Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network

The presence of subglacial lakes and subglacial hydrological networks under the East and West Antarctic ice sheets is now relatively well understood, whilst their influence on ice dynamics is the subject of ongoing research. In contrast, little is known about subglacial lakes and hydrological networ...

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Published in:The Cryosphere
Main Authors: Hodgson, Dominic A., Jordan, Tom A., Ross, Neil, Riley, Teal R., Fretwell, Peter T.
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2022
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/4797/2022/
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spelling ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc105098 2023-05-15T13:38:41+02:00 Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network Hodgson, Dominic A. Jordan, Tom A. Ross, Neil Riley, Teal R. Fretwell, Peter T. 2022-11-30 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/4797/2022/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/4797/2022/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2022 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022 2022-12-05T17:22:41Z The presence of subglacial lakes and subglacial hydrological networks under the East and West Antarctic ice sheets is now relatively well understood, whilst their influence on ice dynamics is the subject of ongoing research. In contrast, little is known about subglacial lakes and hydrological networks under the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet and how these are influencing glacier behaviour. Here we describe the rapid drainage and slow refill of a subglacial lake under Mars Glacier using remote sensing and aerogeophysics. Results suggest drainage of the subglacial lake occurred prior to 2011, resulting in the collapse of the overlying ice into the newly formed subglacial cavity. The cavity has been refilling since this time, with peak rates of infilling associated with seasonal surface meltwater activity. We review evidence for similar features elsewhere in the Antarctic Peninsula and discuss whether their appearance marks a threshold shift in glacier thermal regimes and the activation or enhancement of their subglacial hydrological networks by surface meltwater. Collectively, these features show coupling of climate processes and the bed of the region's glaciers highlighting their ongoing vulnerability to climate change. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Mars Glacier Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Mars Glacier ENVELOPE(-68.433,-68.433,-71.833,-71.833) The Antarctic The Cryosphere 16 12 4797 4809
institution Open Polar
collection Copernicus Publications: E-Journals
op_collection_id ftcopernicus
language English
description The presence of subglacial lakes and subglacial hydrological networks under the East and West Antarctic ice sheets is now relatively well understood, whilst their influence on ice dynamics is the subject of ongoing research. In contrast, little is known about subglacial lakes and hydrological networks under the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet and how these are influencing glacier behaviour. Here we describe the rapid drainage and slow refill of a subglacial lake under Mars Glacier using remote sensing and aerogeophysics. Results suggest drainage of the subglacial lake occurred prior to 2011, resulting in the collapse of the overlying ice into the newly formed subglacial cavity. The cavity has been refilling since this time, with peak rates of infilling associated with seasonal surface meltwater activity. We review evidence for similar features elsewhere in the Antarctic Peninsula and discuss whether their appearance marks a threshold shift in glacier thermal regimes and the activation or enhancement of their subglacial hydrological networks by surface meltwater. Collectively, these features show coupling of climate processes and the bed of the region's glaciers highlighting their ongoing vulnerability to climate change.
format Text
author Hodgson, Dominic A.
Jordan, Tom A.
Ross, Neil
Riley, Teal R.
Fretwell, Peter T.
spellingShingle Hodgson, Dominic A.
Jordan, Tom A.
Ross, Neil
Riley, Teal R.
Fretwell, Peter T.
Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
author_facet Hodgson, Dominic A.
Jordan, Tom A.
Ross, Neil
Riley, Teal R.
Fretwell, Peter T.
author_sort Hodgson, Dominic A.
title Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
title_short Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
title_full Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
title_fullStr Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
title_full_unstemmed Drainage and refill of an Antarctic Peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
title_sort drainage and refill of an antarctic peninsula subglacial lake reveal an active subglacial hydrological network
publishDate 2022
url https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/4797/2022/
long_lat ENVELOPE(-68.433,-68.433,-71.833,-71.833)
geographic Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Mars Glacier
The Antarctic
geographic_facet Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Mars Glacier
The Antarctic
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Ice Sheet
Mars Glacier
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctic Peninsula
Ice Sheet
Mars Glacier
op_source eISSN: 1994-0424
op_relation doi:10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/16/4797/2022/
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4797-2022
container_title The Cryosphere
container_volume 16
container_issue 12
container_start_page 4797
op_container_end_page 4809
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