scholarly journals Nivlisen, an Antarctic ice shelf in Dronning Maud Land: geodetic–glaciological results from a combined analysis of ice thickness, ice surface height and ice-flow observations

2006 ◽  
Vol 52 (176) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Horwath ◽  
Reinhard Dietrich ◽  
Michael Baessler ◽  
Uwe Nixdorf ◽  
Daniel Steinhage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Equilibrium Relation ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractExtensive observations on Nivlisen, an ice shelf on Antarctica’s Atlantic coast, are analyzed and combined to obtain a new description of its complex glaciological regime. We generate models of ice thickness (primarily from ground-penetrating radar), ellipsoidal ice surface height (primarily from ERS-1 satellite altimetry), freeboard height (by utilizing precise sea surface information) and ice-flow velocity (from ERS-1/-2 SAR interferometry and GPS measurements). Accuracy assessments are included. Exploiting the hydrostatic equilibrium relation, we infer the ‘apparent air layer thickness’ as a useful measure for a glacier’s density deviation from a pure ice body. This parameter exhibits a distinct spatial variation (ranging from ≈2 to ≈16m) which we attribute to the transition from an ablation area to an accumulation area. We compute mass-flux and mass-balance parameters on a local and areally integrated scale. The combined effect of bottom mass balance and temporal change averaged over an essential part of Nivlisen is –654 ± 170 kg m–2 a–1, which suggests bottom melting processes dominate. We discuss our results in view of temporal ice-mass changes (including remarks on historical observations), basal processes, near-surface processes and ice-flow dynamical features. The question of temporal changes remains open from the data at hand, and we recommend further observations and analyses for its solution.

scholarly journals Investigation of Bottom Mass-Balance Rates by Electrical Resistivity Soundings on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

1979 ◽  
Vol 24 (90) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sion Shabtaie ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Activation Energy ◽  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Apparent Resistivity ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf

AbstractElectrical resistivity sounding, using the four-electrode Schlumberger array, has been carried out at 11 locations on the Ross Ice Shelf. The apparent resistivity curves generally show four characteristic zones. The first, at distances from 1 to 10 m, reflects the near-surface zone of seasonal temperature changes and inhomogeneities. The second zone, from 10 m to 100 m, reflects primarily the increasing density with depth in the upper 50 m of the ice shelf, modified, in some locations, by temperature variations. The third zone, from 100 m to a distance roughly equal to the ice thickness, is affected principally by the temperature gradient in the solid ice. In the fourth zone, at distances greater than approximately twice the ice thickness, the apparent resistivity usually decreases rapidly with distance, owing to the highly conductive sea-water beneath the ice shelf. At some stations associated with ice streams and outlet glaciers, however, an increase at large spacings indicates much more resistive basal ice.Using data from seven locations on the grid eastern half of the shelf that do not show obvious evidence of a basal resistive zone, including temperatures to 100 m at two of the sites, the mass-balance rate at the bottom of the ice is estimated to be within a few tenths of a meter per year of zero at distances between 90 and 530 km from the ice front, assuming steady-state condition over most of the ice shelf. However, the assumption of steady-state is questionable at locations close to outlet glaciers, and must be treated with great caution. The temperature measurements at the two sites, along with previously observed temperatures at the RISP drill site, make it possible to estimate the activation energy in the solid ice. The models fitted to the observed values suggest an “apparent” activation energy in the solid ice closer to 0.15 eV (14 kJ mol−1) than to 0.25 eV (24 kJ mol−1). This difference is believed to be due to a decrease in the ionic impurity content with increasing depth in the ice by a factor of two or more.

scholarly journals Radar-detected englacial stratigraphy in the Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica: implications for recent changes in ice flow and accumulation

2013 ◽  
Vol 54 (63) ◽  
pp. 91-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Campbell ◽  
Greg Balco ◽  
Claire Todd ◽  
Howard Conway ◽  
Kathleen Huybers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Surface Elevation ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Valley Glacier ◽  
Glacier Ice ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Ice Sheet Dynamics ◽  
Surface Ice ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractWe used measurements of radar-detected stratigraphy, surface ice-flow velocities and accumulation rates to investigate relationships between local valley-glacier and regional ice-sheet dynamics in and around the Schmidt Hills, Pensacola Mountains, Antarctica. Ground-penetrating radar profiles were collected perpendicular to the long axis of the Schmidt Hills and the margin of Foundation Ice Stream (FIS). Within the valley confines, the glacier consists of blue ice, and profiles show internal stratigraphy dipping steeply toward the nunataks and truncated at the present-day ablation surface. Below the valley confines, the blue ice is overlain by firn. Data show that upward-progressing overlap of actively accumulating firn onto valley-glacier ice is slightly less than ice flow out of the valleys over the past ∼1200 years. The apparent slightly negative mass balance (-0.25 cm a-1) suggests that ice-margin elevations in the Schmidt Hills may have lowered over this time period, even without a change in the surface elevation of FIS. Results suggest that (1) mass-balance gradients between local valley glaciers and regional ice sheets should be considered when using local information to estimate regional ice surface elevation changes; and (2) interpretation of shallow ice structures imaged with radar can provide information about local ice elevation changes and stability.

scholarly journals Dynamics of the Scharffenbergbotnen blue-ice area, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 417-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sinisalo ◽  
Aslak Grinsted ◽  
John Moore
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Geometrical Model ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Geometrical Analysis ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Surface Mass ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Dronning Maud Land ◽  
Dip Angle ◽  
Ground Penetrating

AbstractGround-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys in Scharffenbergbotnen valley, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, complement earlier, relatively sparse data on the ice-flow dynamics and mass-balance distribution of the area. The negative net surface mass balance in the valley appears to be balanced by the inflow. The flow regime in Scharffenbergbotnen defines four separate mass-balance areas, and about 60 times more ice enters the valley from the northwestern entrance than via the narrow western gate. We formalize and compare three methods of determining both the surface age gradient of the blue ice and the dip angles of isochrones in the firn/blue-ice transition zone: observed and dated radar internal reflections, a geometrical model of isochrones, and output from a flowline model. The geometrical analysis provides generally applicable relationships between ice surface velocity and surface age gradient or isochrone dip angle.

scholarly journals Investigation of Bottom Mass-Balance Rates by Electrical Resistivity Soundings on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica

1979 ◽  
Vol 24 (90) ◽  
pp. 331-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sion Shabtaie ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Activation Energy ◽  
Electrical Resistivity ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Apparent Resistivity ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Seasonal Temperature ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf

AbstractElectrical resistivity sounding, using the four-electrode Schlumberger array, has been carried out at 11 locations on the Ross Ice Shelf. The apparent resistivity curves generally show four characteristic zones. The first, at distances from 1 to 10 m, reflects the near-surface zone of seasonal temperature changes and inhomogeneities. The second zone, from 10 m to 100 m, reflects primarily the increasing density with depth in the upper 50 m of the ice shelf, modified, in some locations, by temperature variations. The third zone, from 100 m to a distance roughly equal to the ice thickness, is affected principally by the temperature gradient in the solid ice. In the fourth zone, at distances greater than approximately twice the ice thickness, the apparent resistivity usually decreases rapidly with distance, owing to the highly conductive sea-water beneath the ice shelf. At some stations associated with ice streams and outlet glaciers, however, an increase at large spacings indicates much more resistive basal ice.Using data from seven locations on the grid eastern half of the shelf that do not show obvious evidence of a basal resistive zone, including temperatures to 100 m at two of the sites, the mass-balance rate at the bottom of the ice is estimated to be within a few tenths of a meter per year of zero at distances between 90 and 530 km from the ice front, assuming steady-state condition over most of the ice shelf. However, the assumption of steady-state is questionable at locations close to outlet glaciers, and must be treated with great caution. The temperature measurements at the two sites, along with previously observed temperatures at the RISP drill site, make it possible to estimate the activation energy in the solid ice. The models fitted to the observed values suggest an “apparent” activation energy in the solid ice closer to 0.15 eV (14 kJ mol−1) than to 0.25 eV (24 kJ mol−1). This difference is believed to be due to a decrease in the ionic impurity content with increasing depth in the ice by a factor of two or more.

Combining SAR interferometry and the equation of continuity to estimate the three-dimensional glacier surface-velocity vector

1999 ◽  
Vol 45 (151) ◽  
pp. 533-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niels Reeh ◽  
Søren Nørvang Madsen ◽  
Johan Jakob Mohr
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Vertical Velocity ◽  
Velocity Vector ◽  
Thickness Distribution ◽  
Vertical Surface ◽  
Horizontal Velocity ◽  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Ice Thickness

AbstractUntil now, an assumption of surface-parallel glacier flow has been used to express the vertical velocity component in terms of the horizontal velocity vector, permitting all three velocity components to be determined from synthetic aperture radar interferometry. We discuss this assumption, which neglects the influence of the local mass balance and a possible contribution to the vertical velocity arising if the glacier is not in steady state. We find that the mass-balance contribution to the vertical surface velocity is not always negligible as compared to the surface-slope contribution. Moreover, the vertical velocity contribution arising if the ice sheet is not in steady state can be significant. We apply the principle of mass conservation to derive an equation relating the vertical surface velocity to the horizontal velocity vector. This equation, valid for both steady-state and non-steady-state conditions, depends on the ice-thickness distribution. Replacing the surface-parallel-flow assumption with a correct relationship between the surface velocity components requires knowledge of additional quantities such as surface mass balance or ice thickness.

scholarly journals Climatic conditions, mass balance and dynamics of Larsen B ice shelf, Antarctic Peninsula, prior to collapse

2004 ◽  
Vol 39 ◽  
pp. 557-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Skvarca ◽  
Hernán De Angelis ◽  
Andrés F. Zakrajsek
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Strain Rates ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Significant Acceleration

AbstractFollowing the collapse of Larsen A in 1995, about 3200 km2 of Larsen B ice shelf disintegrated in early 2002 during the warmest summer recorded on the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula. Immediately prior to disintegration the last field campaign was carried out on Larsen B. Measurements included surface net mass balance, velocity and strain rate on a longitudinal transect along Crane Glacier flowline and over a remnant section confined within Seal Nunataks that survived the collapse. In addition, an automatic weather station located nearby allowed derivation of melt days relevant to the formation and extent of surface meltwater. Repeated surveys allowed us to detect a significant acceleration in ice-flow velocity and associated increasing strain rates along the longitudinal transect. It may be possible to use this acceleration as a predictor of imminent ice-shelf collapse, applicable to ice shelves subject to similar climatic conditions. Additional information on recent ongoing changes was provided by a visible satellite image acquired in early 2003.

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.

scholarly journals Tabular Icebergs: Implication from Geophysical Studies of Ice Shelves

1980 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 55-55
Author(s):  
Sion Shabtaie ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Frictional Drag ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Rift Zones ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Ice Water

Recent geophysical and glaciological investigations of the Ross Ice Shelf have revealed many complexities in the ice shelf that can be important factors in iceberg structure. The presence of rift zones, surface and bottom crevasses, corrugations, ridges and troughs, and other features could substantially modify the hydraulics of iceberg towing and lead to disintegration of the berg in the course of transport.The relationships between the elevation above sea-level and total ice thickness for three ice shelves (Ross, Brunt, and McMurdo) are given; from them, expressions for the thickness/freeboard ratios of tabular icebergs calved from these ice shelves are obtained. The relationships obtained from the measured values of surface elevation and ice thickness are in agreement with models derived assuming hydrostatic equilibrium.Areas of brine infiltration into the Ross Ice Shelf have been mapped. Examples of radar profiles in these zones are shown. Absorption from the brine layers results in a poor or absent bottom echo. It is probable that little saline ice exists at the bottom of the Ross Ice Shelf front due to a rapid bottom melting near the ice front, and that the thickness of the saline ice at the bottom of icebergs calving from the Ross Ice Shelf is no more than a few meters, if there is any at all.We have observed many rift zones on the ice shelf by airborne radar techniques, and at one site the bottom and surface topographies of (buried) rift zones have been delineated. These rift zones play an obvious role in iceberg formation and may also affect the dynamics of iceberg transport. Bottom crevasses with different shapes, sizes, and spacings are abundant in ice shelves; probably some are filled with saline ice and others with unfrozen sea-water. Existence of these bottom crevasses could lead to a rapid disintegration of icebergs in the course of transport, as well as increasing the frictional drag at the ice-water boundary.Radar profiles of the ice-shelf barrier at four sites in flow bands of very different characteristics are shown. In some places rifting upstream from the barrier shows regular spacings, suggesting a periodic calving. Differential bottom melting near the barrier causes the icebergs to have an uneven surface and bottom (i.e. dome-shaped).Electrical resistivity soundings on the ice shelf can be applied to estimate the temperature-depth function, and from that the basal mass-balance rate. With some modifications, the technique may also be applied to estimating the basal mass-balance rates of tabular icebergs.

scholarly journals Tabular Icebergs: Implications from Geophysical Studies of Ice Shelves

1982 ◽  
Vol 28 (100) ◽  
pp. 413-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sion Shabtaie ◽  
Charles R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Water ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Frictional Drag ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Rift Zones ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
Ice Water

AbstractRecent geophysical and glaciological investigations of the Ross Ice Shelf have revealed many complexities in the ice shelf that can be important factors in iceberg structure. The presence of rift zones, surface and bottom crevasses, corrugations, ridge/troughs, and other features could substantially modify the hydraulics of iceberg towing and lead to disintegration in the course of transport.The relationships between the elevation above sea-level and total ice thickness for three ice shelves (Ross, Brunt, and McMurdo) are given; from them, expressions for the thickness/freeboard ratios of tabular icebergs calved from these ice shelves are obtained. The relationships obtained from the measured values of surface elevation and ice thickness are in agreement with models derived assuming hydrostatic equilibrium.Areas of brine infiltration into the Ross Ice Shelf have been mapped. Examples of radar profiles in these zones are shown. Absorption from the brine layers results in a poor or absent bottom echo. It is probable that little saline ice exists at the bottom of the Ross Ice Shelf front due to a rapid bottom melting near the ice front, and that the thickness of the saline ice at the bottom of icebergs calving from the Ross Ice Shelf is no more than a few meters, if there is any at all.We have observed many rift zones on the ice shelf by airborne radar techniques, and at one site the bottom and surface topographies of (buried) rift zones have been delineated. These rift zones play an obvious role in iceberg formation and may also affect the dynamics of iceberg transport. Bottom crevasses with different shapes, sizes, and spacings are abundant in ice shelves; probably some are filled with saline ice and others with unfrozen sea-water. Existence of these bottom crevasses could lead to a rapid disintegration of icebergs in the course of transport, as well as increasing the frictional drag at the ice-water boundary.Radar profiles of the ice shelf front at four sites in flow bands of very different characteristics are shown. In some places rifting up-stream from the front shows regular spacings, suggesting a periodic calving. Differential bottom melting near the front causes the icebergs to have an uneven surface and bottom (i.e. dome shaped).Electrical resistivity soundings on the ice shelf can be applied to estimate the temperature-depth function, and from that the basal mass-balance rate. With some modifications, the technique may also be applied to estimating the basal mass balance rates of tabular icebergs.

scholarly journals High-resolution ice thickness and bed topography of a land-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Lindbäck ◽  
R. Pettersson ◽  
S. H. Doyle ◽  
C. Helanow ◽  
P. Jansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Airborne Radar ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Sheet Dynamics

Abstract. We present ice thickness and bed topography maps with high spatial resolution (250 to 500 m) of a and-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet derived from combined ground-based and airborne radar surveys. The data have a total area of ~12000 km2 and cover the whole ablation area of the outlet glaciers of Isunnguata Sermia, Russell, Leverett, Ørkendalen and Isorlersuup up to the long-term mass balance equilibrium line altitude at ~1600 m above sea level. The bed topography shows highly variable subglacial trough systems, and the trough of the Isunnguata Sermia Glacier is over-deepened and reaches an elevation of several hundreds of meters below sea level. The ice surface is smooth and only reflects the bedrock topography in a subtle way, resulting in a highly variable ice thickness. The southern part of our study area consists of higher bed elevations compared to the northern part. The covered area is one of the most studied regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet with studies of mass balance, dynamics, and supraglacial lakes, and our combined dataset can be valuable for detailed studies of ice sheet dynamics and hydrology. The compiled datasets of ground-based and airborne radar surveys are accessible for reviewers (password protected) at doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/pangaea.830314 and will be freely available in the final revised paper.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document