Localized Basal Freezing Within George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Pedley, M., Paren, J.G., Potter, J.R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1988
• Subjects: Alexander Island; Antarc*; Antarctica; George VI Ice Shelf; Ice Shelf; Journal of Glaciology; Palmer Land
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000009084; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000009084

Abstract Hobbs Pool is an area of thin ice shelf situated within George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Thicker ice shelf surrounding Hobbs Pool isolates the upper 155 m of the water column from water lying at the same depth else-where under the ice shelf. Summer melt-water lakes drain through crevasses at Hobbs Pool forming a 155 m thick layer of low-salinity water close to its freezing point. Colder and more saline water in the lower part of this layer leads to in-situ freezing of fresher water lying above it. Below 155 m depth, the water temperature and salinity are linearly related by basal melting which is observed elsewhere under the ice shelf. The surface ice shows areas of deformation and deposits of subglacial rock debris which may result from upward particle paths in the area. The raising of subglacial rock debris on to the ice surface may provide a mechanism for the transport of erratics across the ice shelf to Alexander Island from the base of Palmer Land glaciers.