scholarly journals Ice stream or not? Radio-echo sounding of Carlson Inlet, West Antarctica

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 907-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. King
Keyword(s):  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Basal Resistance ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Adjacent Part ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fast Flow

Abstract. The Antarctic Ice Sheet loses mass to the surrounding ocean mainly by drainage through a network of ice streams: fast-flowing glaciers bounded on either side by ice flowing one or two orders of magnitude more slowly. Ice streams flow despite low driving stress because of low basal resistance but are known to cease flowing if the basal conditions change, which can take place when subglacial sediment becomes dewatered by freezing or by a change in hydraulic pathways. Carlson Inlet, Antarctica has been interpreted as a stagnated ice stream, based on surface and basal morphology and shallow radar reflection profiling. To resolve the question of whether the flow history of Carlson Inlet has changed in the past, I conducted a ground-based radar survey of Carlson Inlet, the adjacent part of Rutford Ice Stream, and Talutis Inlet, West Antarctica. This survey provides details of the internal ice stratigraphy and allows the flow history to be interpreted. Tight folding of isochrones in Rutford Ice Stream and Talutis Inlet is interpreted to be the result of lateral compression during convergent flow from a wide catchment into a narrow, fast-flowing trunk. In contrast, the central part of Carlson Inlet has gently-folded isochrones that drape over the bed topography, suggestive of local accumulation and slow flow. A 1-D thermo-mechanical model was used to estimate the age of the ice. I conclude that the ice in the centre of Carlson Inlet has been near-stagnant for between 3500 and 6800 yr and that fast flow has not occurred there during that time period.

scholarly journals Ice stream or not? Radio-echo sounding of Carlson Inlet, West Antarctica

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1219-1238
Author(s):  
E. C. King
Keyword(s):  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Basal Resistance ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Adjacent Part ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fast Flow

Abstract. The Antarctic Ice Sheet loses mass to the surrounding ocean mainly by drainage through a network of ice streams: fast-flowing glaciers bounded on either side by ice flowing one or two orders of magnitude more slowly. Ice streams flow despite low driving stress because of low basal resistance but are known to cease flowing if the basal conditions change, which can take place when subglacial sediment becomes dewatered by freezing or by a change in hydraulic pathways. Carlson Inlet, Antarctica has been interpreted as a stagnated ice stream, based on surface and basal morphology and shallow radar reflection profiling. To resolve the question of whether the flow history of Carlson Inlet has changed in the past, I conducted a ground-based radar survey of Carlson Inlet, the adjacent part of Rutford Ice Stream, and Talutis Inlet, West Antarctica. This survey provides details of the internal ice stratigraphy and allows the flow history to be interpreted. Tight folding of isochrones in Rutford Ice Stream and Talutis Inlet is interpreted to be the result of lateral compression during convergent flow from a wide catchment into a narrow, fast-flowing trunk. In contrast, the central part of Carlson Inlet has gently-folded isochrones that drape over the bed topography, suggestive of local accumulation and slow flow. A 1-D thermo-mechanical model was used to estimate the age of the ice. I conclude that the ice in the centre of Carlson Inlet has been near-stagnant for between 3500 and 6800 years and that fast flow has not occurred there during that time period.

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 Basal melt rates beneath Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (198) ◽  
pp. 647-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas H. Beem ◽  
Ken C. Jezek ◽  
C.J. Van Der Veen
Keyword(s):  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Stress Regime ◽  
Basal Resistance ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Whillans Ice Stream ◽  
Fast Flow ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Streaming Flow

AbstractBasal water lubricates and enables the fast flow of the West Antarctic ice streams which exist under low gravitational driving stress. Identification of sources and rates of basal meltwater production can provide insight into the dynamics of ice streams and the subglacial hydrology, which remain insufficiently described by glaciological theory. Combining measurements and analytic modeling, we identify two regions where basal meltwater is produced beneath Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Downstream of the onset of shear crevasses, strong basal melt (20–50 mm a−1) is concentrated beneath the relatively narrow shear margins. Farther upstream, melt rates are consistently 3–7 mm a−1 across the width of the ice stream. We show that the transition in melt-rate patterns is coincident with the onset of shear margin crevassing and streaming flow and related to the development of significant lateral shear resistance, which reorganizes the resistive stress regime and induces a concentration of basal resistance adjacent to the shear margin. Finally, we discuss how downstream freeze-on in the ice-stream center coupled with melt beneath the shear margin might result in a slowing but widening ice stream.

scholarly journals The elevation history of ice streams and the spatial accumulation pattern along the Siple Coast of West Antarctica inferred from ground-based radar data from three inter-ice-stream ridges

2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (157) ◽  
pp. 303-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. A. Nereson ◽  
C. F. Raymond
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Internal Layer ◽  
Windward Side ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Amundsen Sea ◽  
The Past ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Siple Dome ◽  
History Of

AbstractMeasurements of the surface and internal layer geometry from ice-penetrating radar and global positioning system surveys on three inter-ice-stream ridges in West Antarctica (Siple Dome, ridge DE and ridge BC) are examined with ice-flow models to infer (1) the history of the divide position at each site and (2) the spatial pattern of accumulation across the ridges. We find that the divide position is most steady at Siple Dome, somewhat steady at ridge DE and highly variable at ridge BC. Data from Siple Dome and ridge DE show evidence for steady northward motion of the ice divide for the past few thousand years. The layers beneath ridge BC suggest a 5 km northward shift of the divide position within the past several hundred years. Assuming the divide shifts are all due to changing elevation of the bounding ice streams, we infer the relative elevation history for segments of Ice Streams B–E. The northward displacement of the divide for all ridges implies a progressive relative thinning of the ice streams from E to B, with most dramatic recent thinning (100 m in <103 years) of Ice Stream B relative to Ice Stream C. Analysis of the internal layer pattern across the ridges indicates a south–north accumulation gradient with higher accumulation rates on the northern flanks of the ridges in all three cases. The inferred accumulation distribution is nearly uniform on the northern flanks, decreases sharply within a few ice thicknesses across the divides, and then decreases gradually farther to the south. The north/south decrease is strongest for ridge DE and weakest for ridge BC. This spatial pattern and the reduction in gradient strength with distance from the Amundsen Sea is consistent with the hypothesis that storms from the Amundsen Sea carry moisture first south then west over West Antarctica and deposit more snow on the windward side of ridges due to orographic lifting. This pattern has been stable for at least the past several thousand years.

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.

scholarly journals Ice-Thickness Map of the West Antarctic Ice Streams by Radar Sounding

1988 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 126-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Shabtaie ◽  
C. R. Bentley
Keyword(s):  
Transient Behavior ◽  
Ice Thickness ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ross Ice Shelf ◽  
Bed Topography ◽  
West Antarctic ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Adjacent Part ◽  
Thickness Variations

Extensive radar ice-thickness sounding of ice streams A, B, and C, and the ridges between them, has been carried out. Closely spaced flight lines, as well as ties to numerous ground stations, have enabled us to compile a detailed ice-thickness map of the area. The map reveals a highly complex pattern of ice-thickness variations, which, because they are much larger than the surface relief, largely reflect the subglacial topography. Several cross-sectional profiles across the ice streams and ridges are shown, and a new configuration for Ice Stream A is presented. Ice Stream A is connected to Reedy Glacier and Horlick Ice Stream by subglacial troughs that converge down-stream. The single trough continues, at a depth of more than 1000 m below sea-level, beneath the entire length of the ice stream and adjacent part of Ross Ice Shelf. Ridge AB (part of which may be a remanent ice stream) overlies a deep bed with pronounced troughs at its headward end; the bed shoals rapidly down-stream to a height more than 500 m above the beds of the adjacent ice streams. Ice stream B1 overlies a subglacial trough that is deep inland and also shoals markedly toward the grounding line. Near its head. Ice Stream B2 is as much as 1000 m thinner than Ice Stream Bl, but then remains much more nearly constant in thickness along its length. Ridge BC is characterized by a smoother bed and less variation in bed depth than ridge AB. Ice Stream C, which is inactive, is particularly marked by uncorrelated maxima and minima in surface and bed topography. There are no distinct topographical steps that demarcate the transition from sheet to streaming flow at the head of the ice streams, and the ice streams are placed asymmetrically in some places with respect to their subglacial troughs. This may reflect a relative impermanence or transient behavior of the “Ross” ice streams.

scholarly journals Synthesizing multiple remote-sensing techniques for subglacial hydrologic mapping: application to a lake system beneath MacAyeal Ice Stream, West Antarctica

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (196) ◽  
pp. 187-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Amanda Fricker ◽  
Ted Scambos ◽  
Sasha Carter ◽  
Curt Davis ◽  
Terry Haran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Basal Resistance ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Satellite Radar ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques ◽  
Subglacial Lakes

AbstractWe present an analysis of the active hydrologic system of MacAyeal Ice Stream (MacIS), West Antarctica, from a synthesis of multiple remote-sensing techniques: satellite laser altimetry; satellite image differencing; and hydrologic potential mapping (using a satellite-derived DEM and a bedrock DEM from airborne radio-echo sounding). Combining these techniques augments the information provided by each one individually, and allows us to develop a protocol for studying subglacial hydrologic systems in a holistic manner. Our study reveals five large active subglacial lakes under MacIS, the largest of which undergoes volume changes of at least 1.0 km3. We discuss the hydrologic properties of this system and present evidence for links between the lakes. At least three of the lakes are co-located with sticky spots, i.e. regions of high local basal shear stress. We also find evidence for surface elevation changes due to ice-dynamic effects (not just water movement) caused by changes in basal resistance. Lastly, we show that satellite radar altimetry is of limited use for monitoring lake activity on fast-flowing ice streams with surfaces that undulate on ∼10 km length scales.

scholarly journals Bed reflectivity beneath inactive ice streams in West Antarctica

2003 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 287-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ginny A. Catania ◽  
Howard B. Conway ◽  
Anthony M. Gades ◽  
Charles F. Raymond ◽  
Hermann Engelhardt
Keyword(s):  
Water System ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Weak Measurements ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Spatial Changes ◽  
Geometric Spreading ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Measured Power ◽  
Echo Sounding

AbstractRadio-echo sounding (RES) techniques are used to examine spatial changes in bed reflectivity across relict ice streams inWest Antarctica. Measurements from adjacent interstream ridges are used to correct the measured power returned from the bed for attenuation and losses due to geometric spreading, scattering and absorption. RES measurements near boreholes drilled on Ice Stream C (ISC) indicate high coefficients of bed reflectivity (R > 0.1) in locations where the bed was thawed and boreholes connected to the basal water system, and low reflectivity coefficients (R < 0.02) at locations that were frozen and not connected. Intermediate values of bed reflectivity were measured at locations where the connection to the basal water system was weak. Measurements across four relict margins show that bed reflectivity usually jumps from low to high values several kilometers inside the outermost buried crevasses. We interpret this to be a transition from frozen to thawed basal conditions and discuss implications of these observations.

scholarly journals Persistence and variability of ice-stream grounding lines on retrograde bed slopes

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1883-1896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander A. Robel ◽  
Christian Schoof ◽  
Eli Tziperman
Keyword(s):  
Stream Flow ◽  
Flow Line ◽  
Reverse Direction ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Basal Resistance ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Grounding Line ◽  
Transient Variations

Abstract. In many ice streams, basal resistance varies in space and time due to the dynamically evolving properties of subglacial till. These variations can cause internally generated oscillations in ice-stream flow. However, the potential for such variations in basal properties is not considered by conventional theories of grounding-line stability on retrograde bed slopes, which assume that bed properties are static in time. Using a flow-line model, we show how internally generated, transient variations in ice-stream state interact with retrograde bed slopes. In contrast to predictions from the theory of the marine ice-sheet instability, our simulated grounding line is able to persist and reverse direction of migration on a retrograde bed when undergoing oscillations in the grounding-line position. In turn, the presence of a retrograde bed may also suppress or reduce the amplitude of internal oscillations in ice-stream state. We explore the physical mechanisms responsible for these behaviors and discuss the implications for observed grounding-line migration in West Antarctica.

scholarly journals Spatial stability of Ice Stream D and its tributaries, West Antarctica, revealed by radio-echo sounding and interferometry

2003 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 377-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Siegert ◽  
Antony J. Payne ◽  
Ian Joughin
Keyword(s):  
Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar ◽  
Internal Layers ◽  
Lateral Migration ◽  
West Antarctica ◽  
Ice Streams ◽  
Ice Flow ◽  
Ice Surface ◽  
Ice Stream ◽  
Radio Echo Sounding ◽  
Echo Sounding

AbstractIt has been shown recently that ice streams are fed by fast-flowing tributaries occupying well-defined subglacial troughs and with shared source areas. Here, ice-penetrating radio-echo sounding (RES) data are analyzed in conjunction with ice surface velocities derived from interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR), to determine the englacial properties of tributaries feeding Ice Stream D, West Antarctica. All of Ice Stream D’s tributaries are coincident with “buckled” internal ice-sheet layers, most probably deformed by the processes responsible for enhanced ice flow. Between the tributaries well-preserved internal layers occur. The data reveal that no lateral migration of the ice-stream tributaries has occurred recently. This is consistent with thermomechanical ice-flow modelling, which indicates that the flow of Ice Stream D is controlled by a subglacial trough and is unaffected by changes to the flow of neighbouring Ice Stream C.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document