Interpretation of geomorphological features underneath Ekströmisen, Antarctica in their glacio-geological context

• Main Author: Ötting, Astrid
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Ice Shelves
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/50603/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/50603/1/Masterthesis_Oetting.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.8637dbb2-34fe-413f-9889-51c90e9899e7

The aim of this Master Thesis is to reconstruct the glacio-geological history of the Ekström ice shelf on the basis of subglacial characteristics. This investigation provide clues to past ice dynamics, which may contribute to the valuation of sea level rise due to climate change in subsequent studies. The interpretation of these morphologies at the sea floor was performed with the geophysical methods swath bathymetry, Parasound and reflection seismics. The investigations were supported by the calculation of the sea bed roughness at the seismic profiles. The landforms were used to identify advance and retreat behaviours and phases of still-stand, draw conclusions about the substrate and compare the findings with other Antarctic ice shelves. Channel structures imply the presence of meltwater and thus changes in the thermal regime of the glacier base. The detailed results can contribute to a better understanding of the behaviour and to more reliable estimates for future responses of the East Antarctic ice shelves to environmental change.