Changes In Ice Dynamics Research Articles

Ice‐flow structure and ice dynamic changes in the Weddell Sea sector of West Antarctica from radar‐imaged internal layering

Recent studies have aroused concerns over the potential for ice draining the Weddell Sea sector of West Antarctica to figure more prominently in sea-level contributions should buttressing from the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf diminish. To improve understanding of how ice-stream dynamics there evolved through the Holocene, we interrogate Radio-Echo Sounding (RES) data from across the catchments of Institute and Moller Ice Streams (IIS and MIS), focusing especially on the use of internal layering to investigate ice-flow change. As an important component of this work, we investigate the influence that the orientation of the RES acquisition-track with respect to ice flow exerts on internal layering, and find that this influence is minimal unless a RES flight track parallels ice flow. We also investigate potential changes to internal layering characteristics with depth to search for important temporal transitions in ice-flow regime. Our findings suggest that ice in northern IIS, draining the Ellsworth Subglacial Highlands, has retained its present ice-flow configuration throughout the Holocene. This contrasts with less topographically-constrained ice in southern IIS and much of MIS, whose internal layering evinces spatial changes to the configuration of ice flow over the past ~10,000 years. Our findings confirm Siegert et al.’s (2013) inference that fast flow was diverted from Bungenstock Ice Rise during the Late Holocene, and suggest that this may have represented just one component of wider regional changes to ice flow occurring across the IIS and MIS catchments as the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has thinned since the Last Glacial Maximum.

Ice motion of the Patagonian Icefields of South America: 1984–2014

AbstractWe present the first comprehensive high‐resolution mosaic of ice velocity of the Northern (NPI) and Southern Patagonian Icefields (SPI), from multiple synthetic aperture radar and optical data collected between 1984 and 2014. The results reveal that many of the outlet glaciers extend far into the central ice plateaus, which implies that changes in ice dynamics propagate far inside the accumulation area. We report pronounced seasonal to interannual variability of ice motion on Pío XI and Jorge Montt, a doubling in speed of Jorge Montt, a major slow down of O'Higgins, significant fluctuations of Upsala and a deceleration of San Rafael, which illustrate the need for sustained, continuous time series of ice motion to understand the long‐term evolution of the rapidly thinning icefields. The velocity product also resolves major ambiguities in glacier drainage in areas of relatively flat topography illustrating the need to combine topography and flow direction to map drainage basins.

Mass loss of the Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica from four independent techniques

AbstractWe compare four independent estimates of the mass balance of the Amundsen Sea Embayment of West Antarctica, an area experiencing rapid retreat and mass loss to the sea. We use ICESat and Operation IceBridge laser altimetry, Envisat radar altimetry, GRACE time‐variable gravity, RACMO2.3 surface mass balance, ice velocity from imaging radars, and ice thickness from radar sounders. The four methods agree in terms of mass loss and acceleration in loss at the regional scale. Over 1992–2013, the mass loss is 83 ± 5 Gt/yr with an acceleration of 6.1 ± 0.7 Gt/yr2. During the common period 2003–2009, the mass loss is 84 ± 10 Gt/yr with an acceleration of 16.3 ± 5.6 Gt/yr2, nearly 3 times the acceleration over 1992–2013. Over 2003–2011, the mass loss is 102 ± 10 Gt/yr with an acceleration of 15.7 ± 4.0 Gt/yr2. The results reconcile independent mass balance estimates in a setting dominated by change in ice dynamics with significant variability in surface mass balance.

A new bed elevation dataset for Greenland

Abstract. We present a new bed elevation dataset for Greenland derived from a combination of multiple airborne ice thickness surveys undertaken between the 1970s and 2012. Around 420 000 line kilometres of airborne data were used, with roughly 70% of this having been collected since the year 2000, when the last comprehensive compilation was undertaken. The airborne data were combined with satellite-derived elevations for non-glaciated terrain to produce a consistent bed digital elevation model (DEM) over the entire island including across the glaciated–ice free boundary. The DEM was extended to the continental margin with the aid of bathymetric data, primarily from a compilation for the Arctic. Ice thickness was determined where an ice shelf exists from a combination of surface elevation and radar soundings. The across-track spacing between flight lines warranted interpolation at 1 km postings for significant sectors of the ice sheet. Grids of ice surface elevation, error estimates for the DEM, ice thickness and data sampling density were also produced alongside a mask of land/ocean/grounded ice/floating ice. Errors in bed elevation range from a minimum of ±10 m to about ±300 m, as a function of distance from an observation and local topographic variability. A comparison with the compilation published in 2001 highlights the improvement in resolution afforded by the new datasets, particularly along the ice sheet margin, where ice velocity is highest and changes in ice dynamics most marked. We estimate that the volume of ice included in our land-ice mask would raise mean sea level by 7.36 m, excluding any solid earth effects that would take place during ice sheet decay.

Estimating the Greenland ice sheet surface mass balance contribution to future sea level rise using the regional atmospheric climate model MAR

Abstract. To estimate the sea level rise (SLR) originating from changes in surface mass balance (SMB) of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), we present 21st century climate projections obtained with the regional climate model MAR (Modèle Atmosphérique Régional), forced by output of three CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5) general circulation models (GCMs). Our results indicate that in a warmer climate, mass gain from increased winter snowfall over the GrIS does not compensate mass loss through increased meltwater run-off in summer. Despite the large spread in the projected near-surface warming, all the MAR projections show similar non-linear increase of GrIS surface melt volume because no change is projected in the general atmospheric circulation over Greenland. By coarsely estimating the GrIS SMB changes from GCM output, we show that the uncertainty from the GCM-based forcing represents about half of the projected SMB changes. In 2100, the CMIP5 ensemble mean projects a GrIS SMB decrease equivalent to a mean SLR of +4 ± 2 cm and +9 ± 4 cm for the RCP (Representative Concentration Pathways) 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios respectively. These estimates do not consider the positive melt–elevation feedback, although sensitivity experiments using perturbed ice sheet topographies consistent with the projected SMB changes demonstrate that this is a significant feedback, and highlight the importance of coupling regional climate models to an ice sheet model. Such a coupling will allow the assessment of future response of both surface processes and ice-dynamic changes to rising temperatures, as well as their mutual feedbacks.

Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance 1870 to 2010 based on Twentieth Century Reanalysis, and links with global climate forcing

We present a reconstruction of the Greenland Ice Sheet surface mass balance (SMB) from 1870 to 2010, based on merged Twentieth Century Reanalysis (20CR) and European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) meteorological reanalyses, and we compare our new SMB series with global and regional climate and atmospheric circulation indices during this period. We demonstrate good agreement between SMB annual series constructed from 20CR and ECMWF reanalyses for the common period of overlap and show statistically significant agreement of long-term modeled snowfall with ice-core-based accumulation data. We analyze variations in SMB for the last 140 years and highlight the periods with significantly increased runoff and decreased SMB since 1870, which have both been enhanced in the period since 1990, as well as interannual variations in SMB linked to Greenland climate fluctuations. We show very good agreement of our SMB series variations with existing, independently derived SMB series (RACMO2) variations for the past few decades of overlap but also a significant disparity of up to �200 km3 yr-1 in absolute SMB values due to poorly constrained modeled accumulation reflecting a lack of adequate validation data in southeast Greenland. There is no significant correlation between our SMB time series and a widely referenced time series of North Atlantic icebergs emanating from Greenland for the past century, which may reflect the complex nature of the relationship between SMB and ice dynamical changes. Finally, we discuss how our analysis sheds light on the sensitivity and response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to ongoing and future global climate change, and its contribution to global sea level rise. Copyright 2011 by the American Geophysical Union.

Morphological and ice-dynamical changes on the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand, 1990–2007

This paper presents data concerning recent (1990–2007) surface morphological and ice-dynamical changes on the Tasman Glacier, New Zealand. We use remote-sensing data to derive rates of lake growth, glacier velocities and rates of glacier surface lowering. Between 1990 and 2007, the glacier terminus receded ~ 3.5 km and a large ice-contact proglacial lake developed behind the outwash head. By 2007 the lake area was ~ 6 km 2 and had replaced the majority of the lowermost 4 km of the glacier tongue. There is evidence that lake growth is proceeding at increasing rates — the lake area doubled between 2000 and 2007 alone. Measured horizontal glacier velocities decline from 150 m a − 1 in the upper glacier catchment to almost zero at the glacier terminus and there is a consequent down-glacier increase in surface debris cover. Surface debris mapping shows that a large catastrophic rockfall onto the glacier surface in 1991 is still evident as a series of arcuate debris ridges below the Hochstetter icefall. Calculated glacier surface lowering is most clearly pronounced around the terminal area of the glacier tongue, with down-wasting rates of 4.2 ± 1.4 m a − 1 in areas adjacent to the lateral moraine ridges outside of the current lake extent. Surface lowering rates of approximately 1.9 ± 1.4 m a − 1 are common in the upper areas of the glacier. Calculations of future lake expansion are dependent on accurate bathymetric and bed topography surveys, but published data indicate that a further 8–10 km of the glacier is susceptible to calving and further lake development in the future.

Signature of ice streaming in Bjørnøyrenna, Polar North Atlantic, through the Pleistocene and implications for ice-stream dynamics

AbstractThe geomorphology of palaeo-ice-stream beds and the internal structure of underlying tills can provide important information about the subglacial conditions during periods of fast flow and quiescence. This paper presents observations from three-dimensional seismic data, revealing the geomorphology of buried beds of the Bjørnøyrenna (Bear Island Trough) ice stream, the main drainage outlet of the former Barents Sea ice sheet. Repeated changes in ice dynamics are inferred from the observed successions of geomorphic features. Megablocks, aligned in long chains parallel to inferred ice-stream flowlines, and forming dipping plates that are thrust one on top of another, are taken as evidence for conditions of compressive ice flow. Mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGL) and pull-apart of underlying sediment blocks suggest extensional flow. The observed pattern of megablocks and rafts overprinted by MSGL indicates a change in ice dynamics from a compressional to an extensional flow regime. Till stiffening, due to subglacial freezing, is the favoured mechanism for creating switches in sub-ice-stream conditions. The observed pattern of geomorphic features indicates that periods of slowdown or quiescence were commonly followed by reactivation and fast flow during several glaciations, suggesting that this may be a common behaviour of marine ice streams.

Seasonal and interannual variability of downwelling in the Beaufort Sea

In this paper, we examine the seasonal and interannual to decadal variability of oceanic downwelling in the Beaufort Sea. The surface wind stress is the primary driver for variability in the upper Arctic Ocean and sea ice. The seasonal variability of the surface wind over the western Arctic is strongly influenced by a high sea level pressure center that emerges in the fall and diminishes in the summer. The wind stress and sea ice velocity are both anticyclonic from fall to spring and thus force an upwelling along the Alaskan and Canadian coast and downwelling in the interior Beaufort Sea. The upwelling and downwelling varied significantly on the interannual to decadal time scales from 1979 to 2006. There was no significant correlation between the upwelling/downwelling rate in the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Oscillation index over this 28 year period. The coastal upwelling and interior downwelling in the Beaufort Sea had gradually intensified from 1979 to 2006. This change was almost entirely due to the increase in sea ice velocity according to three additional sensitivity calculations. The anticyclonic ice velocity over the western Arctic Ocean accelerated in the 28 year period, and the acceleration was not driven solely by the wind stress. The geostrophic wind condition was actually similar between 1979–1986 and 1997–2004. However, the ice velocity was much greater in the latter period. We hypothesize that the change in ice dynamics (thinner and less areal coverage) was responsible for the change of ice velocity.

High Latitude Changes in Ice Dynamics and Their Impact on Polar Marine Ecosystems

Polar regions have experienced significant warming in recent decades. Warming has been most pronounced across the Arctic Ocean Basin and along the Antarctic Peninsula, with significant decreases in the extent and seasonal duration of sea ice. Rapid retreat of glaciers and disintegration of ice sheets have also been documented. The rate of warming is increasing and is predicted to continue well into the current century, with continued impacts on ice dynamics. Climate-mediated changes in ice dynamics are a concern as ice serves as primary habitat for marine organisms central to the food webs of these regions. Changes in the timing and extent of sea ice impose temporal asynchronies and spatial separations between energy requirements and food availability for many higher trophic levels. These mismatches lead to decreased reproductive success, lower abundances, and changes in distribution. In addition to these direct impacts of ice loss, climate-induced changes also facilitate indirect effects through changes in hydrography, which include introduction of species from lower latitudes and altered assemblages of primary producers. Here, we review recent changes and trends in ice dynamics and the responses of marine ecosystems. Specifically, we provide examples of ice-dependent organisms and associated species from the Arctic and Antarctic to illustrate the impacts of the temporal and spatial changes in ice dynamics.

Superimposition of ribbed moraines on a palaeo‐ice‐stream bed: implications for ice stream dynamics and shutdown

AbstractThe sediments and landforms preserved on palaeo‐ice‐stream beds can provide important information about their subglacial conditions and flow mechanisms, and the processes accompanying their shutdown. In this paper, detailed observations of an intriguing subglacial landform assemblage of ribbed moraines superimposed on glacial lineations on the Dubawnt Lake Ice Stream bed (north‐west Canadian Shield) are presented, including their morphometry, internal structure (from ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys and from glaciogeological analysis) and sedimentological characteristics (from sediment architecture and lithofacies analysis). The observations suggest an abrupt change in ice dynamics that correlates with two phases of glacial landform development. This hypothesis is based on evidence from a deformed lodgement till, which subsequently underwent brittle deformation and developed prominent thrust (shear) structures and tension fractures. Tension fractures are observed in a sediment exposure and thrust structures are observed in GPR surveys, where they occur most prominently in the ribbed moraine ridge crests. The presence of the fractures, and their association with a population of clasts in the till that are orientated with their a‐axes transverse to the inferred ice flow direction, suggests a compressional flow regime. It is therefore inferred that the glacial lineations were formed under an extensional flow regime during ice stream activity, but that at some point patches of till under the ice stream stiffened through dewatering. The subsequent increase in basal shear stress resulted in compressional flow and the development of subglacial thrusting and the building of ribbed moraines. We therefore suggest that ribbed moraines may form in areas of compressional flow under ice streams, i.e. sticky spots, and/or at the transition between slow and fast ice flow along parts of an ice stream. The general absence of ribbed moraines on most other palaeo‐ice‐stream beds suggests that either these ice streams continued operating during deglaciation or processes other than the development of localized compressional flow (sticky spots) led to their shutdown (e.g. ice depletion). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Combined oceanic and atmospheric influences on net accumulation on Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada

AbstractAn annual net accumulation history of the high-elevation region of Devon Ice Cap, Nunavut, Canada, was reconstructed for the period 1963–2003 using five shallow firn cores. Annual net accumulation decreased significantly after 1989. To explain variability in the reconstructed annual net accumulation record, monthly and seasonal moisture-source probabilities were calculated for gridcells throughout the Arctic during 1979–2003. Seasonally, moisture-source probabilities reach a maximum in northern Baffin Bay in late summer/early fall and approach zero throughout the Arctic in winter. Late-summer/early-fall moisture-source probabilities were significantly higher around the North Open Water (NOW) Polynya during the 4 year period of highest annual net accumulation during the 1979–2003 period (1984–87), than during the 4 year period with the lowest annual net accumulation (1994–97). This is due to both a significant decrease in the sea-ice fraction and a significant increase in low-elevation atmospheric transport over the NOW area during the high net accumulation period. Anomalously low net accumulation and anomalously high firnification rates during the 1989–2003 period suggest that a change in ice dynamics, rather than a change in surface mass balance, may explain recent ice-cap thickening observed by laser altimetry.

Changes in ice dynamics and mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet

The concept that the Antarctic ice sheet changes with eternal slowness has been challenged by recent observations from satellites. Pronounced regional warming in the Antarctic Peninsula triggered ice shelf collapse, which led to a 10-fold increase in glacier flow and rapid ice sheet retreat. This chain of events illustrated the vulnerability of ice shelves to climate warming and their buffering role on the mass balance of Antarctica. In West Antarctica, the Pine Island Bay sector is draining far more ice into the ocean than is stored upstream from snow accumulation. This sector could raise sea level by 1m and trigger widespread retreat of ice in West Antarctica. Pine Island Glacier accelerated 38% since 1975, and most of the speed up took place over the last decade. Its neighbour Thwaites Glacier is widening up and may double its width when its weakened eastern ice shelf breaks up. Widespread acceleration in this sector may be caused by glacier ungrounding from ice shelf melting by an ocean that has recently warmed by 0.3 degrees C. In contrast, glaciers buffered from oceanic change by large ice shelves have only small contributions to sea level. In East Antarctica, many glaciers are close to a state of mass balance, but sectors grounded well below sea level, such as Cook Ice Shelf, Ninnis/Mertz, Frost and Totten glaciers, are thinning and losing mass. Hence, East Antarctica is not immune to changes.

A new velocity map for Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, from sequential ASTER satellite imagery

AbstractNew ice-velocity measurements are obtained for the main trunk of Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, using recently acquired Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery. The velocities are derived from the application of a cross-correlation technique to sequential images acquired in 2000 and 2001. Images were co-registered and ortho-rectified with the aid of a digital elevation model (DEM) generated from ASTER stereo imagery. This paper outlines the process of DEM generation, image co-registration and correction, and the application of the cross-correlation technique to obtain ice velocities. Comparison of the new velocity map with earlier measurements of velocity from 1978 indicates that the glacier has undergone a substantial deceleration between observations. Portions of the glacier flowing at speeds of ~850ma–1 in 1978/79 were flowing at ~650ma–1 in 2000/01. The cause of this change in ice dynamics is not known, but the observation shows that East Antarctic outlet glaciers can undergo substantial changes on relatively short timescales.

Variability in Arctic sea ice drift

Analysis of Arctic sea ice drift from 1979–1997 using a Lagrangian perspective shows the complexities of ice drift response to variations in atmospheric conditions. Changes in ice dynamics influence the redistribution of ice, and any transported material, from different source areas. Sources of ice exported to Fram Strait shifted in about 1986/87 from dominance of the Kara Sea and Severnaya Zemlya to the New Siberian Islands, East Siberian Sea, and Chukchi Sea. Average travel time of multiyear ice within the perennial pack of the central Arctic Basin, reached a maximum in 1987/88, and decreased by at least 1 year between 1984–1989 and 1990–1997. Consistent with the observations of other investigators, this decrease in ice travel time occurred following a major export or “surge” of old ice to Fram Strait from the Beaufort Gyre in 1988 through 1990, which decreased the fraction of thick, ridged ice within the central basin.

Rapid ice discharge from southeast Greenland glaciers

Interferometric synthetic‐aperture radar (InSAR) observations of southeast Greenland glaciers acquired by the Earth Remote Sensing Satellites (ERS‐1/2) in 1996 were combined with ice sounding radar data collected in the late 1990s to estimate a total discharge of 46 ± 3 km3 ice per year between 62°N and 66°N, which is significantly lower than a mass input of 29 ± 3 km3 ice per year calculated from a recent compilation of snow accumulation data. Further north, Helheim Glacier discharges 23 ± 1 km3/yr vs 30 ± 3 km3/yr accumulation; Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier discharges 29 ± 2 km3/yr vs 23 ± 2 km3/yr; and Daugaard‐Jensen Glacier discharges 10.5 ± 0.6 km3/yr vs 10.5 ± 1 km3/yr. The mass balance of east Greenland glaciers is therefore dominated by the negative mass balance of southeast Greenland glaciers (−17 ± 4 km3/yr), equivalent to a sea level rise of 0.04 ± 0.01 mm/yr. Warmer and drier conditions cannot explain the imbalance which we attribute to long‐term changes in ice dynamics.

Topographic controls on post-Oligocene changes in ice-sheet dynamics, Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica

Research Article| March 01, 2004 Topographic controls on post-Oligocene changes in ice-sheet dynamics, Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica J. Taylor; J. Taylor 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M.J. Siegert; M.J. Siegert 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.J. Payne; A.J. Payne 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar M.J. Hambrey; M.J. Hambrey 2Centre for Glaciology, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P.E. O'Brien; P.E. O'Brien 3Australian Geological Survey Organisation, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar A.K. Cooper; A.K. Cooper 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar G. Leitchenkov G. Leitchenkov 5VNIIOkeangeologia, 1 Anglisky Avenue, St. Petersburg, Russia Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information J. Taylor 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK M.J. Siegert 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK A.J. Payne 1Bristol Glaciology Centre, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1SS, UK M.J. Hambrey 2Centre for Glaciology, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3DB, UK P.E. O'Brien 3Australian Geological Survey Organisation, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia A.K. Cooper 4Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, California 94305, USA G. Leitchenkov 5VNIIOkeangeologia, 1 Anglisky Avenue, St. Petersburg, Russia Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 17 Oct 2003 Revision Received: 11 Nov 2003 Accepted: 15 Nov 2003 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2004) 32 (3): 197–200. https://doi.org/10.1130/G20275.1 Article history Received: 17 Oct 2003 Revision Received: 11 Nov 2003 Accepted: 15 Nov 2003 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation J. Taylor, M.J. Siegert, A.J. Payne, M.J. Hambrey, P.E. O'Brien, A.K. Cooper, G. Leitchenkov; Topographic controls on post-Oligocene changes in ice-sheet dynamics, Prydz Bay region, East Antarctica. Geology 2004;; 32 (3): 197–200. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G20275.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Within the general trend of post-Eocene cooling, the largest and oldest outlet of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet underwent a change from ice-cliff to ice-stream and/or ice-shelf dynamics, with an associated switch from line-source to fan sedimentation. Available geological data reveal little about the causes of these changes in ice dynamics during the Miocene Epoch, or the subsequent effects on Pliocene–Pleistocene ice-sheet history. Ice-sheet numerical modeling reveals that bed morphology was probably responsible for driving changes in both ice-sheet extent and dynamics in the Lambert-Amery system at Prydz Bay. The modeling shows how the topography and bathymetry of the Lambert graben and Prydz Bay control ice-sheet extent and flow. The changes in bathymetric volume required for shelf-edge glaciation correlate well with the Prydz Channel fan sedimentation history. This suggests a negative feedback between erosion and glaciation, whereby the current graben is overdeepened to such an extent that shelf-edge glaciation is now not possible, even if a Last Glacial Maximum environment recurs. We conclude that the erosional history of the Lambert graben and Prydz Bay in combination with the uplift histories of the surrounding mountains are responsible for the evolution of this section of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, once the necessary initial climatic conditions for glaciation were achieved at the start of the Oligocene Epoch. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Deglacial meltwater drainage and glaciodynamics: inferences from Laurentide eskers, Canada

This paper evaluates current knowledge of Laurentide eskers in Canada in the light of developments in glacier hydrology and glacial sedimentology. Questions regarding the morpho-sedimentary relations of eskers, the synchroneity and operation of R-channel systems, the role of supraglacial meltwater input and proglacial water bodies, the controls on esker pattern, and the glaciodynamic condition of the ice sheet at the time of esker formation are discussed. A morphologic classification of eskers is proposed. Five types of eskers are identified and investigated. Type I eskers likely formed in extensive, synchronous, dendritic R-channel networks under regionally stagnant ice that terminated in standing water. Type II eskers likely formed in short, subaqueously terminating R-channels or reentrants close to an ice front or grounding line that may have actively retreated during esker sedimentation. Type III eskers plausibly formed in short R-channels that drained either to interior lakes in, or tunnel channels under, regionally stagnant ice. Type IV eskers may have formed as time-transgressive segments in short, subaerially terminating R-channels (or reentrants) that developed close to the ice margin as the ice front underwent stagnation-zone retreat or downwasted and backwasted regionally (stagnant ice); however, formation in synchronous R-channels cannot be discounted on the basis of reported observations. Type V eskers may have formed in H-channels that terminated subaerially. The spatial distribution of these esker types is discussed. The factors that determined Laurentide R-channel pattern and operation were likely a complex combination of (i) supraglacial meltwater discharge, (ii) the number and location of sink holes, (iii) the ice surface slope, thickness and velocity, and (iv) the permeability, topography and rigidity of the bed. These factors cause and respond to changes in ice dynamics and thermal regime over the glacial cycle.

250 000 years in the history of Greenland’s ice sheet

Calculations have been conducted for the geometric evolution of the Greenland ice sheet through the last 250 000 years of its climate history. An extended version of Calov’s three-dimensional ice-sheet model is used, i.e. ice is modelled as a viscous thermomechanically coupled fluid with power-law rheology underlain by a heat-conducting lithosphere susceptible to bedrock sinking. The shallow-ice approximation is imposed and the simplified equations are numerically integrated by finite-difference approximation using a centred staggered Arakawa grid. This system is driven by data obtained from the European Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP). The parameterization of the atmospheric temperature is based on data from Ohmura, precipitation data are taken from Ohmura and Reeh and implemented as shown by Calov. Topographic data for the present observed conditions are those of Letréguilly. The resultant 250 kyear model integrated topography is quite close to that obtained from a steady-state calculation under present conditions. For the calculations presented, Greenland’s north dome seems to be more sensitive to changes in precipitation than its south dome. While the height of the north dome is directly related to the atmospheric temperature, the height of the south dome is inversely related to this variable. In the south, changes in ice dynamics due to a change in ice temperature oppose changes in precipitation. The calculations are visualized in a short video clip that is kept on file with the authors.

250 000 years in the history of Greenland’s ice sheet

Calculations have been conducted for the geometric evolution of the Greenland ice sheet through the last 250 000 years of its climate history. An extended version of Calov’s three-dimensional ice-sheet model is used, i.e. ice is modelled as a viscous thermomechanically coupled fluid with power-law rheology underlain by a heat-conducting lithosphere susceptible to bedrock sinking. The shallow-ice approximation is imposed and the simplified equations are numerically integrated by finite-difference approximation using a centred staggered Arakawa grid. This system is driven by data obtained from the European Greenland Ice Core Project (GRIP). The parameterization of the atmospheric temperature is based on data from Ohmura, precipitation data are taken from Ohmura and Reeh and implemented as shown by Calov. Topographic data for the present observed conditions are those of Letréguilly. The resultant 250 kyear model integrated topography is quite close to that obtained from a steady-state calculation under present conditions. For the calculations presented, Greenland’s north dome seems to be more sensitive to changes in precipitation than its south dome. While the height of the north dome is directly related to the atmospheric temperature, the height of the south dome is inversely related to this variable. In the south, changes in ice dynamics due to a change in ice temperature oppose changes in precipitation. The calculations are visualized in a short video clip that is kept on file with the authors.