Effects Of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Research Articles

On the Accuracy of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment Models for Geodetic Observations to Estimate Arctic Ocean Sea-Level Change

Arctic Ocean sea-level change is an important indicator of climate change. Contemporary geodetic observations, including data from tide gages, satellite altimetry and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE), are sensitive to the effect of the ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) process. To fully exploit these geodetic observations to study climate related sea-level change, this GIA effect has to be removed. However, significant uncertainty exists with regard to the GIA model, and using different GIA models could lead to different results. In this study we use an ensemble of 14 contemporary GIA models to investigate their differences when they are applied to the above-mentioned geodetic observations to estimate sea-level change in the Arctic Ocean. We find that over the Arctic Ocean a large range of differences exists in GIA models when they are used to remove GIA effect from tide gage and GRACE observations, but with a relatively smaller range for satellite altimetry observations. In addition, we compare the derived sea-level trend from observations after applying different GIA models in the study regions, sea-level trend estimated from long-term tide gage data shows good agreement with altimetry result over the same data span. However the mass component of sea-level change obtained from GRACE data does not agree well with the result derived from steric-corrected altimeter observation due primarily to the large uncertainty of GIA models, errors in the Arctic Ocean altimetry or steric measurements, inadequate data span, or all of the above. We conclude that GIA correction is critical for studying sea-level change over the Arctic Ocean and further improvement in GIA modelling is needed to reduce the current discrepancies among models.

Inter-annual water mass variations from GRACE in central Siberia

Our study analyses satellite and land-based observations of the Yakutsk region centred at the Lena watershed, an area characterised mainly by continuous permafrost. Using monthly solutions of the Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment satellite mission, we detect a mass increase over central Siberia from 2002 to 2007 which reverses into a mass decrease between 2007 and 2011. No significant mass trend is visible for the whole observation period. To further quantify this behaviour, different mass signal components are studied in detail: (1) inter-annual variation in the atmospheric mass, (2) a possible effect of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), and (3) hydrological mass variations. In standard processing the atmospheric mass signal is reduced based on the data from numerical weather prediction models. We use surface pressure observations in order to validate this atmospheric reduction. On inter-annual time scale the difference between the atmospheric mass signal from model prediction and from surface pressure observation is $$<$$ 4 mm in equivalent water height. The effect of GIA on the mass signal over Siberia is calculated using a global ice model and a spherically symmetric, compressible, Maxwell-viscoelastic earth model. The calculation shows that for the investigated area any effect of GIA can be ruled out. Hence, the main part of the signal can be attributed to hydrological mass variations. We briefly discuss potential hydrological effects such as changes in precipitation, river discharge, surface and subsurface water storage.

Estimation of mass change trends in the Earth’s system on the basis of GRACE satellite data, with application to Greenland

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission measures the Earth’s gravity field since March 2002. We propose a new filtering procedure for post-processing GRACE-based monthly gravity field solutions provided in the form of spherical harmonic coefficients. The procedure is tuned for the optimal estimation of linear trends and other signal components that show a systematic behavior over long time intervals. The key element of the developed methodology is the statistically optimal Wiener-type filter which makes use of the full covariance matrices of noise and signal. The developed methodology is applied to determine the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet, both per drainage system and integrated, as well as the mass balance of the ice caps on the islands surrounding Greenland. The estimations are performed for three 2-year time intervals (2003–2004, 2005–2006, and 2007–2008), as well as for the 6-year time interval (2003–2008). The study confirms a significant difference in the behavior of the drainage systems over time. The average 6-year rate of mass loss in Greenland is estimated as 165 ± 15 Gt/year. The rate of mass loss of the ice caps on Ellesmere Island (together with Devon Island), Baffin Island, Iceland, and Svalbard is found to be 22 ± 4, 21 ± 6, 17 ± 9, and 6 ± 2 Gt/year, respectively. All these estimates are corrected for the effect of glacial isostatic adjustment.

The effect of melting land-based ice masses on sea-level around the Australian coastline

Changes in relative sea-level (RSL) are generally caused by variations in sea surface heights from steric effects (thermal expansion and salinity changes) and the mechanical response of the Earth to past and current redistributions of ice and water between land and oceans. This paper focuses on the latter, where we present scenario calculations of the spatial variability in present-day RSL change around the Australian coastline resulting from melting land-based ice masses. Three scenarios are investigated: (1) the ongoing effect of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) arising from ice- and water-load redistribution during the last glacial–interglacial transition; (2) the effect of present-day changes in the Greenland and West and East Antarctic ice sheets (GIS, WAIS and EAIS, respectively) and two regions of major mountain glaciation, Alaska and Patagonia; and (3) a hypothetical complete melting of the GIS, WAIS and EAIS occurring over 5000 years. The first scenario shows falling RSL around Australia of the order of 0.4 to 1.2 times the average value around the coast (equivalent to a RSL fall of between 0.2 and 0.6 mm/a). For the second scenario, the spatial variability is strongly dependent upon the location of each ice mass relative to Australia. For Greenland and Patagonia, the resulting changes to the Earth's rotation strongly affect the spatial variability, while the direct gravitational effect is more important when considering the Antarctic ice sheets. The variability associated with the first two scenarios becomes clearer when examining RSL change estimates for the locations of tide-gauge stations around the Australian coast, especially for the ongoing GIA (a south-to-north increase in the simulated rate of RSL change), the WAIS (east-to-west increase) and the EAIS (south-to-north increase), with the melting of the EAIS potentially having the greatest influence on the variability of the melting land-based ice contribution to RSL change around Australia. The spatial variability associated with the third scenario is strongly influenced over century-length time-scales by the resulting changes in the Earth's rotation and the direct gravitational attraction of the ice masses, while after several thousand years the uplift of the continent by mantle material displaced towards it by increased ocean loading becomes more prominent. It must, however, be kept in mind that the spatial variability associated with these scenarios is generally a small proportion of the total RSL change, and that the steric (especially thermosteric) contribution is not included in these results.

Comparisons among contemporary glacial isostatic adjustment models

We compare 14 glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models from different authors to assess how well the GIA effect could be removed from space geodetic data, such as those of the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, to study climate related and other mass changes within the Earth system. Direct comparisons of model outputs confirm unacceptably large discrepancies among models. Here we use two approximate relations within any GIA model without rotational feedback discovered by Wahr et al. (1995), i.e., an uplift–geoid relation and an uplift–gravity relation, to test the models for internal consistency. We find that all models without rotational feedback fit the relations reasonably well with only one exception, which still appears to fit the relations, but not as well. However, some models with rotational feedback fit the relations reasonably well, while some do not. As a result, the discrepancies arising from differences in formulations or computational methods, especially rotational feedback formulations, appear to dominate over those arising from differences in ice history and Earth rheology. We conclude that the accuracy and consistency of GIA models, especially agreement of results obtained using different formulations and computational methods, need to be substantially improved to full exploit contemporary space geodetic data, such as GRACE data, to enhance the constraints on ice-sheet mass balance and the mass component of global sea-level change.

후빙기조륙운동 보정을 통한 한반도 주변 해역의 절대해수면 변화 분석

국립해양조사원 39개소 조위관측소의 후빙기조륙운동(Glacial Isostatic Adjustment, GIA)에 의한 지각변동 속도를 ICE-3G와 ICE-5G 모델로 예측하였다. 또한 위도 <TEX>$32^{\circ}-38.5^{\circ}N$</TEX>, 경도 <TEX>$124^{\circ}-132^{\circ}E$</TEX> 범위의 한반도 지역을 <TEX>$0.5^{\circ}{\times}0.5^{\circ}$</TEX> 격자로 분할하고 각 격자점에서의 GIA 지각변동 속도를 계산하였다. 그 결과 ICE-3G 모델의 경우 한반도 GIA 수직 지각변동은 평균 0.33 mm/yr이고, ICE-5G 모델의 경우 평균 1.21 mm/yr의 속도로 지각변위가 발생하는 것으로 나타났다. 최신 Ice model인 ICE-5G 모델을 사용할 경우 한반도에서도 약 1 mm/yr 이상의 비교적 높은 GIA 수직 지각변동이 발생하므로 절대해수면 변동을 산정하기 위해서 GIA에 의한 수직변위를 보정해야 함을 확인하였다. 따라서 국립해양조사원에서 제공하는 13개 조위관측소의 상대해수면 변동률에서 ICE-5G 모델에 의한 GIA 지각변동 속도를 보정하여 절대해수면 변동률을 결정하였다. 절대해수면 상승속도를 분석한 결과 GIA 지각변동 속도를 보정한 절대해수면 변동률은 한반도 해역에서 평균 5.04 mm/yr의 상승속도를 나타냈으며, 제주 해역은 평균 8.84 mm/yr로 다른 해역보다 높은 이상 상승률을 나타냈다. Based on the ICE-3G and ICE-5G ice models, we predicted the velocities of crustal uplift caused by Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) at 39 tide gauge sites operated by Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Administration (KHOA). We also divided the Korean peninsula in the ranges of <TEX>$32-38.5^{\circ}N$</TEX> and <TEX>$124-132^{\circ}E$</TEX> in <TEX>$0.5^{\circ}{\times}0.5^{\circ}$</TEX> grids, and computed the GIA velocities at each grid point. We found that the average uplift rates due to GIA in South Korea were 0.33 and 1.21 mm/yr for ICE-3G and ICE-5G, respectively. Because the GIA rates were relatively high at ~1 mm/yr when the updated ice model ICE-5G was used, we concluded that the GIA effect cannot be neglected when we compute the absolute sea level (ASL) rates around the Korean peninsula. In this study, we corrected the ICE-5G GIA velocities from the relative sea level rates provided by KHOA and we computed the ASL rates at 13 tide gauge stations. As a result, we found that the average ASL velocity around the Korean peninsula was 5.04 mm/yr. However, the ASL rates near Jeju island were abnormally higher than the other areas and the average was 8.84 mm/yr.

Analysis of GPS Measurements in Eastern Canada Using Principal Component Analysis

Continuous Global Positioning System (CGPS) position time series from eastern North America constrain the pattern and magnitude of regional crustal deformation. Initial analysis delineates consistent uplift patterns, as expected from glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) predictions, but the associated horizontal deformation is not definitive, in part due to the short time periods for a significant number of the available stations. We employ an eigenpattern decomposition in order to define a unique, finite set of deformation patterns for this continuous GPS data. Similar in nature to the empirical orthogonal functions historically employed in the analysis of atmospheric and oceanographic phenomena, the method derives the eigenvalues and eigenstates from the diagonalization of the correlation matrix using a Karhunen–Loeve expansion (KLE). The KLE technique is used to identify the important modes in both time and space for the CGPS data, modes that potentially include signals such as horizontal and vertical GIA, tectonic strain, and seasonal effects. Here we filter both the vertical and horizontal velocity patterns on different spatiotemporal scales in order to study the potential geophysical sources, after the removal of correlated and random noise. The method is successful in disaggregating the linear vertical signal from more variable and less spatially correlated signals. The vertical and horizontal results are compared to the predictions of the ICE-3G GIA loading model with a number of plausible mantle viscosity profiles. The horizontal velocity analysis allows for qualitative differentiation between several potential GIA models and suggests that, with longer time series, this technique can be employed to remove correlated noise and improve estimates of crustal strain patterns and their sources.

The role of glacial isostatic adjustment in the present-day crustal motion and sea levels of East Asia

The aim of this paper is to model and remove the contribution of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) from the observed crustal velocities and sea-level rates in East Asia, so that the signal from other geological processes such as tectonic uplift or global change can be better revealed. State-of-the-art GIA models that include 3D variations in mantle viscosity and lithospheric thickness are employed in this study. Uncertainties of the GIA response are estimated from different ice history and background viscosity models. It is demonstrated that the uncertainties in the GIA response in East Asia are generally small compared with the response itself. For example, the land uplift rate near the east coast of China due to GIA has magnitudes of about 0.1 mm/yr while the uncertainties are generally less than 0.04 mm/yr. These are small compared with the observed magnitude of uplift rate (∼1.0 mm/yr) and the measurement uncertainties of GPS. For the height rates in leveling observation, relative sea-level rates in tide gauge data, absolute seal-level rates from satellite altimetry and tangential velocities from GPS data, the GIA effects are also shown to be generally small compared with observed data. This technique of “cleaning” geodetic data will become more useful in the future when the uncertainties of geodetic measurements can be reduced to less than 0.1 mm/yr.

Ongoing glacial isostatic contributions to observations of sea level change

Studies determining the contribution of water fluxes to sea level rise typically remove the ongoing effects of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA). Unfortunately, use of inconsistent terminology between various disciplines has caused confusion as to how contributions from GIA should be removed from altimetry and GRACE measurements. In this paper, we review the physics of the GIA corrections applicable to these measurements and discuss the differing nomenclature between the GIA literature and other studies of sea level change. We then examine a range of estimates for the GIA contribution derived by varying the Earth and ice models employed in the prediction. We find, similar to early studies, that GIA produces a small (compared to the observed value) but systematic contribution to the altimetry estimates, with a maximum range of -0.15 to -0.5 mm yr-1. Moreover, we also find that the GIA contribution to the mass change measured by GRACE over the ocean is significant. In this regard, we demonstrate that confusion in nomenclature between the terms 'absolute sea level' and 'geoid' has led to an overestimation of this contribution in some previous studies. A component of this overestimation is the incorrect inclusion of the direct effect of the contemporaneous perturbations of the rotation vector, which leads to a factor of ˜two larger value of the degree two, order one spherical harmonic component of the model results. Aside from this confusion, uncertainties in Earth model structure and ice sheet history yield a spread of up to 1.4 mm yr-1 in the estimates of this contribution. However, even if the ice and Earth models were perfectly known, the processing techniques used in GRACE data analysis can introduce variations of up to 0.4 mm yr-1. Thus, we conclude that a single-valued 'GIA correction' is not appropriate for sea level studies based on gravity data; each study must estimate a bound on the GIA correction consistent with the adopted data-analysis scheme

Towards regional projections of twenty-first century sea-level change based on IPCC SRES scenarios

Sea-level change is often considered to be globally uniform in sea-level projections. However, local relative sea-level (RSL) change can deviate substantially from the global mean. Here, we present maps of twenty-first century local RSL change estimates based on an ensemble of coupled climate model simulations for three emission scenarios. In the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report (IPCC AR4), the same model simulations were used for their projections of global mean sea-level rise. The contribution of the small glaciers and ice caps to local RSL change is calculated with a glacier model, based on a volume-area approach. The contributions of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are obtained from IPCC AR4 estimates. The RSL distribution resulting from the land ice mass changes is then calculated by solving the sea-level equation for a rotating, elastic Earth model. Next, we add the pattern of steric RSL changes obtained from the coupled climate models and a model estimate for the effect of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment. The resulting ensemble mean RSL pattern reveals that many regions will experience RSL changes that differ substantially from the global mean. For the A1B ensemble, local RSL change values range from −3.91 to 0.79 m, with a global mean of 0.47 m. Although the RSL amplitude differs, the spatial patterns are similar for all three emission scenarios. The spread in the projections is dominated by the distribution of the steric contribution, at least for the processes included in this study. Extreme ice loss scenarios may alter this picture. For individual sites, we find a standard deviation for the combined contributions of approximately 10 cm, regardless of emission scenario.

Fennoscandian strain rates from BIFROST GPS: A gravitating, thick-plate approach

The aim of this investigation is to develop a method for the analysis of crustal strain determined by station networks that continuously measurements of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The major new ingredient is that we require a simultaneous minimum of the observation error and the elastic and potential energy implied by the deformation. The observations that we analyse come from eight years worth of daily solutions from continuous BIFROST GPS measurements in the permanent networks of the Nordic countries and their neighbours. Reducing the observations with best fitting predictions for the effects of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) we find strain rates of maximum 5 nano/yr in the interior of the rebound area predominantly as areal strain. The largest strain rates are found in the Finnmarken area, where however the GNSS network density is much lower than in the central and southern parts. The thick-plate adjustment furnishes a simultaneous treatment of 3-D displacements and the ensuing elastic and potential energy due to the deformation. We find that the strain generated by flexure due to GIA is important. The extensional regime seen at the surface turns over into a compressive style already at moderated depth, some 50 km.

Present rate of uplift in Fennoscandia from GRACE and absolute gravimetry

Fennoscandia is a key region for studying effects of glacial isostatic adjustment. The associated mass variations can be detected by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission, which observes the Earth's gravity field since April 2002, as well as by absolute gravimetry field campaigns. Since 2003, annual absolute gravity (AG) measurements have been performed in Fennoscandia by the Institut für Erdmessung (IfE, Institute of Geodesy) of the Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany, within a multi-national cooperation. This offers a unique opportunity for validation and evaluation of the GRACE results. In this preliminary study, the GRACE results are compared to secular gravity changes based on the surveys from 2004 to 2007 with the FG5-220 gravimeter of the IfE. The results from GRACE monthly solutions provided by different analysis centres show temporal gravity variations in Fennoscandia. The included secular variations are in good agreement with former studies. The uplift centre is located west of the Bothnian Bay, the whole uplift area comprises Northern Europe. Nevertheless, the differences between the GRACE solutions are larger than expected and the different centre-specific processing techniques have a very strong effect on possible interpretations of GRACE results. The comparison of GRACE to the AG measurements reveals that the determined trends fit well with results from GRACE at selected stations, especially for the solution provided by the GFZ. Variations of land hydrology clearly influence results from GRACE and the AG measurements.

GPS as a geodetic tool for geodynamics in northern Victoria Land, Antarctica

The VLNDEF (Victoria Land Network for DEFormation control) project started in 1999 with the aim of detecting crustal deformation in Northern Victoria Land (Antarctica) over an area that had never been surveyed by a dense GPS network before. After a brief summary of the Italian geodetic activities carried out since 1991, the paper presents the results obtained from the processing of data collected from 1999 to 2003. In particular, processing strategies were dealt with, in order to produce horizontal and vertical displacement maps through GPS observations. Absolute motions in a global reference frame have been investigated using a double approach, which allowed us to make considerable progress in detecting movements and standardizing the data analysis. The analyses provide absolute horizontal velocities ranging between 17 mm yr−1 and 8 mm yr−1, with greater motions in the northernmost area. The subtraction of the rigid plate motion provides relative displacements, which may contribute to the understanding of neotectonics and geology, whereas the pattern of the vertical crustal motions detected, with average values of +1.3 mm yr−1, is essential to detect the effect of Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) and other geophysical signals, and to redefine theory and numerical models used without any direct measurements.

Geocentric sea-level trend estimates from GPS analyses at relevant tide gauges world-wide

The problem of correcting the tide gauge records for the vertical land motion upon which the gauges are settled has only been partially solved. At best, the analyses so far have included model corrections for one of the many processes that can affect the land stability, namely the Glacial-Isostatic Adjustment (GIA). An alternative approach is to measure (rather than to model) the rates of vertical land motion at the tide gauges by means of space geodesy. A dedicated GPS processing strategy is implemented to correct the tide gauges records, and thus to obtain a GPS-corrected set of ‘absolute’ or geocentric sea-level trends. The results show a reduced dispersion of the estimated sea-level trends after application of the GPS corrections. They reveal that the reference frame implementation is now achieved within the millimetre accuracy on a weekly basis. Regardless of the application, whether local or global, we have shown that GPS data analysis has reached the maturity to provide useful information to separate land motion from oceanic processes recorded by the tide gauges or to correct these latter. For comparison purposes, we computed the global average of sea-level change according to Douglas [Douglas, B.C., 2001. Sea level change in the era of the recording tide gauge. Int. Geophys. Ser., 75, pp. 37–64.] rules, whose estimate is 1.84 ± 0.35 mm/yr after correction for the GIA effect [Peltier, W.R., 2001. Global glacial isostatic adjustment and modern instrumental records of relative sea level history. Int. Geophys. Ser., 75, pp. 65–95.]. We obtain a value of 1.31 ± 0.30 mm/yr, a value which appears to resolve the ‘sea level enigma’ [Munk, W., 2002. Twentieth century sea level: an enigma. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 99(10), pp. 6550–6555].

Observation of glacial isostatic adjustment in “stable” North America with GPS

Motions of three hundred and sixty Global Positioning System (GPS) sites in Canada and the United States yield a detailed image of the vertical and horizontal velocity fields within the nominally stable interior of the North American plate. By far the strongest signal is the effect of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) due to ice mass unloading during deglaciation. Vertical velocities show present‐day uplift (∼10 mm/yr) near Hudson Bay, the site of thickest ice at the last glacial maximum. The uplift rates generally decrease with distance from Hudson Bay and change to subsidence (1–2 mm/yr) south of the Great Lakes. The “hinge line” separating uplift from subsidence is consistent with data from water level gauges along the Great Lakes, showing uplift along the northern shores and subsidence along the southern ones. Horizontal motions show outward motion from Hudson Bay with complex local variations especially in the far field. Although the vertical motions are generally consistent with the predictions of GIA models, the horizontal data illustrate the need and opportunity to improve the models via more accurate descriptions of the ice load and laterally variable mantle viscosity.

Geodetic constraints on glacial isostatic adjustment in Europe

Direct measurements of surface deformation due to Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) in Europe have been so far mostly limited to the present‐day uplift area. Here, we use permanent GPS networks results to investigate the significance of GIA effects in Europe south of Fennoscandia. We show that uplift in Fennoscandia is surrounded by subsidence reaching as far south as the Alps, with a maximum vertical rate of 1.5 mm/yr between 50.5–53°N. Horizontal velocity gradients show shortening between Fennoscandia and north‐central Europe with strain rates of ∼10−9 yr−1 and principal compressional strain axis pointing to the Gulf of Bothnia in a radial pattern. We find a very good quantitative agreement with the 3D surface displacement predicted by Milne et al. (2001), although the increase of misfit in far‐field of Fennoscandia suggests that geodetic data outside of the uplift area may bring additional constraints to the rheological parameters used in GIA models.

The signatures of tectonics and glacial isostatic adjustment revealed by the strain rate in Europe

SUMMARY Tectonics and glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) are simultaneously taken into account in order to quantitatively define their role in crustal deformation in Europe. A spherical finiteelement model, based on the thin viscous shell approach and suitable for predicting tectonic deformation, and a spherical stratified viscoelastic Earth model, based on the normal mode approach to quantifying the effects of GIA, are used to predict intraplate deformation in Europe. Model predictions are compared with the geodetic strain rate obtained from ITRF2000 velocity solutions. Our results confirm that both geophysical processes influence intraplate deformation in Europe, with tectonics playing the leading role south of Potsdam and GIA being the only mechanism north of Onsala. Both geophysical processes affect the deformation at intermediate latitudes, where the contributions to the deformation coming from tectonics and GIA are of the same magnitude and the combined tectonic plus GIA model succeeds in reproducing the eigendirections of the local predominantly SSW‐NNE directed compression. The stiffening in the East European Platform is crucial for shielding the northeastern regions from the compressional effects of Africa‐Eurasia convergence and to allow SE‐NW directed extension in Fennoscandia driven by GIA.

REVEL: A model for Recent plate velocities from space geodesy

We present a new global model for Recent plate velocities, REVEL, describing the relative velocities of 19 plates and continental blocks. The model is derived from publicly available space geodetic (primarily GPS) data for the period 1993–2000. We include an independent and rigorous estimate for GPS velocity uncertainties to assess plate rigidity and propagate these uncertainties to the velocity estimates. The velocity fields for North America, Eurasia, and Antarctica clearly show the effects of glacial isostatic adjustment, and Australia appears to depart from rigid plate behavior in a manner consistent with the mapped intraplate stress field. Two thirds of tested plate pairs agree with the NUVEL‐1A geologic (3 Myr average) velocities within uncertainties. Three plate pairs (Caribbean–North America, Caribbean–South America, and North America–Pacific) exhibit significant differences between the geodetic and geologic model that may reflect systematic errors in NUVEL‐1A due to the use of seafloor magnetic rate data that do not reflect the full plate rate because of tectonic complexities. Most other differences probably reflect real velocity changes over the last few million years. Several plate pairs (Arabia–Eurasia, Arabia–Nubia, Eurasia–India) move more slowly than the 3 Myr NUVEL‐1A average, perhaps reflecting long‐term deceleration associated with continental collision. Several other plate pairs, including Nazca–Pacific, Nazca–South America and Nubia–South America, are experiencing slowing that began ∼25 Ma, the beginning of the current phase of Andean crustal shortening.

Effects of glacial isostatic adjustment since the late Pleistocene on the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau

Summary We simulate the seven components of the geophysical signatures arising from the glacial isostatic adjustment in the Tibetan Plateau for three different ice models in order to investigate the implications for the plateau's uplift. Particular attention is devoted to the effects of the presence of asthenosphere and its uncertainty with regard to viscosity on the computational results. For this purpose, four viscosity models are constructed using newly published results concerning postglacial rebound and post-seismic deformation. For two smaller ice models, the modelled quantities are small, contributing little to the observed signals. However, for the ice model with a maximal average thickness at the last glacial maximum, the modelled quantities are pronounced in the observed signals. On the basis of the numerical results for this ice model, two main conclusions can be drawn. First, since the late Pleistocene uplift has been reduced by 10–31.4 m in the plateau and in the Himalaya mountain range, and horizontal crustal shortening has increased by 4.2–30.6 m. Second, for the present ongoing crustal motions, the uplift rates are enhanced by 1.2–3.7 mm yr−1 in the midwest of the plateau, the subsidence rates are reduced by 1.2–3.6 mm yr−1 in the east of the plateau, and the horizontal shortening rates are decreased by 0.6–4.2 mm yr−1. Therefore, if the ice sheet related to the largest ice model is scientifically acceptable, the glacial isostatic adjustment is worthy of consideration as a dynamic mechanism for the uplift of the plateau since the late Pleistocene. The uncertainties in the modelled results are due to the wide range of the estimate of asthenospheric viscosity, from 1018 to 1020 Pa s. Any improvement made in the estimation of the asthenospheric viscosity will be beneficial to discussions about the effects of glacial isostatic adjustment on the uplift of the plateau based on the results in this paper.

Global sea level rise and glacial isostatic adjustment

The fact that the ongoing global process of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) contributes significantly to present-day observed rates of secular sea level change that are recorded on tide gauges is now rather well established. There is a continuing discussion, however, of the magnitude of the globally averaged rate of relative sea level rise that is residual to this GIA related `contamination'. Accurate estimation of this residual is clearly important to the understanding of ongoing global change in the earth system. In the analyses presented herein, following a review of the global theory of the GIA process that focuses on the issue of rotational feedback, I begin by revisiting the issue of estimating this residual on the basis of secular sea level change measurements derived from long time series of annually averaged tide gauge recordings. These observations, all from the US east coast, are then decontaminated by subtracting estimates of the GIA effect determined on the basis of analysis of 14 C dated relative sea level histories to infer a (climate related?) residual signal. Also discussed herein, from a global modelling perspective, is the issue of the extent to which a globally averaged rate of sea level rise based upon TOPEX/POSEIDON type altimetric data (or secular gravity field data from the future GRACE mission) is expected to be contaminated by the GIA process. This issue has not been addressed previously and our analyses show that this contamination of the satellite altimeter estimated rate of global sea level rise will also be significantly influenced, locally, by ongoing glacial isostatic adjustment. However, when this signal is averaged over the surface track of TOPEX/POSEIDON we find that the extent to which this instrument's measure of the globally averaged rate of sea level rise is contaminated by the GIA process is small.