Water pressure and basal sliding on Storglaciären, northern Sweden

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Author: Jansson, Peter
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 1995
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Storglaciären; Iken; Journal of Glaciology; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0022143000016130; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143000016130

Abstract The subglacial hydrology of the ablation area of Storglaciären, a small valley glacier in northern Sweden, is dramatically affected by a subglacial ridge, or riegel. Water pressures above this riegel are relatively constant, while down-glacier from it they vary significantly. The lower part of the glacier accelerates in response to peaks in basal water pressure. The upper part may be weakly coupled to the lower part during these peaks. A power-law fit of observed basal water pressures and measured surface velocities yields where u s is the surface velocity and P E is the effective water pressure (ice overburden pressure minus subglacial water pressure). Data from Findelengletscher, reported by Iken and Bindschadler (1986), yield an identical exponent and a coefficient one order of magnitude larger. The similar exponent implies that the process producing the velocity variations on both glaciers is similar. The variations in velocity are inferred to be due to hydraulic jacking on both glaciers.