Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries
ABSTRACT The dominant mass-loss process on the Antarctic Peninsula has been ice-shelf collapse, including the Larsen A Ice Shelf in early 1995. Following this collapse, there was rapid speed up and thinning of its tributary glaciers. We model the impact of this ice-shelf collapse on upstream tributa...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.77 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016000770 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2016.77 2024-03-03T08:39:17+00:00 Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries ROYSTON, SAM GUDMUNDSSON, G. HILMAR 2016 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.77 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016000770 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 62, issue 235, page 905-911 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 Earth-Surface Processes journal-article 2016 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.77 2024-02-08T08:37:43Z ABSTRACT The dominant mass-loss process on the Antarctic Peninsula has been ice-shelf collapse, including the Larsen A Ice Shelf in early 1995. Following this collapse, there was rapid speed up and thinning of its tributary glaciers. We model the impact of this ice-shelf collapse on upstream tributaries, and compare with observations using new datasets of surface velocity and ice thickness. Using a two-horizontal-dimension shallow shelf approximation model, we are able to replicate the observed large increase in surface velocity that occurred within Drygalski Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula. The model results show an instantaneous twofold increase in flux across the grounding line, caused solely from the reduction in backstress through ice shelf removal. This demonstrates the importance of ice-shelf buttressing for flow upstream of the grounding line and highlights the need to explicitly include lateral stresses when modelling real-world settings. We hypothesise that further increases in velocity and flux observed since the ice-shelf collapse result from transient mass redistribution effects. Reproducing these effects poses the next, more stringent test of glacier and ice-sheet modelling studies. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Drygalski Glacier Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Cambridge University Press Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Drygalski ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-64.717,-64.717) Drygalski Glacier ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-64.716,-64.716) Journal of Glaciology 62 235 905 911 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Earth-Surface Processes |
spellingShingle |
Earth-Surface Processes ROYSTON, SAM GUDMUNDSSON, G. HILMAR Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
topic_facet |
Earth-Surface Processes |
description |
ABSTRACT The dominant mass-loss process on the Antarctic Peninsula has been ice-shelf collapse, including the Larsen A Ice Shelf in early 1995. Following this collapse, there was rapid speed up and thinning of its tributary glaciers. We model the impact of this ice-shelf collapse on upstream tributaries, and compare with observations using new datasets of surface velocity and ice thickness. Using a two-horizontal-dimension shallow shelf approximation model, we are able to replicate the observed large increase in surface velocity that occurred within Drygalski Glacier, Antarctic Peninsula. The model results show an instantaneous twofold increase in flux across the grounding line, caused solely from the reduction in backstress through ice shelf removal. This demonstrates the importance of ice-shelf buttressing for flow upstream of the grounding line and highlights the need to explicitly include lateral stresses when modelling real-world settings. We hypothesise that further increases in velocity and flux observed since the ice-shelf collapse result from transient mass redistribution effects. Reproducing these effects poses the next, more stringent test of glacier and ice-sheet modelling studies. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
ROYSTON, SAM GUDMUNDSSON, G. HILMAR |
author_facet |
ROYSTON, SAM GUDMUNDSSON, G. HILMAR |
author_sort |
ROYSTON, SAM |
title |
Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
title_short |
Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
title_full |
Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
title_fullStr |
Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of Larsen A Ice Shelf, Antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
title_sort |
changes in ice-shelf buttressing following the collapse of larsen a ice shelf, antarctica, and the resulting impact on tributaries |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.77 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143016000770 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-64.717,-64.717) ENVELOPE(-61.000,-61.000,-64.716,-64.716) |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Drygalski Drygalski Glacier |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Drygalski Drygalski Glacier |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Drygalski Glacier Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica Drygalski Glacier Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 62, issue 235, page 905-911 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.77 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
62 |
container_issue |
235 |
container_start_page |
905 |
op_container_end_page |
911 |
_version_ |
1792494729328328704 |