Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica
Subglacial meltwater drainage can enhance localized melting along grounding zones and beneath the ice shelves of marine-terminating glaciers. Efforts to constrain the evolution of subglacial hydrology and the resulting influence on ice stability in space and on decadal to millennial timescales are l...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Frontiers Media
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/554397 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 |
id |
ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/554397 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftethz:oai:www.research-collection.ethz.ch:20.500.11850/554397 2023-05-15T13:41:37+02:00 Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica Lepp, Allison P. Simkins, Lauren M. Anderson, John B. Clark, Rachel W. Wellner, Julia S. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Smith, James A. Lehrmann, Asmara A. Totten, Rebecca Larter, Robert D. Hogan, Kelly A. Nitsche, Frank O. Graham, Alastair G.C. Wacker, Lukas 2022-05 application/application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/554397 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 en eng Frontiers Media info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3389/feart.2022.863200 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000810959300001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/554397 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International CC-BY Frontiers in Earth Science, 10 glacial sediments meltwater plumes glacial hydrology holocene computed tomography west Antarctica info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2022 ftethz https://doi.org/20.500.11850/554397 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.863200 2023-02-13T01:05:24Z Subglacial meltwater drainage can enhance localized melting along grounding zones and beneath the ice shelves of marine-terminating glaciers. Efforts to constrain the evolution of subglacial hydrology and the resulting influence on ice stability in space and on decadal to millennial timescales are lacking. Here, we apply sedimentological, geochemical, and statistical methods to analyze sediment cores recovered offshore Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica to reconstruct meltwater drainage activity through the pre-satellite era. We find evidence for a long-lived subglacial hydrologic system beneath Thwaites Glacier and indications that meltwater plumes are the primary mechanism of sedimentation seaward of the glacier today. Detailed core stratigraphy revealed through computed tomography scanning captures variability in drainage styles and suggests greater magnitudes of sediment-laden meltwater have been delivered to the ocean in recent centuries compared to the past several thousand years. Fundamental similarities between meltwater plume deposits offshore Thwaites Glacier and those described in association with other Antarctic glacial systems imply widespread and similar subglacial hydrologic processes that occur independently of subglacial geology. In the context of Holocene changes to the Thwaites Glacier margin, it is likely that subglacial drainage enhanced submarine melt along the grounding zone and amplified ice-shelf melt driven by oceanic processes, consistent with observations of other West Antarctic glaciers today. This study highlights the necessity of accounting for the influence of subglacial hydrology on grounding-zone and ice-shelf melt in projections of future behavior of the Thwaites Glacier ice margin and marine-based glaciers around the Antarctic continent. ISSN:2296-6463 Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier West Antarctica ETH Zürich Research Collection Antarctic The Antarctic Thwaites Glacier ENVELOPE(-106.750,-106.750,-75.500,-75.500) West Antarctica |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
ETH Zürich Research Collection |
op_collection_id |
ftethz |
language |
English |
topic |
glacial sediments meltwater plumes glacial hydrology holocene computed tomography west Antarctica |
spellingShingle |
glacial sediments meltwater plumes glacial hydrology holocene computed tomography west Antarctica Lepp, Allison P. Simkins, Lauren M. Anderson, John B. Clark, Rachel W. Wellner, Julia S. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Smith, James A. Lehrmann, Asmara A. Totten, Rebecca Larter, Robert D. Hogan, Kelly A. Nitsche, Frank O. Graham, Alastair G.C. Wacker, Lukas Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
topic_facet |
glacial sediments meltwater plumes glacial hydrology holocene computed tomography west Antarctica |
description |
Subglacial meltwater drainage can enhance localized melting along grounding zones and beneath the ice shelves of marine-terminating glaciers. Efforts to constrain the evolution of subglacial hydrology and the resulting influence on ice stability in space and on decadal to millennial timescales are lacking. Here, we apply sedimentological, geochemical, and statistical methods to analyze sediment cores recovered offshore Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica to reconstruct meltwater drainage activity through the pre-satellite era. We find evidence for a long-lived subglacial hydrologic system beneath Thwaites Glacier and indications that meltwater plumes are the primary mechanism of sedimentation seaward of the glacier today. Detailed core stratigraphy revealed through computed tomography scanning captures variability in drainage styles and suggests greater magnitudes of sediment-laden meltwater have been delivered to the ocean in recent centuries compared to the past several thousand years. Fundamental similarities between meltwater plume deposits offshore Thwaites Glacier and those described in association with other Antarctic glacial systems imply widespread and similar subglacial hydrologic processes that occur independently of subglacial geology. In the context of Holocene changes to the Thwaites Glacier margin, it is likely that subglacial drainage enhanced submarine melt along the grounding zone and amplified ice-shelf melt driven by oceanic processes, consistent with observations of other West Antarctic glaciers today. This study highlights the necessity of accounting for the influence of subglacial hydrology on grounding-zone and ice-shelf melt in projections of future behavior of the Thwaites Glacier ice margin and marine-based glaciers around the Antarctic continent. ISSN:2296-6463 |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lepp, Allison P. Simkins, Lauren M. Anderson, John B. Clark, Rachel W. Wellner, Julia S. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Smith, James A. Lehrmann, Asmara A. Totten, Rebecca Larter, Robert D. Hogan, Kelly A. Nitsche, Frank O. Graham, Alastair G.C. Wacker, Lukas |
author_facet |
Lepp, Allison P. Simkins, Lauren M. Anderson, John B. Clark, Rachel W. Wellner, Julia S. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Smith, James A. Lehrmann, Asmara A. Totten, Rebecca Larter, Robert D. Hogan, Kelly A. Nitsche, Frank O. Graham, Alastair G.C. Wacker, Lukas |
author_sort |
Lepp, Allison P. |
title |
Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
title_short |
Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
title_full |
Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sedimentary Signatures of Persistent Subglacial Meltwater Drainage From Thwaites Glacier, Antarctica |
title_sort |
sedimentary signatures of persistent subglacial meltwater drainage from thwaites glacier, antarctica |
publisher |
Frontiers Media |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/554397 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-106.750,-106.750,-75.500,-75.500) |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Thwaites Glacier West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Thwaites Glacier West Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier West Antarctica |
op_source |
Frontiers in Earth Science, 10 |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.3389/feart.2022.863200 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000810959300001 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/554397 doi:10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/20.500.11850/554397 https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000554397 https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.863200 |
_version_ |
1766153047846682624 |