Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves
Surface meltwater drains across ice sheets, forming melt ponds that can trigger ice-shelf collapse, acceleration of grounded ice flow and increased sea-level rise. Numerical models of the Antarctic Ice Sheet that incorporate meltwater’s impact on ice shelves, but ignore the movement of water across...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Text |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Columbia University
2017
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8hq4b85 https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8HQ4B85 |
id |
ftdatacite:10.7916/d8hq4b85 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftdatacite:10.7916/d8hq4b85 2023-05-15T13:39:07+02:00 Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves Kingslake, Jonathan Ely, Jeremy C. Das, Indrani Bell, Robin E. 2017 https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8hq4b85 https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8HQ4B85 unknown Columbia University https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature22049 Cryosphere Ice shelves Ice sheets--Mathematical models Meltwater Climatic changes--Mathematical models Text Articles article-journal ScholarlyArticle 2017 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.7916/d8hq4b85 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22049 2021-11-05T12:55:41Z Surface meltwater drains across ice sheets, forming melt ponds that can trigger ice-shelf collapse, acceleration of grounded ice flow and increased sea-level rise. Numerical models of the Antarctic Ice Sheet that incorporate meltwater’s impact on ice shelves, but ignore the movement of water across the ice surface, predict a metre of global sea-level rise this century5 in response to atmospheric warming. To understand the impact of water moving across the ice surface a broad quantification of surface meltwater and its drainage is needed. Yet, despite extensive research in Greenland and observations of individual drainage systems in Antarctica, we have little understanding of Antarctic-wide surface hydrology or how it will evolve. Here we show widespread drainage of meltwater across the surface of the ice sheet through surface streams and ponds (hereafter ‘surface drainage’) as far south as 85° S and as high as 1,300 metres above sea level. Our findings are based on satellite imagery from 1973 onwards and aerial photography from 1947 onwards. Surface drainage has persisted for decades, transporting water up to 120 kilometres from grounded ice onto and across ice shelves, feeding vast melt ponds up to 80 kilometres long. Large-scale surface drainage could deliver water to areas of ice shelves vulnerable to collapse, as melt rates increase this century. While Antarctic surface melt ponds are relatively well documented on some ice shelves, we have discovered that ponds often form part of widespread, large-scale surface drainage systems. In a warming climate, enhanced surface drainage could accelerate future ice-mass loss from Antarctic, potentially via positive feedbacks between the extent of exposed rock, melting and thinning of the ice sheet. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) Antarctic The Antarctic Greenland |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftdatacite |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Cryosphere Ice shelves Ice sheets--Mathematical models Meltwater Climatic changes--Mathematical models |
spellingShingle |
Cryosphere Ice shelves Ice sheets--Mathematical models Meltwater Climatic changes--Mathematical models Kingslake, Jonathan Ely, Jeremy C. Das, Indrani Bell, Robin E. Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
topic_facet |
Cryosphere Ice shelves Ice sheets--Mathematical models Meltwater Climatic changes--Mathematical models |
description |
Surface meltwater drains across ice sheets, forming melt ponds that can trigger ice-shelf collapse, acceleration of grounded ice flow and increased sea-level rise. Numerical models of the Antarctic Ice Sheet that incorporate meltwater’s impact on ice shelves, but ignore the movement of water across the ice surface, predict a metre of global sea-level rise this century5 in response to atmospheric warming. To understand the impact of water moving across the ice surface a broad quantification of surface meltwater and its drainage is needed. Yet, despite extensive research in Greenland and observations of individual drainage systems in Antarctica, we have little understanding of Antarctic-wide surface hydrology or how it will evolve. Here we show widespread drainage of meltwater across the surface of the ice sheet through surface streams and ponds (hereafter ‘surface drainage’) as far south as 85° S and as high as 1,300 metres above sea level. Our findings are based on satellite imagery from 1973 onwards and aerial photography from 1947 onwards. Surface drainage has persisted for decades, transporting water up to 120 kilometres from grounded ice onto and across ice shelves, feeding vast melt ponds up to 80 kilometres long. Large-scale surface drainage could deliver water to areas of ice shelves vulnerable to collapse, as melt rates increase this century. While Antarctic surface melt ponds are relatively well documented on some ice shelves, we have discovered that ponds often form part of widespread, large-scale surface drainage systems. In a warming climate, enhanced surface drainage could accelerate future ice-mass loss from Antarctic, potentially via positive feedbacks between the extent of exposed rock, melting and thinning of the ice sheet. |
format |
Text |
author |
Kingslake, Jonathan Ely, Jeremy C. Das, Indrani Bell, Robin E. |
author_facet |
Kingslake, Jonathan Ely, Jeremy C. Das, Indrani Bell, Robin E. |
author_sort |
Kingslake, Jonathan |
title |
Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
title_short |
Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
title_full |
Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
title_fullStr |
Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
title_full_unstemmed |
Widespread movement of meltwater onto and across Antarctic ice shelves |
title_sort |
widespread movement of meltwater onto and across antarctic ice shelves |
publisher |
Columbia University |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8hq4b85 https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/doi/10.7916/D8HQ4B85 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Greenland |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
op_relation |
https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature22049 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7916/d8hq4b85 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature22049 |
_version_ |
1766114682704232448 |