Abstract
Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) are now known to be widespread in Antarctica, where they represent an important component of ice sheet mass balance. This paper reviews how recent progress in satellite remote sensing has substantially advanced our understanding of SGLs in Antarctica, including their characteristics, geographic distribution and impacts on ice sheet dynamics. Important advances include: (a) the capability to resolve lakes at sub-metre resolution at weekly timescales; (b) the measurement of lake depth and volume changes at seasonal timescales, including sporadic observations of lake drainage events and (c) the integration of multiple optical satellite datasets to obtain continent-wide observations of lake distributions. Despite recent progress, however, there remain important gaps in our understanding, most notably: (a) the relationship between seasonal variability in SGL development and near-surface climate; (b) the prevalence and impact of SGL drainage events on both grounded and floating ice and (c) the sensitivity of individual ice shelves to lake-induced hydrofracture. Given that surface melting and SGL development is predicted to play an increasingly important role in the surface mass balance of Antarctica, bridging these gaps will help constrain predictions of future rapid ice loss from Antarctica.
Highlights
Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) form when meltwater accumulates in topographic depressions on top of glaciers, ice sheets and ice shelves, primarily during the ablation season (Echelmeyer et al, 1991)
We review how satellite remote sensing developments have transformed our understanding of the distribution and characteristics of SGLs in Antarctica, including their potential impact on ice sheet mass balance
We have reviewed how advances in optical and radar satellite remote sensing have rapidly improved our knowledge of Antarctic SGLs in the last few decades
Summary
Sheet hydrology because they can influence ice sheet dynamics in one of three ways (Bell et al, 2018; Das et al, 2008) Their albedolowering effect can intensify surface melt and induce a warming effect on the adjacent ice column (Luthje et al, 2006; Tedesco et al, 2012; Hubbard et al, 2016). Their rapid drainage via hydrofracturing can deliver meltwater pulses to the ice sheet bed.
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