Abstract
AbstractIce rises and rumples, locally grounded features adjacent to ice shelves, are relatively small yet play significant roles in Antarctic ice dynamics. Their roles generally depend upon their location within the ice shelf and the stage of the ice-sheet retreat or advance. Large, long-stable ice rises can be excellent sites for deep ice coring and paleoclimate study of the Antarctic coast and the Southern Ocean, while small ice rises tend to respond more promptly and can be used to reveal recent changes in regional mass balance. The coasts of Dronning Maud Land (DML) and Enderby Land in East Antarctica are abundant with these features. Here we review existing knowledge, presenting an up-to-date status of research in these regions with focus on ice rises and rumples. We use regional datasets (satellite imagery, surface mass balance and ice thickness) to analyze the extent and surface morphology of ice shelves and characteristic timescales of ice rises. We find that large parts of DML have been changing over the past several millennia. Based on our findings, we highlight ice rises suitable for drilling ice cores for paleoclimate studies as well as ice rises suitable for deciphering ice dynamics and evolution in the region.
Highlights
The coast of Dronning Maud Land (DML, 20°W to 45°E) and Enderby Land (45°E to 60°E), East Antarctica (Fig 1), does not have large embayments that could provide lateral support to large ice shelves, such as the Filchner Ronne or Ross Ice Shelves
This study presents an overview of the current glaciological knowledge of the DML and Enderby Land coasts, with particular focus on ice rises, ice rumples and ice shelves, by reviewing the literature, and using satellite data to determine changes in calving front positions and map ice shelf morphology (Section 2)
Coastal DML is an interconnected system of fast-flowing outlet glaciers and ice shelves, with grounded ice rises and rumples located at various locations within the ice shelves
Summary
The coast of Dronning Maud Land (DML, 20°W to 45°E) and Enderby Land (45°E to 60°E), East Antarctica (Fig 1), does not have large embayments that could provide lateral support to large ice shelves, such as the Filchner Ronne or Ross Ice Shelves. Other than its presence or absence, the characteristics of a Raymond arch, such as its shape (single- or double-peaked) and the arch amplitude, can reveal past divide migrations, onset of the divide flow and ice thickness changes, which can provide insight into the overall stability of the ice rise and the surrounding ice shelves. The ice-rise location confirms the presence of bathymetric highs as well as provides information regarding the bed elevation, slope and roughness, all of which can be useful for geological and glaciological studies in the region (Ship and others, 1999) For these reasons, ice rises are promising features for future scientific investigations in DML and Enderby Land. We use the above information to suggest key directions of future research for ice-rise studies in ice dynamics and paleoclimate (Section 4)
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