Ice-marginal lake hydrology and the seasonal dynamical evolution of Kennicott Glacier, Alaska

• Published in: Journal of Glaciology
• Main Authors: William H. Armstrong, Robert S. Anderson
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2020
• Subjects: Arctic glaciology; glacier hydrology; ice velocity; subglacial processes; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Meteorology. Climatology; QC851-999; Arctic; Marginal Lake; glacier; glaciers; Journal of Glaciology; Alaska
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.41; https://doaj.org/article/9b8d6ac97d3e41bdbad5db749a96d9da

Glacier basal motion is responsible for the majority of ice flux on fast-flowing glaciers, enables rapid changes in glacier motion and provides the means by which glaciers shape alpine landscapes. In an effort to enhance our understanding of basal motion, we investigate the evolution of glacier velocity and ice-marginal lake stage on Kennicott Glacier, Alaska, during the spring–summer transition, a time when subglacial drainage is undergoing rapid change. A complicated record of > 50 m fill-and-drain sequences on a hydraulically-connected ice-marginal lake likely reflects the punctuated establishment of efficient subglacial drainage as the melt season begins. The rate of change of lake stage generally correlates with diurnal velocity maxima, both in timing and magnitude. At the seasonal scale, the up-glacier progression of enhanced summer basal motion promotes uniformity of daily glacier velocity fluctuations throughout the 10 km study reach, and results in diurnal velocity patterns suggesting increasingly efficient meltwater delivery to and drainage from the subglacial channel system. Our findings suggest the potential of using an ice-marginal lake as a proxy for subglacial water pressure, and show how widespread basal motion affects bulk glacier behavior.