Subglacial discharge weakens the stability of the Ross Ice Shelf around the grounding line

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Yan Li, Hongling Shi, Yang Lu, Zizhan Zhang, Hui Xi
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2021
• Subjects: antarctic subglacial lakes; water storage change; satellite altimetry; remote sensing; hydraulic potential method; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Antarctic; West Antarctica; Ross Ice Shelf; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Shelf; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.3377; https://doaj.org/article/531db77ad20c4cbca0063662d5f40f6f

In this paper, we examine potential impact of discharge in Subglacial Lake Engelhardt, West Antarctica, on the stability of the Ross Ice Shelf around the grounding line by combining satellite altimetry and remote sensing images. According to satellite altimetry data from the Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat; 2003–06), Subglacial Lake Engelhardt (SLE) discharged ca. 1.91 ± 0.04 km3 of water into the downstream region. The ice-surface record derived from ICESat (2006–09) and CryoSat-2 (2011–17) data shows that the lake gained ca. 2.09 ± 0.05 km3 of water during the refilling event following the drainage event, taking three times as much time to reach the previous water level before the discharge; the calculation demonstrates that water input from an upstream lake is unable to sustain water increase in SLE, indicating that the subglacial, hydrologic system and groundwater flow could have contributed to water increase in SLE via hydrologic networks. Satellite images captured surface depressions and crevasses at the drainage outlet point of hydrologic networks around the grounding line; satellite altimetry data show that the ice surface there is still depressing even though the subglacial discharge has finished, potentially reflecting the long-term impact of subglacial discharge on the stability of the immediate Ross Ice Shelf around the grounding line.