scholarly journals Measuring the location and width of the Antarctic grounding zone using CryoSat-2

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 2071-2086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey J. Dawson ◽  
Jonathan L. Bamber
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Beam ◽  
Young Modulus ◽  
Beam Model ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Satellite Radar ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. We present the results of mapping the limit of the tidal flexure (point F) and hydrostatic equilibrium (point H) of the grounding zone of Antarctic ice shelves from CryoSat-2 standard and swath elevation data. Overall we were able to map 31 % of the grounding zone of the Antarctic floating ice shelves and outlet glaciers. We obtain near-complete coverage of the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf. Here we manage to map areas of Support Force Glacier and the Doake Ice Rumples, which have previously only been mapped using break-in-slope methods. Over the Ross Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud Land and the Antarctic Peninsula, we obtained partial coverage, and we could not map a continuous grounding zone for the Amery Ice Shelf and the Amundsen Sea sector. Tidal amplitude and distance south (i.e. across-track spacing) are controlling factors in the quality of the coverage and performance of the approach. The location of the point F agrees well with previous observations that used differential satellite radar interferometry (DInSAR) and ICESat-1, with an average landward bias of 0.1 and 0.6 km and standard deviation of 1.1 and 1.5 km for DInSAR and ICESat measurements, respectively. We also compared the results directly with DInSAR interferograms from the Sentinel-1 satellites, acquired over the Evans Ice Stream and the Carlson Inlet (Ronne Ice Shelf), and found good agreement with the mapped points F and H. We also present the results of the spatial distribution of the grounding zone width (the distance between points F and H) and used a simple elastic beam model, along with ice thickness calculations, to calculate an effective Young modulus of ice of E=1.4±0.9 GPa.

scholarly journals Antarctic grounding zone characteristics from CryoSat-2

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffrey J. Dawson ◽  
Jonathan L. Bamber
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Beam ◽  
Beam Model ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Zone Width ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Satellite Radar ◽  
And Performance

Abstract. We present the results of mapping the limit of tidal flexure (point F) and hydrostatic equilibrium (point H) of the grounding zone of Antarctic ice shelves from CryoSat-2 standard and swath elevation data. Overall we were able to map 41 % of the grounding zone of the larger floating ice shelves and outlet glaciers in Antarctica. We obtain near-complete coverage of the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf and partial coverage of the Ross Ice Shelf, Dronning Maud land and the Antarctic Peninsula, while we could not map a continuous grounding zone for the Amery Ice Shelf and the Amundsen Sea Sector. Tidal amplitude and distance south (i.e. across track spacing) are controlling factors in the quality of the coverage and performance of the approach. The location of the point F agrees well with previous observations that used differential satellite radar interferometry (DInSAR) and ICESat-1, with an average landward bias of 0.1 km and 0.6 km and standard deviation of 1.1 km and 1.5 km for DInSAR and ICESat measurements, respectively. We also compared the results directly with DInSAR interferograms from the Sentinel-1 satellites, acquired over the Evans Ice Stream and the Carlson Inlet (Ronne Ice Shelf) and found good agreement with the mapped points F and H. We present the results of the spatial distribution of the grounding zone width (the distance between points F and H), and used a simple elastic beam model to investigate the relationship between ice thickness and grounding zone width.

scholarly journals Changes of Wilkins Ice Shelf over the past 15 years and inferences on its stability

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Braun ◽  
A. Humbert ◽  
A. Moll
Keyword(s):  
Sar Interferometry ◽  
Tidal Effects ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Structural Mapping ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Melt Ponds ◽  
Elevation Data ◽  
Break Up ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. The Wilkins Ice Shelf is situated on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where seven ice shelves disintegrated or retreated between 1995 and 2002. This study combines various remote sensing datasets from Wilkins Ice Shelf, with the aim of detecting its present and recent dynamics as well as recent changes. The survey includes structural mapping, ERS-1/2 SAR interferometry and analysis of ICESat GLAS ice surface elevation data. Ice front retreat rates from 1986 to 2008 showed several distinct break-up events, including one in February 2008, when 40% of a part of the ice shelf that connected two islands broke off. Surface elevations have been used to study tidal effects, crack formation and to estimate the ice thickness over the floating area. The derived interferometric velocities cover the south-eastern part of the ice shelf as well as major tributaries and reveal maximum inflow speeds of up to 330 m a−1. We show that drainage of melt ponds into crevasses were of no relevance for the break-up at Wilkins Ice Shelf. Buoyancy forces caused rift formation before the break-up in February 2008. Additionally, the evolution of failure zones of the order of tenths of kilometres in length in pre-conditioned locations at ice rises is shown. Investigation of the current (February 2009) situation shows that about 3100 km2 at the Northern Wilkins Ice Shelf are endangered, however, there is no visible signature that the remaining 8000 km2 are at risk.

Drivers of intermittent reduction in ocean heat transport into the Getz Ice Shelf cavity

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine Steiger ◽  
Elin Darelius ◽  
Anna Wåhlin ◽  
Karen Assmann
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transport ◽  
Heat Content ◽  
Ocean Current ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Coastal Polynya ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Antarctic

<p><span>Ice shelves in West Antarctica have been thinning during the last decades due to an increased supply of ocean heat that melts the ice from below. The Getz Ice Shelf in the western Amundsen Sea has experienced an inflow of warm water during 2016-2017, but intermittent events of reduced heat content occur during this period. The processes behind the variability of heat transport towards the Antarctic ice shelves on daily to decadal time scales are not well known. <br>Here, we present possible drivers and implications of these events of reduced heat content. We find that they are preceded by strong easterly winds that open up a coastal polynya and depress the cold Winter Water towards the ocean floor. Simultaneously, the ocean current flowing towards the ice shelf veers to the right and aligns with the ice shelf front rather than entering the ice shelf cavity. The heat transport into the ice shelf cavity is consequently reduced by 22% in winter 2016. These events do not occur during winter 2017, possibly due to stronger stratification and weaker winds.</span></p>

scholarly journals On the representation of ice-shelf grounding zones in SAR interferograms

2002 ◽  
Vol 48 (162) ◽  
pp. 345-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernhard T. Rabus ◽  
Oliver Lang
Keyword(s):  
Elastic Beam ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Beam Model ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
The One ◽  
Differential Interferogram

AbstractWe investigate limitations of the one-dimensional elastic-beam model to detect grounding line and thickness of an ice shelf from a differential interferogram. Spatial limitations due to grounding-line curvature and variable ice thickness are analyzed by comparison with two-dimensional plate flexure. Temporal limitations from the tide-dependent shift of the grounding line are analyzed by superpositions of four tidal flexure profiles representing differential interferograms. (i) At scales greater than one ice thickness, seaward protrusions of the grounding line are well represented by the elastic-beam model, while landward embayments of the same scale produce significant misplacements >10% of the ice thickness. (ii) For reasonable spatial variations of shelf thickness, the elastic-beam model gives reliable estimates of grounding-line position and unfractured mean ice thickness near the grounding line. (iii) For about 20% of superpositions of four tidal flexure profiles, the resulting grounding-line misplacements exceed the physical tidal shift of the grounding line by factors >2. For differential tide levels <10% of a 1 m tide dynamics, a physical shift of the grounding line of 0.3 km per metre of tide can lever misplacements of >2 km. Examples of real interferometric profiles from West Antarctic ice shelves corroborate our results.

scholarly journals Antarctic sub-shelf melt rates via PICO

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronja Reese ◽  
Torsten Albrecht ◽  
Matthias Mengel ◽  
Xylar Asay-Davis ◽  
Ricarda Winkelmann
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Fully Coupled

Abstract. Ocean-induced melting below ice shelves is one of the dominant drivers for mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet at present. An appropriate representation of sub-shelf melt rates is therefore essential for model simulations of marine-based ice sheet evolution. Continental-scale ice sheet models often rely on simple melt-parameterizations, in particular for long-term simulations, when fully coupled ice-ocean interaction becomes computationally too expensive. Such parameterizations can account for the influence of the local depth of the ice-shelf draft or its slope on melting. However, they do not capture the effect of ocean circulation underneath the ice-shelf. Here we present the Potsdam Ice-shelf Cavity mOdel (PICO), which simulates the vertical overturning circulation in ice-shelf cavities and thus enables the computation of sub-shelf melt rates consistent with this circulation. PICO is based on an ocean box model that coarsely resolves ice shelf cavities and uses a boundary layer melt formulation. We implement it as a module of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and evaluate its performance under present-day conditions of the Southern Ocean. The two-dimensional melt rate fields provided by the model reproduce the typical pattern of comparably high melting near the grounding line and lower melting or refreezing towards the calving front. PICO captures the wide range of melt rates observed for Antarctic ice shelves, with an average of about 0.1 m a−1 for cold sub-shelf cavities, for example underneath Ross or Ronne ice shelves, to 12 m a−1 for warm cavities such as in the Amundsen Sea region. This makes PICO a computationally-feasible and more physical alternative to melt parameterizations purely based on ice draft geometry.

scholarly journals Antarctic sub-shelf melt rates via PICO

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1969-1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronja Reese ◽  
Torsten Albrecht ◽  
Matthias Mengel ◽  
Xylar Asay-Davis ◽  
Ricarda Winkelmann
Keyword(s):  
Ocean Circulation ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Fully Coupled

Abstract. Ocean-induced melting below ice shelves is one of the dominant drivers for mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet at present. An appropriate representation of sub-shelf melt rates is therefore essential for model simulations of marine-based ice sheet evolution. Continental-scale ice sheet models often rely on simple melt-parameterizations, in particular for long-term simulations, when fully coupled ice–ocean interaction becomes computationally too expensive. Such parameterizations can account for the influence of the local depth of the ice-shelf draft or its slope on melting. However, they do not capture the effect of ocean circulation underneath the ice shelf. Here we present the Potsdam Ice-shelf Cavity mOdel (PICO), which simulates the vertical overturning circulation in ice-shelf cavities and thus enables the computation of sub-shelf melt rates consistent with this circulation. PICO is based on an ocean box model that coarsely resolves ice shelf cavities and uses a boundary layer melt formulation. We implement it as a module of the Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and evaluate its performance under present-day conditions of the Southern Ocean. We identify a set of parameters that yield two-dimensional melt rate fields that qualitatively reproduce the typical pattern of comparably high melting near the grounding line and lower melting or refreezing towards the calving front. PICO captures the wide range of melt rates observed for Antarctic ice shelves, with an average of about 0.1 m a−1 for cold sub-shelf cavities, for example, underneath Ross or Ronne ice shelves, to 16 m a−1 for warm cavities such as in the Amundsen Sea region. This makes PICO a computationally feasible and more physical alternative to melt parameterizations purely based on ice draft geometry.

Antarctic ice sheet response to upper-bound scenarios

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sainan Sun ◽  
Frank Pattyn
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level Rise ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Climate Forcing ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Antarctic Ice Sheet ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Basal Sliding ◽  
The Antarctic

&lt;p&gt;Mass loss of the Antarctic ice sheet contributes the largest uncertainty of future sea-level rise projections. Ice-sheet model predictions are limited by uncertainties in climate forcing and poor understanding of processes such as ice viscosity. The Antarctic BUttressing Model Intercomparison Project (ABUMIP) has investigated the 'end-member' scenario, i.e., a total and sustained removal of buttressing from all Antarctic ice shelves, which can be regarded as the upper-bound physical possible, but implausible contribution of sea-level rise due to ice-shelf loss. In this study, we add successive layers of &amp;#8216;realism&amp;#8217; to the ABUMIP scenario by considering sustained regional ice-shelf collapse and by introducing ice-shelf regrowth after collapse with the inclusion of ice-sheet and ice-shelf damage (Sun et al., 2017). Ice shelf regrowth has the ability to stabilize grounding lines, while ice shelf damage may reinforce ice loss. In combination with uncertainties from basal sliding and ice rheology, a more realistic physical upperbound to ice loss is sought. Results are compared in the light of other proposed mechanisms, such as MICI due to ice cliff collapse.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals Melting and freezing under Antarctic ice shelves from a combination of ice-sheet modelling and observations

2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (240) ◽  
pp. 731-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
JORGE BERNALES ◽  
IRINA ROGOZHINA ◽  
MAIK THOMAS
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Ice Sheet ◽  
Model Parameters ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Model Set ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Basal Melting ◽  
The Antarctic

ABSTRACTIce-shelf basal melting is the largest contributor to the negative mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet. However, current implementations of ice/ocean interactions in ice-sheet models disagree with the distribution of sub-shelf melt and freezing rates revealed by recent observational studies. Here we present a novel combination of a continental-scale ice flow model and a calibration technique to derive the spatial distribution of basal melting and freezing rates for the whole Antarctic ice-shelf system. The modelled ice-sheet equilibrium state is evaluated against topographic and velocity observations. Our high-resolution (10-km spacing) simulation predicts an equilibrium ice-shelf basal mass balance of −1648.7 Gt a−1 that increases to −1917.0 Gt a−1 when the observed ice-shelf thinning rates are taken into account. Our estimates reproduce the complexity of the basal mass balance of Antarctic ice shelves, providing a reference for parameterisations of sub-shelf ocean/ice interactions in continental ice-sheet models. We perform a sensitivity analysis to assess the effects of variations in the model set-up, showing that the retrieved estimates of basal melting and freezing rates are largely insensitive to changes in the internal model parameters, but respond strongly to a reduction of model resolution and the uncertainty in the input datasets.

scholarly journals Recent ice-surface-elevation changes of Fleming Glacier in response to the removal of the Wordie Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2010 ◽  
Vol 51 (55) ◽  
pp. 97-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wendt ◽  
A. Rivera ◽  
A. Wendt ◽  
F. Bown ◽  
R. Zamora ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Regional Climate ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Similar Data ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
International Polar Year ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractRegional climate warming has caused several ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula to retreat and ultimately collapse during recent decades. Glaciers flowing into these retreating ice shelves have responded with accelerating ice flow and thinning. The Wordie Ice Shelf on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula was reported to have undergone a major areal reduction before 1989. Since then, this ice shelf has continued to retreat and now very little floating ice remains. Little information is currently available regarding the dynamic response of the glaciers feeding the Wordie Ice Shelf, but we describe a Chilean International Polar Year project, initiated in 2007, targeted at studying the glacier dynamics in this area and their relationship to local meteorological conditions. Various data were collected during field campaigns to Fleming Glacier in the austral summers of 2007/08 and 2008/09. In situ measurements of ice-flow velocity first made in 1974 were repeated and these confirm satellite-based assessments that velocity on the glacier has increased by 40–50% since 1974. Airborne lidar data collected in December 2008 can be compared with similar data collected in 2004 in collaboration with NASA and the Chilean Navy. This comparison indicates continued thinning of the glacier, with increasing rates of thinning downstream, with a mean of 4.1 ± 0.2 m a−1 at the grounding line of the glacier. These comparisons give little indication that the glacier is achieving a new equilibrium.

scholarly journals Speedup and fracturing of George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula

2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 797-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. O. Holt ◽  
N. F. Glasser ◽  
D. J. Quincey ◽  
M. R. Siegfried
Keyword(s):  
Antarctic Peninsula ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Surface Elevation ◽  
Ice Shelf ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
The North ◽  
Surface Elevation Change ◽  
Elevation Changes ◽  
Negative Surface ◽  
The Antarctic

Abstract. George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) is located on the Antarctic Peninsula, a region where several ice shelves have undergone rapid breakup in response to atmospheric and oceanic warming. We use a combination of optical (Landsat), radar (ERS 1/2 SAR) and laser altimetry (GLAS) datasets to examine the response of GVIIS to environmental change and to offer an assessment on its future stability. The spatial and structural changes of GVIIS (ca. 1973 to ca. 2010) are mapped and surface velocities are calculated at different time periods (InSAR and optical feature tracking from 1989 to 2009) to document changes in the ice shelf's flow regime. Surface elevation changes are recorded between 2003 and 2008 using repeat track ICESat acquisitions. We note an increase in fracture extent and distribution at the south ice front, ice-shelf acceleration towards both the north and south ice fronts and spatially varied negative surface elevation change throughout, with greater variations observed towards the central and southern regions of the ice shelf. We propose that whilst GVIIS is in no imminent danger of collapse, it is vulnerable to ongoing atmospheric and oceanic warming and is more susceptible to breakup along its southern margin in ice preconditioned for further retreat.

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