scholarly journals Interior of an ice stream: 3-D geometry of distorted radar stratigraphy of upstream NEGIS and vicinity.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Jansen ◽  
Steven Franke ◽  
Tobias Binder ◽  
Paul Bons ◽  
Dorthe Dahl-Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wide Band ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Dense Grid ◽  
Over Time

<p>The North East Greenland Ice Stream clearly stands out in the surface velocity field of the ice flow of Greenland, with its sharp and narrow shear margins visible in the flow field almost up to the central divide. While the current extent and strength of the streaming can be determined from remotely sensed velocities of the ice surface, it is less known how the ice stream is affecting the deeper layers of ice in its catchment area, and how it may have evolved over time. The deformation of the ice due to streaming can be made visible by mapping the distortion of the isochronous stratigraphy of the ice. This has been done by an airborne radar survey centering on the location of the EGRIP drilling camp, carried out with the ultra wide band  radar system (AWI UWB). The dense grid of profiles arranged mainly perpendicular to the ice flow reveals the imprint that the strong shearing leaves within the layering of the ice. Although the layers are tightly folded and distorted within the shear zones, it is possible to continuously trace reflections within the upper half of the ice column throughout the entire survey area. It can be shown that the intensity of the folding is linked to the strain rate field derived from the surface velocities, and that the deformation history of the ice is preserved in the folded layers, even after it is no longer affected by high strain rates.  The advection patterns of the mapped stratigraphic features reveal how the streaming of the ice and the resulting local changes of surface topography may have affected the inflow into the stream and the position of the shear margins over time.</p>

scholarly journals Complex basal conditions influence flow at the onset of the North East Greenland Ice Stream

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Franke ◽  
Daniela Jansen ◽  
John Paden ◽  
Olaf Eisen
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zones ◽  
Surface Flow ◽  
Ultra Wideband ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
East Greenland ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Stream

<p>The onset and high upstream ice surface velocities of the North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) are not yet well reproducible in ice sheet models. A major uncertainty remains the understanding of basal sliding and a parameterization of basal conditions. In this study, we assess the slow-flowing part of the NEGIS in a systematic analysis of the basal conditions and investigate the increased ice flow. We analyze the spectral basal roughness in correlation with basal return power from an airborne radar survey with AWIs ultra-wideband radar system in 2018 and compare our results with current ice flow geometry and ice surface flow. We observe a roughness anisotropy where the ice stream widens, indicating a change from a smooth and soft bed to a harder bedrock as well as the evolution of elongated subglacial landforms. In addition, at the upstream part of the NEGIS we find a clear zoning of the bedrock return power, indicating an increased water content at the base of the ice stream. At the downstream part, we observe an increased bedrock return power throughout the entire width of the ice stream and outside its margins, indicating enhanced melting and the distribution of basal water beyond the shear zones.</p>

scholarly journals Are longitudinal ice-surface structures on the Antarctic Ice Sheet indicators of long-term ice-flow configuration?

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 911-933 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. F. Glasser ◽  
S. J. A. Jennings ◽  
M. J. Hambrey ◽  
B. Hubbard
Keyword(s):  
Flow Line ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Surface Structures ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. Continent-wide mapping of longitudinal ice-surface structures on the Antarctic Ice Sheet reveals that they originate in the interior of the ice sheet and are arranged in arborescent networks fed by multiple tributaries. Longitudinal ice-surface structures can be traced continuously down-ice for distances of up to 1200 km. They are co-located with fast-flowing glaciers and ice streams that are dominated by basal sliding rates above tens of m yr-1 and are strongly guided by subglacial topography. Longitudinal ice-surface structures dominate regions of converging flow, where ice flow is subject to non-coaxial strain and simple shear. Associating these structures with the AIS' surface velocity field reveals (i) ice residence times of ~ 2500 to 18 500 years, and (ii) undeformed flow-line sets for all major flow units analysed except the Kamb Ice Stream and the Institute and Möller Ice Stream areas. Although it is unclear how long it takes for these features to form and decay, we infer that the major ice-flow and ice-velocity configuration of the ice sheet may have remained largely unchanged for several thousand years, and possibly even since the end of the last glacial cycle. This conclusion has implications for our understanding of the long-term landscape evolution of Antarctica, including large-scale patterns of glacial erosion and deposition.

scholarly journals 3D Structure of NEGIS shear margins from radar stratigraphy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Jansen ◽  
Steven Franke ◽  
Tobias Binder ◽  
Paul Bons ◽  
Dorthe Dahl-Jensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
3D Structure ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Survey Area ◽  
Localized Deformation ◽  
Main Trunk ◽  
Efficient System ◽  
North East ◽  
Ice Stream

<p>The North East Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is delineated by well-defined shear margins, which are evident in the gradient of surface velocity field as well as in the surface topography, where they form troughs up to ten meters deep. In the upper part of the ice stream the margins appear not to be linked to bedrock topography. To understand this efficient system of mass transport towards the ocean it is essential to investigate the nature of the shear margins, as here very localized deformation decouples the inner ice stream from the slower flowing surrounding ice sheet. This process is influenced by several factors and feedback mechanisms, including the crystal fabric orientation, strain heating and localization of meltwater. In summary, the shear margins are area-wise a small part of the ice stream itself, but the processes leading to the localization of deformation are of similar importance for ice discharge as the processes enabling fast flow of the main trunk over the bed.</p><p>We present results from an airborne radar survey with the AWI Ultra-Wide Band Radar system, covering an area 150 km upstream and 100 km downstream of the deep drilling site on the ice stream (EGRIP). Over the survey area the ice stream accelerates from 12 m/a to 75 m/a. We focus on the signatures of the shear margins in the radar data. In the regions of localized shear, the internal reflections in the radargrams show disturbances in the form of steep undulations, or chevron folds, which are intensified with ongoing shear. As the ice stream has been covered with 36 flow-perpendicular radar sections we are able to show the evolution of these characteristic signatures over the survey area, and thus, as an analog, over time. 3D-representations of the folded stratigraphic layers reveal how new folds are formed when the ice stream widens and how older structures are preserved in the outer part of the main trunk, where they are no longer subject to shear. Furthermore, we link the change of the shape of the internal reflections in the shear zones to a strain rate field calculated from high resolution flow velocities derived by TerraSAR-X data.</p>

scholarly journals Of isbræ and ice streams

2003 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 66-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Truffer ◽  
Keith A. Echelmeyer
Keyword(s):  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Fast Ice ◽  
Fast Flow ◽  
End Members

AbstractFast-flowing ice streams and outlet glaciers provide the major avenues for ice flow from past and present ice sheets. These ice streams move faster than the surrounding ice sheet by a factor of 100 or more. Several mechanisms for fast ice-stream flow have been identified, leading to a spectrum of different ice-stream types. In this paper we discuss the two end members of this spectrum, which we term the “ice-stream” type (represented by the Siple Coast ice streams in West Antarctica) and the “isbræ” type (represented by Jakobshavn Isbræ in Greenland). The typical ice stream is wide, relatively shallow (∼1000 m), has a low surface slope and driving stress (∼10 kPa), and ice-stream location is not strongly controlled by bed topography. Fast flow is possible because the ice stream has a slippery bed, possibly underlain by weak, actively deforming sediments. The marginal shear zones are narrow and support most of the driving stress, and the ice deforms almost exclusively by transverse shear. The margins seem to be inherently unstable; they migrate, and there are plausible mechanisms for such ice streams to shut down. The isbræ type of ice stream is characterized by very high driving stresses, often exceeding 200 kPa. They flow through deep bedrock channels that are significantly deeper than the surrounding ice, and have steep surface slopes. Ice deformation includes vertical as well as lateral shear, and basal motion need not contribute significantly to the overall motion. The marginal shear zone stend to be wide relative to the isbræ width, and the location of isbræ and its margins is strongly controlled by bedrock topography. They are stable features, and can only shut down if the high ice flux cannot be supplied from the adjacent ice sheet. Isbræs occur in Greenland and East Antarctica, and possibly parts of Pine Island and Thwaites Glaciers, West Antarctica. In this paper, we compare and contrast the two types of ice streams, addressing questions such as ice deformation, basal motion, subglacial hydrology, seasonality of ice flow, and stability of the ice streams.

scholarly journals The effect of the north-east ice stream on the Greenland ice sheet in changing climates

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Greve ◽  
S. Otsu
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Greenland Ice Sheet ◽  
Simulation Code ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Basal Sliding ◽  
Speed Up ◽  
Fast Flow

Abstract. The north-east Greenland ice stream (NEGIS) was discovered as a large fast-flow feature of the Greenland ice sheet by synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaginary of the ERS-1 satellite. In this study, the NEGIS is implemented in the dynamic/thermodynamic, large-scale ice-sheet model SICOPOLIS (Simulation Code for POLythermal Ice Sheets). In the first step, we simulate the evolution of the ice sheet on a 10-km grid for the period from 250 ka ago until today, driven by a climatology reconstructed from a combination of present-day observations and GCM results for the past. We assume that the NEGIS area is characterized by enhanced basal sliding compared to the "normal", slowly-flowing areas of the ice sheet, and find that the misfit between simulated and observed ice thicknesses and surface velocities is minimized for a sliding enhancement by the factor three. In the second step, the consequences of the NEGIS, and also of surface-meltwater-induced acceleration of basal sliding, for the possible decay of the Greenland ice sheet in future warming climates are investigated. It is demonstrated that the ice sheet is generally very susceptible to global warming on time-scales of centuries and that surface-meltwater-induced acceleration of basal sliding can speed up the decay significantly, whereas the NEGIS is not likely to dynamically destabilize the ice sheet as a whole.

scholarly journals Reactivated normal-sense shear zones in the core of the Greater Himalayan Sequence, Solukhumbu District, Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 ◽  
pp. 99-105
Author(s):  
Mary Hubbard ◽  
David R. Lageson ◽  
Roshan Raj Bhattarai
Keyword(s):  
Shear Zones ◽  
The North ◽  
Orogenic Wedge ◽  
Kinematic Models ◽  
Thrust System ◽  
Greater Himalayan Sequence ◽  
Displacement Based ◽  
Metamorphic Core ◽  
Normal Sense ◽  
Over Time

We present preliminary observations from the Solukhumbu region of Nepal, coupled with structures described in the literature, to suggest the importance of structural and metamorphic discontinuities within the Himalayan metamorphic core (Greater Himalayan Sequence) and reactivation of at least one of these thrust discontinuities with a normal (down-to-the-north) sense of displacement. Based on preliminary geochronologic data, development of these discontinuities may have evolved over time. In the Dudh Kosi Valley near Ghat, gneissic rocks and pegmatites exhibit tectonized fabrics and yield argon cooling ages of ~4 Ma for K-feldspar and ~9 Ma for biotite. Just north of Khumjung there is a prominent topographic break from which sheared gneissic rocks indicate a top-to-the-north, or normal, sense of shear. Near Pangboche, a repeated section of kyanitebearing rocks interleaved with sillimanite-muscovite schist suggests structural imbrication and/or interleaved retrograde metamorphism. Below the peaks of Nuptse and Lhotse, the Khumbu thrust (Searle 1999) appears to form the floor of a thick succession of leucogranite sills. We suggest that these discontinuities were formed over time, possibly from early MCT and STDS deformation at ~21 Ma to as recent as ~4 Ma, and need to be considered in kinematic models that combine channel flow with critical taper and tectonic denudation. Moreover, orogenic collapse in the Himalayan core may be migrating southward through time as the orogenic wedge continues to uplift in response to underthrusting of India and southward propagation of the Main Frontal Thrust system.

Geology and timing of dextral strike-slip shear zones in Danmarkshavn, North-East Greenland Caledonides

2006 ◽  
Vol 143 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. SARTINI-RIDEOUT ◽  
J. A. GILOTTI ◽  
W. C. McCLELLAND
Keyword(s):  
Deformation Zone ◽  
Shear Zones ◽  
Amphibolite Facies ◽  
Ultrahigh Pressure ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Weighted Mean ◽  
East Greenland ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Land Deformation

The North-East Greenland eclogite province is divided into a western, central and eastern block by the sinistral Storstrømmen shear zone in the west and the dextral Germania Land deformation zone in the east. A family of steep, NNW-striking dextral mylonite zones in the Danmarkshavn area are geometrically and kinematically similar to the ductile Germania Land deformation zone, located 25 km to the east. Amphibolite facies deformation at Danmarkshavn is characterized by boudinage of eclogite bodies within quartzofeldspathic host gneisses, pegmatite emplacement into the boudin necks and subsequent deformation of pegmatites parallel to gneissosity, a widespread component of dextral shear within the gneisses, and localization of strain into 10–50 m thick dextral mylonite zones. The gneisses and concordant mylonite zones are cut by a swarm of weakly to undeformed, steeply dipping, E–W-striking pegmatitic dykes. Oscillatory-zoned zircon cores from two boudin neck pegmatites give weighted mean 206Pb/238U sensitive, high mass resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) ages of 376 ± 5 Ma and 343 ± 7 Ma. Cathodoluminescence images of these zircons reveal complex additional rims, with ages from ranging from c. 360 to 320 Ma. Oscillatory-zoned, prismatic zircons from two late, cross-cutting pegmatites yield weighted mean 206Pb/238U SHRIMP ages of 343 ± 5 Ma and 332 ± 3 Ma. Zircons from the boudin neck pegmatites record a prolonged growth history, marked by fluid influx, during amphibolite facies metamorphism beginning at c. 375 Ma. The cross-cutting pegmatites show that dextral deformation in the gneisses and ductile mylonite zones had stopped by c. 340 Ma. Ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism in the eastern block at 360 Ma requires that the Greenland Caledonides were in an overall contractional plate tectonic regime. This, combined with 20% steep amphibolite facies lineations in the eclogites, gneisses and mylonites suggests that dextral transpression may have been responsible for a first stage of eclogite exhumation between 370 and 340 Ma.

scholarly journals Data-Driven Inference of the Mechanics of Slip Along Glacier Beds Using Physics-Informed Neural Networks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bryan Riel ◽  
Brent Minchew ◽  
Tobias Bischoff
Keyword(s):  
Neural Networks ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Time Dependent ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Physical Constraints ◽  
Training Strategy ◽  
Proper Form ◽  
Ice Surface

<p>Reliable projections of sea level rise depend on accurate representations of how fast-flowing glaciers slip along their beds. Specifically, ice sheet models require a quantitative sliding law that relates basal drag to sliding velocity and glacier geometry, yet the proper form of the law remains uncertain. Here, we present a novel deep learning-based framework for learning the time evolution of basal drag from time-dependent ice surface velocity and elevation observations. We train a pair of probabilistic neural networks through a combination of time-dependent surface observations, governing equations for ice flow, and known physical constraints. Neural network outputs are stochastic predictions of time-varying basal drag that do not require any prior assumptions on the form of the sliding law. This training strategy is well-suited to large volumes of remote sensing data while providing a natural way to integrate our existing understanding of the physics of ice flow into the learning process.</p><p>We test this framework on 1D and 2D ice flow simulations and demonstrate that, under certain stress conditions, recovery of the underlying sliding law parameters and their uncertainties can be derived from the stochastic predictions of time-varying basal drag. We also apply these methods to Rutford Ice Stream and Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica to investigate subglacial hydrological effects for the former and evidence for regularized Coulomb sliding for the latter.</p>

scholarly journals Delineation of a catchment boundary using velocity and elevation measurements

1998 ◽  
Vol 27 ◽  
pp. 140-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Price ◽  
I. M. Whillans
Keyword(s):  
Field Measurements ◽  
Surface Velocity ◽  
Data Sampling ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Boundary Location ◽  
Ice Stream B

The determination of catchment boundaries is a major source of uncertainty in net balance studies on large ice sheets. Here, a method for defining a catchment boundary is developed using new measurements of ice-surface velocity and elevation near the Ice Stream B/C boundary in West Antarctica. An objective method for estimating confidence in the catchment boundary is proposed. Using elevation data, the resulting mean standard deviation in boundary location is 13 km in position or 6000 km2 in area. Applying a similar uncertainty to both sides of the Ice Stream Β catchment results in a catchment-area uncertainty of 9%. Much larger uncertainties arise when the method is applied to velocity data. The uncertainty in both cases is primarily determined by the density of field measurements and is proportionally similar for larger catchment basins. Differences in the position of the velocity-determined boundary and the elevation-determined boundary probably result from data sampling. The boundary positions determined here do not support the hypothesis that Ice Stream Β captured parts of the Ice Stream C catchment.

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