The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica
Ice shelf dynamics and morphology play an important role in the stability of floating bodies of ice, in turn impacting their ability to buttress upstream grounded ice. We use a combination of satellite-derived data, airborne and ground-based radar data, and oceanographic data collected at the Nansen...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tcd95017 2023-05-15T14:02:17+02:00 The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica Dow, Christine F. Mueller, Derek Wray, Peter Friedrichs, Drew Forrest, Alexander L. McInerney, Jasmin B. Greenbaum, Jamin Blankenship, Donald D. Lee, Choon Ki Lee, Won Sang 2021-06-29 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-168 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2021-168/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-2021-168 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2021-168/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2021 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-168 2021-07-05T16:22:15Z Ice shelf dynamics and morphology play an important role in the stability of floating bodies of ice, in turn impacting their ability to buttress upstream grounded ice. We use a combination of satellite-derived data, airborne and ground-based radar data, and oceanographic data collected at the Nansen Ice Shelf in East Antarctica to examine the spatial variations in ice shelf draft, the cause and effects of ice shelf strain rates, and the role of a suture zone driving channelization of ocean water and resulting sub-ice shelf melt and freeze-on. We also use the datasets to assess limitations that may arise from examining only a sub-set of the data, in particular the reliance on hydrostatic balance equations applied to surface digital elevation models to determine ice draft morphology. We find that the Nansen Ice Shelf has highly variable basal morphology driven primarily by the formation of basal crevasses near the onset of floating ice convergence in the suture zone. This complex morphology is reflected in the ice shelf strain rates but not in the calculated hydrostatic balance thickness, which underestimates the scale of vertical and horizontal variability at the ice shelf base. The combination of thinner ice in the channelized suture zone, enhanced melt rates near the ice shelf edge, and complex strain rates driven by ice dynamics and morphology have led to the formation of fractures within the suture zone that have resulted in large-scale calving events. Other Antarctic ice shelves may also have complex morphology, which is not reflected in the satellite data, yet may influence their stability. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Antarctic Buttress ENVELOPE(-57.083,-57.083,-63.550,-63.550) East Antarctica |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Ice shelf dynamics and morphology play an important role in the stability of floating bodies of ice, in turn impacting their ability to buttress upstream grounded ice. We use a combination of satellite-derived data, airborne and ground-based radar data, and oceanographic data collected at the Nansen Ice Shelf in East Antarctica to examine the spatial variations in ice shelf draft, the cause and effects of ice shelf strain rates, and the role of a suture zone driving channelization of ocean water and resulting sub-ice shelf melt and freeze-on. We also use the datasets to assess limitations that may arise from examining only a sub-set of the data, in particular the reliance on hydrostatic balance equations applied to surface digital elevation models to determine ice draft morphology. We find that the Nansen Ice Shelf has highly variable basal morphology driven primarily by the formation of basal crevasses near the onset of floating ice convergence in the suture zone. This complex morphology is reflected in the ice shelf strain rates but not in the calculated hydrostatic balance thickness, which underestimates the scale of vertical and horizontal variability at the ice shelf base. The combination of thinner ice in the channelized suture zone, enhanced melt rates near the ice shelf edge, and complex strain rates driven by ice dynamics and morphology have led to the formation of fractures within the suture zone that have resulted in large-scale calving events. Other Antarctic ice shelves may also have complex morphology, which is not reflected in the satellite data, yet may influence their stability. |
format |
Text |
author |
Dow, Christine F. Mueller, Derek Wray, Peter Friedrichs, Drew Forrest, Alexander L. McInerney, Jasmin B. Greenbaum, Jamin Blankenship, Donald D. Lee, Choon Ki Lee, Won Sang |
spellingShingle |
Dow, Christine F. Mueller, Derek Wray, Peter Friedrichs, Drew Forrest, Alexander L. McInerney, Jasmin B. Greenbaum, Jamin Blankenship, Donald D. Lee, Choon Ki Lee, Won Sang The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
author_facet |
Dow, Christine F. Mueller, Derek Wray, Peter Friedrichs, Drew Forrest, Alexander L. McInerney, Jasmin B. Greenbaum, Jamin Blankenship, Donald D. Lee, Choon Ki Lee, Won Sang |
author_sort |
Dow, Christine F. |
title |
The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_short |
The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_full |
The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
The complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of Nansen Ice Shelf, East Antarctica |
title_sort |
complex basal morphology and ice dynamics of nansen ice shelf, east antarctica |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-168 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2021-168/ |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-57.083,-57.083,-63.550,-63.550) |
geographic |
Antarctic Buttress East Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Buttress East Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
op_source |
eISSN: 1994-0424 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-2021-168 https://tc.copernicus.org/preprints/tc-2021-168/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2021-168 |
_version_ |
1766272447612452864 |