that grounding is occurring close by. The combination of these three measurements therefore confirms the grounding-line location derived from the satellite imagery and supports the use of this technique to determine grounding.

scholarly journals Is Ice-Stream Evolution Revealed By Satellite Imagery?

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 273-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.N. Stephenson ◽  
R.A. Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Stream Flow ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Thematic Mapper ◽  
Landsat Thematic Mapper ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Grounding Line

Ten Landsat Thematic Mapper images together show Ice Streams E, D and most of Ice Stream C on Siple Coast, West Antarctica. The images are interpreted to reveal aspects of both spatial and temporal evolution of the ice streams. Onset of ice-stream flow appears to occur at distributed sites within the ice-stream catchment, and the apparent enhanced flow continues in channels until they join, forming the main ice stream. Most crevassing on these ice streams is associated with features of horizontal dimensions between 5 and 20 km. We suggest these features are caused by bed structures which may be an important source of restraint to ice flow, similar to ice rumples on ice shelves. A pattern of features near the grounding line of the now-stagnant Ice Stream C are interpreted as having formed because there was a period of reduced flux before the ice stream stopped.

scholarly journals Flow of Rutford Ice Stream and Comparison with Carlson Inlet, Antarctica

1989 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 51-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M. Frolich ◽  
D.G. Vaughan ◽  
C.S.M. Doake
Keyword(s):  
Surface Expression ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Shear Stresses ◽  
Lateral Shear ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Subglacial Topography ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Basal Shear ◽  
Thickness Measurements

Results from movement surveys on Rutford Ice Stream are presented with complementary surface-elevation and ice-thickness measurements. Surface velocities of 300 m a−1 occur at least 130 km up-stream of the grounding line and contrast strongly with the neighbouring Carlson Inlet, where a velocity of 7 m a−1 has been measured. This contrast in velocity is not topographically controlled but appears to be due instead to differences in basal conditions, with Carlson Inlet probably being frozen to its bed. Concentration of lateral shear close to the margins and surface expression of subglacial topography both support a view of significant basal shear stresses in the central part of Rutford Ice Stream. The pattern of principal strain-rate trajectories shows a small number of characteristic features which can be compared with results from future modelling of the glacier's flow.

scholarly journals Is Ice-Stream Evolution Revealed By Satellite Imagery?

1990 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 273-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.N. Stephenson ◽  
R.A. Bindschadler
Keyword(s):  
Stream Flow ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Thematic Mapper ◽  
Landsat Thematic Mapper ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Grounding Line

Ten Landsat Thematic Mapper images together show Ice Streams E, D and most of Ice Stream C on Siple Coast, West Antarctica. The images are interpreted to reveal aspects of both spatial and temporal evolution of the ice streams. Onset of ice-stream flow appears to occur at distributed sites within the ice-stream catchment, and the apparent enhanced flow continues in channels until they join, forming the main ice stream. Most crevassing on these ice streams is associated with features of horizontal dimensions between 5 and 20 km. We suggest these features are caused by bed structures which may be an important source of restraint to ice flow, similar to ice rumples on ice shelves. A pattern of features near the grounding line of the now-stagnant Ice Stream C are interpreted as having formed because there was a period of reduced flux before the ice stream stopped.

scholarly journals Radar reflections reveal a wet bed beneath stagnant Ice Stream C and a frozen bed beneath ridge BC, West Antarctica

1998 ◽  
Vol 44 (146) ◽  
pp. 149-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Bentley ◽  
N. Lord ◽  
C. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Radar Data ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Crossover Analysis ◽  
Automated Processing ◽  
Basal Reflection ◽  
Field Season ◽  
Ice Stream B

AbstractDigital airborne radar data were collected during the 1987-88 Antarctic field season in nine gridded blocks covering the downstream portions of Ice Stream B (6km spacing) and Ice Stream C (11 km spacing), together with a portion of ridge BC between them. An automated processing procedure was used for picking onset times of the reflected radar pulses, converting travel times to distances, interpolating missing data, converting pressure transducer readings, correcting navigational drift, performing crossover analysis, and zeroing rémanent crossover errors. Interpolation between flight-lines was carried out using the minimum curvature method.Maps of ice thickness (estimated accuracy 20 m) and basal-reflection strength (estimated accuracy 1 dB) were produced. The ice-thickness map confirms the characteristics of previous reconnaissance maps and reveals no new features. The reflection-strength map shows pronounced contrasts between the ice streams and ridge BC and between the two ice streams themselves. We interpret the reflection strengths to mean that the bed of Ice Stream C, as well as that of Ice Stream B, is unfrozen, that the bed of ridge BC is frozen and that the boundary between the frozen bed of ridge BC and the unfrozen bed of Ice Stream C lies precisely below the former shear margin of the ice stream.

scholarly journals Bed topography and lubrication inferred from surface measurements on fast-flowing ice streams

2003 ◽  
Vol 49 (167) ◽  
pp. 481-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Throstur Thorsteinsson ◽  
Charles F. Raymond ◽  
G. Hilmar Gudmundsson ◽  
Robert A. Bindschadler ◽  
Paul Vornberger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Synthetic Data ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Horizontal Scale ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Flow Disturbances ◽  
Surface Measurements

AbstractObservations of surface elevation (s) and horizontal velocity components (u and v) are inverted to infer the topography (b) and lubrication (c) at the bed of an ice stream, based on a linearized perturbation theory of the transmission of flow disturbances through the ice thickness. Synthetic data are used to illustrate non-uniqueness in the inversion, but also demonstrate that effects of b and c can be separated when s, u and v are specified, even with added noise to simulate measurement errors. We have analyzed prominent short-horizontal-scale (∼2 km) features in topography and velocity pattern in a local 64 km by 32 km area of the surface of Ice Stream E,West Antarctica. Our preferred interpretation of bed conditions beneath the most prominent features on the surface identifies a deep trough in the basal topography with low lubrication in the base of the trough.

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