Glacial geomorphology of the northwestern Weddell Sea, eastern Antarctic Peninsula continental shelf: Shifting ice flow patterns during deglaciation

Abstract

During the Last Glacial Maximum, grounded ice from the expanded Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet extended across the continental shelf. Grounded and flowing ice created a distinctive array of glacial geomorphic features on the sea floor, which were then exposed as the ice sheet retreated. The recent disintegration of the northern parts of the Larsen Ice Shelf (Larsen A and B) have permitted acquisition of marine geophysical data in previously inaccessible and unmapped areas. We present a reconstruction of the evolving ice-flow path and ice sheet geometry of the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, with particular focus paid to newly surveyed areas that shed light on the dynamics of a marine-terminating glacial geomorphic environment, where ice shelves play a major role in grounding line stability. Shifting flow directions were mapped in several areas, including across the Seal Nunataks, which divide Larsen A and B, and offshore of Larsen C, indicating flow reorientation that reflects the changing ice sheet geometry as retreat neared the modern coastline. The measured flow indicators in this area reveal comparatively high elongation ratios (>20), indicating rapid ice flow. Evidence of possible previous ice-shelf collapses are noted near the shelf break, further illustrating the critical, protective effect that ice shelves impart to marine-terminating glacial environments. Modern ice retreat is governed in part by reorganization of flow patterns accompanying grounding line movement; such reorganizations happened in the past and can aid understanding of modern processes.