Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting
Abstract Ice shelves play a critical role in modulating dynamic loss of ice from the grounded portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise. Measurements of ice-shelf motion provide insights into processes modifying buttressing. Here we investigate the effect of seasonal...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.61 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143020000611 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2020.61 2024-09-15T17:48:40+00:00 Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting Klein, Emilie Mosbeux, Cyrille Bromirski, Peter D. Padman, Laurie Bock, Yehuda Springer, Scott R. Fricker, Helen A. 2020 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.61 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143020000611 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 66, issue 259, page 861-875 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2020 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.61 2024-07-31T04:04:45Z Abstract Ice shelves play a critical role in modulating dynamic loss of ice from the grounded portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise. Measurements of ice-shelf motion provide insights into processes modifying buttressing. Here we investigate the effect of seasonal variability of basal melting on ice flow of Ross Ice Shelf. Velocities were measured from November 2015 to December 2016 at 12 GPS stations deployed from the ice front to 430 km upstream. The flow-parallel velocity anomaly at each station, relative to the annual mean, was small during early austral summer (November–January), negative during February–April, and positive during austral winter (May–September). The maximum velocity anomaly reached several metres per year at most stations. We used a 2-D ice-sheet model of the RIS and its grounded tributaries to explore the seasonal response of the ice sheet to time-varying basal melt rates. We find that melt-rate response to changes in summer upper-ocean heating near the ice front will affect the future flow of RIS and its tributary glaciers. However, modelled seasonal flow variations from increased summer basal melting near the ice front are much smaller than observed, suggesting that other as-yet-unidentified seasonal processes are currently dominant. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf Cambridge University Press Journal of Glaciology 66 259 861 875 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract Ice shelves play a critical role in modulating dynamic loss of ice from the grounded portion of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its contribution to sea-level rise. Measurements of ice-shelf motion provide insights into processes modifying buttressing. Here we investigate the effect of seasonal variability of basal melting on ice flow of Ross Ice Shelf. Velocities were measured from November 2015 to December 2016 at 12 GPS stations deployed from the ice front to 430 km upstream. The flow-parallel velocity anomaly at each station, relative to the annual mean, was small during early austral summer (November–January), negative during February–April, and positive during austral winter (May–September). The maximum velocity anomaly reached several metres per year at most stations. We used a 2-D ice-sheet model of the RIS and its grounded tributaries to explore the seasonal response of the ice sheet to time-varying basal melt rates. We find that melt-rate response to changes in summer upper-ocean heating near the ice front will affect the future flow of RIS and its tributary glaciers. However, modelled seasonal flow variations from increased summer basal melting near the ice front are much smaller than observed, suggesting that other as-yet-unidentified seasonal processes are currently dominant. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Klein, Emilie Mosbeux, Cyrille Bromirski, Peter D. Padman, Laurie Bock, Yehuda Springer, Scott R. Fricker, Helen A. |
spellingShingle |
Klein, Emilie Mosbeux, Cyrille Bromirski, Peter D. Padman, Laurie Bock, Yehuda Springer, Scott R. Fricker, Helen A. Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
author_facet |
Klein, Emilie Mosbeux, Cyrille Bromirski, Peter D. Padman, Laurie Bock, Yehuda Springer, Scott R. Fricker, Helen A. |
author_sort |
Klein, Emilie |
title |
Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
title_short |
Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
title_full |
Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
title_fullStr |
Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
title_full_unstemmed |
Annual cycle in flow of Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
title_sort |
annual cycle in flow of ross ice shelf, antarctica: contribution of variable basal melting |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.61 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143020000611 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Journal of Glaciology Ross Ice Shelf |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 66, issue 259, page 861-875 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.61 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
66 |
container_issue |
259 |
container_start_page |
861 |
op_container_end_page |
875 |
_version_ |
1810290163940589568 |