Hot rocks in a cold place: high sub-glacial heat flow in East Antarctica
Numerical models are the primary predictive tools for understanding the dynamic behaviour of the Antarctic ice sheet. However, a key boundary parameter, sub-glacial heat flow, remains poorly constrained. We show that variations in abundance and distribution of heat-producing elements within the Anta...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Other Non-Article Part of Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
| Published: |
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3453554.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/Hot_rocks_in_a_cold_place_high_sub-glacial_heat_flow_in_East_Antarctica/3453554 |
| Summary: | Numerical models are the primary predictive tools for understanding the dynamic behaviour of the Antarctic ice sheet. However, a key boundary parameter, sub-glacial heat flow, remains poorly constrained. We show that variations in abundance and distribution of heat-producing elements within the Antarctic continental crust result in greater and more variable regional sub-glacial heat flows than currently assumed in ice modelling studies. Such elevated heat flows would have a fundamental effect on ice sheet behaviour and highlight that geological controls on heat flow must be considered to obtain more accurate and refined predictions of ice mass balance and sea-level change. |
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