Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river
Meltwater stored in ponds1 and crevasses can weaken and fracture ice shelves, triggering their rapid disintegration2. This ice-shelf collapse results in an increased flux of ice from adjacent glaciers3 and ice streams, thereby raising sea level globally4. However, surface rivers forming on ice shelv...
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ftcolumbiauniv:oai:academiccommons.columbia.edu:10.7916/rp1t-g360 2023-05-15T14:01:27+02:00 Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river Bell, Robin E. Chu, Wing Yin Kingslake, Jonathan Das, Indrani Tedesco, Marco Tinto, Kirsteen J. Zappa, Christopher J. Frezzotti, Massimo Boghosian, Alexandra Lee, Won Sang Columbia University. Marine Geology and Geophysics 2017 https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 English eng https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 Ice shelves Meltwater Runoff Glaciers--Climatic factors Glaciology Articles 2017 ftcolumbiauniv https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 2022-01-15T23:21:11Z Meltwater stored in ponds1 and crevasses can weaken and fracture ice shelves, triggering their rapid disintegration2. This ice-shelf collapse results in an increased flux of ice from adjacent glaciers3 and ice streams, thereby raising sea level globally4. However, surface rivers forming on ice shelves could potentially export stored meltwater and prevent its destructive effects. Here we present evidence for persistent active drainage networks—interconnected streams, ponds and rivers—on the Nansen Ice Shelf in Antarctica that export a large fraction of the ice shelf’s meltwater into the ocean. We find that active drainage has exported water off the ice surface through waterfalls and dolines for more than a century. The surface river terminates in a 130-metre-wide waterfall that can export the entire annual surface melt over the course of seven days. During warmer melt seasons, these drainage networks adapt to changing environmental conditions by remaining active for longer and exporting more water. Similar networks are present on the ice shelf in front of Petermann Glacier, Greenland, but other systems, such as on the Larsen C and Amery Ice Shelves, retain surface water at present. The underlying reasons for export versus retention remain unclear. Nonetheless our results suggest that, in a future warming climate, surface rivers could export melt off the large ice shelves surrounding Antarctica—contrary to present Antarctic ice-sheet models1, which assume that meltwater is stored on the ice surface where it triggers ice-shelf disintegration. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Petermann glacier Columbia University: Academic Commons Amery ENVELOPE(-94.063,-94.063,56.565,56.565) Antarctic Greenland |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Columbia University: Academic Commons |
op_collection_id |
ftcolumbiauniv |
language |
English |
topic |
Ice shelves Meltwater Runoff Glaciers--Climatic factors Glaciology |
spellingShingle |
Ice shelves Meltwater Runoff Glaciers--Climatic factors Glaciology Bell, Robin E. Chu, Wing Yin Kingslake, Jonathan Das, Indrani Tedesco, Marco Tinto, Kirsteen J. Zappa, Christopher J. Frezzotti, Massimo Boghosian, Alexandra Lee, Won Sang Columbia University. Marine Geology and Geophysics Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
topic_facet |
Ice shelves Meltwater Runoff Glaciers--Climatic factors Glaciology |
description |
Meltwater stored in ponds1 and crevasses can weaken and fracture ice shelves, triggering their rapid disintegration2. This ice-shelf collapse results in an increased flux of ice from adjacent glaciers3 and ice streams, thereby raising sea level globally4. However, surface rivers forming on ice shelves could potentially export stored meltwater and prevent its destructive effects. Here we present evidence for persistent active drainage networks—interconnected streams, ponds and rivers—on the Nansen Ice Shelf in Antarctica that export a large fraction of the ice shelf’s meltwater into the ocean. We find that active drainage has exported water off the ice surface through waterfalls and dolines for more than a century. The surface river terminates in a 130-metre-wide waterfall that can export the entire annual surface melt over the course of seven days. During warmer melt seasons, these drainage networks adapt to changing environmental conditions by remaining active for longer and exporting more water. Similar networks are present on the ice shelf in front of Petermann Glacier, Greenland, but other systems, such as on the Larsen C and Amery Ice Shelves, retain surface water at present. The underlying reasons for export versus retention remain unclear. Nonetheless our results suggest that, in a future warming climate, surface rivers could export melt off the large ice shelves surrounding Antarctica—contrary to present Antarctic ice-sheet models1, which assume that meltwater is stored on the ice surface where it triggers ice-shelf disintegration. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bell, Robin E. Chu, Wing Yin Kingslake, Jonathan Das, Indrani Tedesco, Marco Tinto, Kirsteen J. Zappa, Christopher J. Frezzotti, Massimo Boghosian, Alexandra Lee, Won Sang Columbia University. Marine Geology and Geophysics |
author_facet |
Bell, Robin E. Chu, Wing Yin Kingslake, Jonathan Das, Indrani Tedesco, Marco Tinto, Kirsteen J. Zappa, Christopher J. Frezzotti, Massimo Boghosian, Alexandra Lee, Won Sang Columbia University. Marine Geology and Geophysics |
author_sort |
Bell, Robin E. |
title |
Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
title_short |
Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
title_full |
Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
title_fullStr |
Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
title_full_unstemmed |
Antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
title_sort |
antarctic ice shelf potentially stabilized by export of meltwater in surface river |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-94.063,-94.063,56.565,56.565) |
geographic |
Amery Antarctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Amery Antarctic Greenland |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Petermann glacier |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Petermann glacier |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7916/rp1t-g360 |
_version_ |
1766271277175144448 |