scholarly journals Ground-penetrating radar profiles of the McMurdo shear zone, Antarctica, acquired with an unmanned rover : interpretation of crevasses, fractures, and folds within firn and marine ice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Arcone ◽  
James Lever ◽  
Laura Ray ◽  
Benjamin Walker ◽  
Gordon Hamilton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zone ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Ice Accretion ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Robotic Vehicle ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Depth Ranges ◽  
Radar Antennas

The crevassed firn of the McMurdo shear zone (SZ) within the Ross Ice Shelf may also contain crevasses deep within its meteoric and marine ice, but the surface crevassing prevents ordinary vehicle access to investigate its structure geophysically. We used a lightweight robotic vehicle to tow 200- and 40 MHz ground-penetrating radar antennas simultaneously along 10 parallel transects over a 28 km² grid spanning the SZ width. Transects were generally orthogonal to the ice flow. Total firn and meteoric ice thickness was approximately 160 m. Firn crevasses profiled at 400 MHz were up to 16 m wide, under snow bridges up to 10 m thick, and with strikes near 35°–40° to the transect direction. From the top down, 200- MHz profiles revealed firn diffractions originating to a depth of approximately 40 m, no discernible structure within the meteoric ice, a discontinuous transitional horizon, and at least 20 m of stratified marine ice; 28–31 m of freeboard found more marine ice exists. Based on 10 consecutive transects covering approximately 2.5 km², we preliminarily interpreted the transitional horizon to be a thin saline layer, and marine ice hyperbolic diffractions and reflections to be responses to localized fractures, and crevasses filled with unstratified marine ice, all at strikes from 27° to 50°. We preliminarily interpreted off nadir, marine ice horizons to be responses to linear and folded faults, similar to some in firn. The coinciding and synchronously folded areas of fractured firn and marine ice suggested that the visibly unstructured meteoric ice beneath our grid was also fractured, but either never crevassed, crevassed and sutured without marine ice inclusions, or that any ice containing crevasses might have eroded before marine ice accretion. We will test these interpretations with analysis of all transects and by extending our grid and increasing our depth ranges.

Ground-penetrating radar profiles of the McMurdo Shear Zone, Antarctica, acquired with an unmanned rover: Interpretation of crevasses, fractures, and folds within firn and marine ice

Geophysics ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. WA21-WA34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Arcone ◽  
James H. Lever ◽  
Laura E. Ray ◽  
Benjamin S. Walker ◽  
Gordon Hamilton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zone ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Ice Accretion ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Robotic Vehicle ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Depth Ranges ◽  
Radar Antennas

The crevassed firn of the McMurdo shear zone (SZ) within the Ross Ice Shelf may also contain crevasses deep within its meteoric and marine ice, but the surface crevassing prevents ordinary vehicle access to investigate its structure geophysically. We used a lightweight robotic vehicle to tow 200- and 400-MHz ground-penetrating radar antennas simultaneously along 100 parallel transects over a [Formula: see text] grid spanning the SZ width. Transects were generally orthogonal to the ice flow. Total firn and meteoric ice thickness was approximately 160 m. Firn crevasses profiled at 400 MHz were up to 16 m wide, under snow bridges up to 10 m thick, and with strikes near 35°–40° to the transect direction. From the top down, 200-MHz profiles revealed firn diffractions originating to a depth of approximately 40 m, no discernible structure within the meteoric ice, a discontinuous transitional horizon, and at least 20 m of stratified marine ice; 28–31 m of freeboard found more marine ice exists. Based on 10 consecutive transects covering approximately [Formula: see text], we preliminarily interpreted the transitional horizon to be a thin saline layer, and marine ice hyperbolic diffractions and reflections to be responses to localized fractures, and crevasses filled with unstratified marine ice, all at strikes from 27° to 50°. We preliminarily interpreted off-nadir, marine ice horizons to be responses to linear and folded faults, similar to some in firn. The coinciding and synchronously folded areas of fractured firn and marine ice suggested that the visibly unstructured meteoric ice beneath our grid was also fractured, but either never crevassed, crevassed and sutured without marine ice inclusions, or that any ice containing crevasses might have eroded before marine ice accretion. We will test these interpretations with analysis of all transects and by extending our grid and increasing our depth ranges.

High resolution of glacial ice stratigraphy: A ground‐penetrating radar study of Pegasus Runway, McMurdo Station, Antarctica

Geophysics ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1653-1663 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven A. Arcone
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Glacial Ice ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Mineral Particles ◽  
Structural Weakness ◽  
Ground Penetrating ◽  
Brine Layer

Ground‐penetrating radar (GPR) has been used to detect areas of present or potential structural weakness beneath a 3.2-km snow‐covered ice runway on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica. The bandwidths of the transmitted wavelets were centered near 500 MHz. The data show many horizons up to tens of meters long and occurring to about a 9-m depth, below which a brine intrusion limits penetration. The horizons are interpreted as discrete scatterers because of their diffraction nature and loss of higher frequencies with depth. The presence of porous ice or dispersed water is interpreted from wavelet phase. The water may be associated with apparent deepening and fading of the brine horizon. If the above interpretation is correct, water occurs at depths to 3.5 m and extends as much as 40 m horizontally, which is greater and deeper than known previously. At 3.5 m depth, the water may be adsorbed on mineral particles rather than remain free. Migration of the diffractions with a single‐layer migration scheme shows all horizons above the brine layer to be small dielectric perturbations within the ice. Stacking and Hilbert transformation of the data reveal slight folding along the length of the runway. Loss of high‐frequency amplitude in the wavelets suggests that higher frequency radar might improve resolution only in the top few meters.

scholarly journals Geodetic Results of the Ross Ice Shelf Survey Expeditions, 1962–63 and 1965–66

1969 ◽  
Vol 8 (52) ◽  
pp. 67-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Egon Dorrer ◽  
Walther Hofmann ◽  
Wilfried Seufert
Keyword(s):  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Careful Study ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
The North ◽  
Parallel Movement ◽  
Time Reduction ◽  
Observation Method ◽  
East West

By means of modern geodetic observation techniques the ice movement along an east-west and a north-south profile across the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, was measured during the two Antarctic summers, 1962–63 and 1965–66. 103 markers were placed on the 910 km long traverse. Distances were measured by tellurometer, and traverse angles by a precision theodolite between all consecutive markers, normally 8 to 9 km apart. For this type of observation method, six men distributed into three groups of two men each were necessary.The main part of the paper deals with data processing and with the computation of the ice movement. As the ice moves, the geometrical configuration of the traverse changes during the epoch of observation. For this “reduction to epoch” problem two methods are described in detail: (1) time reduction of observations, and (2) time reduction of positions. Between the two field journeys, only linear ice movement can be assumed. It is possible, however, to determine acceleration and curvature of the ice flow at all traverse points where the traverse angles differ considerably from 180°.The result of all computations is the field of velocity vectors along the traverse. Obvious characteristics are the rapid increase of velocity between the McMurdo Ice Shelf and Ross Ice Shelf, the uniform and nearly parallel movement in the middle of the ice shelf (maximum velocity 935 m year−1), the decrease of velocity along the north-south profile, and the systematic increase of divergence of the flow lines towards the ice margins. Careful study of the velocity vector field shows some deviations from an entirely uniform distribution.

scholarly journals Two decades of dynamic change and progressive destabilization on the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. 5187-5203
Author(s):  
Karen E. Alley ◽  
Christian T. Wild ◽  
Adrian Luckman ◽  
Ted A. Scambos ◽  
Martin Truffer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zone ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Image Data ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Landsat 7 ◽  
Rapid Pace ◽  
Elevation Model

Abstract. The Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS) buttresses the eastern grounded portion of Thwaites Glacier through contact with a pinning point at its seaward limit. Loss of this ice shelf will promote further acceleration of Thwaites Glacier. Understanding the dynamic controls and structural integrity of the TEIS is therefore important to estimating Thwaites' future sea-level contribution. We present a ∼ 20-year record of change on the TEIS that reveals the dynamic controls governing the ice shelf's past behaviour and ongoing evolution. We derived ice velocities from MODIS and Sentinel-1 image data using feature tracking and speckle tracking, respectively, and we combined these records with ITS_LIVE and GOLIVE velocity products from Landsat-7 and Landsat-8. In addition, we estimated surface lowering and basal melt rates using the Reference Elevation Model of Antarctica (REMA) DEM in comparison to ICESat and ICESat-2 altimetry. Early in the record, TEIS flow dynamics were strongly controlled by the neighbouring Thwaites Western Ice Tongue (TWIT). Flow patterns on the TEIS changed following the disintegration of the TWIT around 2008, with a new divergence in ice flow developing around the pinning point at its seaward limit. Simultaneously, the TEIS developed new rifting that extends from the shear zone upstream of the ice rise and increased strain concentration within this shear zone. As these horizontal changes occurred, sustained thinning driven by basal melt reduced ice thickness, particularly near the grounding line and in the shear zone area upstream of the pinning point. This evidence of weakening at a rapid pace suggests that the TEIS is likely to fully destabilize in the next few decades, leading to further acceleration of Thwaites Glacier.

scholarly journals Snow accumulation and compaction derived from GPR data near Ross Island, Antarctica

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. C. Kruetzmann ◽  
W. Rack ◽  
A. J. McDonald ◽  
S. E. George
Keyword(s):  
Direct Measurement ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Snow Accumulation ◽  
Internal Reflection ◽  
Fourier Domain ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Dust Layer ◽  
Average Change ◽  
One Year ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Abstract. We present a new method of using ground penetrating radar (GPR) for estimating snow accumulation and compaction rates in Antarctica. We process 500 MHz data to produce radargrams with unambiguous reflection horizons that can be observed and tracked in repeat GPR measurements made one year apart. Our processing methodology is a deterministic deconvolution via the Fourier domain using an estimate of the emitted waveform from direct measurement. At two measurement sites near Scott Base, Antarctica, point measurements of average accumulation from snow pits and firn cores are extrapolated to a larger area by identifying a dateable dust layer in the radargrams. Over an 800 m×800 m area on the McMurdo Ice Shelf (77°45´ S, 167°17´ E) the average accumulation is found to be 269 ± 9 kg m−2 a−1. The accumulation over an area of 400 m×400 m in the dry snow zone on Ross Island (77°40´ S, 167°11´ E, 350 m a.s.l.) is found to be higher (404 ± 22 kg m−2 a−1) and shows increased variability related to undulating terrain. Compaction of snow between 2 m and 13 m depth is estimated at both sites by tracking several internal reflection horizons along the radar profiles and calculating the average change in separation of horizon pairs from one year to the next. The derived compaction rates range from 7 cm m−1 at a depth of two metres, down to no measurable compaction at 13 m depth, and are similar to published values from point measurements.

scholarly journals Wet subglacial bedforms of the NE Greenland Ice Stream shear margins

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (80) ◽  
pp. 91-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiya L. Riverman ◽  
Sridhar Anandakrishnan ◽  
Richard B. Alley ◽  
Nicholas Holschuh ◽  
Christine F. Dow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Acoustic Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Flow Conditions ◽  
Lateral Shear ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Water Saturated ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractWe describe elongate, wet, subglacial bedforms in the shear margins of the NE Greenland Ice Stream and place some constraints on their formation. Lateral shear margin moraines have been observed across the previously glaciated landscape, but little is known about the ice-flow conditions necessary to form these bedforms. Here we describe in situ sediment bedforms under the NE Greenland Ice Stream shear margins that are observed in active-source seismic and ground-penetrating radar surveys. We find bedforms in the shear margins that are ~500 m wide, ~50 m tall, and elongated nearly parallel to ice-flow, including what we believe to be the first subglacial observation of a shear margin moraine. Acoustic impedance analysis of the bedforms shows that they are composed of unconsolidated, deformable, water-saturated till. We use these geophysical observations to place constraints on the possible formation mechanism of these subglacial features.

Relict flow stripes on the Ross Ice Shelf

1991 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 132-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Casassa ◽  
K.C. Jezek ◽  
J. Turner ◽  
I.M. Whillans
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Radar Data ◽  
Present Position ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Avhrr Data ◽  
Complex Patterns

Analysis of AVHRR data collected during the summer and winter over the Ross Ice Shelf reveals complex patterns of curvilinear stripes. In particular, a large, looping pattern of stripes is observed west of Crary Ice Rise in an area where conventional glaciological data collected with surface and airborne methods have been interpreted to suggest uncomplicated flow. On the basis of previous work using radar data to study ice flow downstream of Crary Ice Rise, we conclude that the stripes represent relict flowlines. The mechanism that produces these stripes is unclear, but we hypothesize that they are associated with subtle topography. Based solely on the patterns of stripes and their location in the outflow of major ice streams, we propose that they are related to an ice raft torn from the grounded ice sheet about 400 km upstream from its present position.

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