Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf
Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing rneltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristi...
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Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science
2009
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:11284 2023-05-15T13:24:06+02:00 Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard 2009 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11284/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 unknown Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science Smith, James A. orcid:0000-0002-1333-2544 Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter orcid:0000-0003-0240-7317 Larter, Robert D.; Graham, Alastair G.C.; Kuhn, Gerhard. 2009 Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf. Quaternary Research, 71 (2). 190-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005> Glaciology Hydrology Earth Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2009 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 2023-02-04T19:27:17Z Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing rneltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristics and size are consistent with incision by subglacial meltwater. To understand how and when these channels formed we have investigated the infill of three channels. Diamictons deposited beneath or proximal to an expanded grounded West Antarctic Ice Sheet are present in two of the channels and these are overlain by glaciomarine sediments deposited after deglaciation. The sediment core from the third channel recovered a turbidite sequence also deposited after the last deglaciation. The presence of deformation till at one core site and the absence of typical meltwater deposits (e.g., sorted sands and gravels) in all three cores suggest that channel incision pre-dates overriding by fast flowing grounded ice during the last glacial period. Given the overall scale of the channels and their incision into bedrock, it is likely that the channels formed over multiple glaciations, possibly since the Miocene, and have been reoccupied on several occasions. This also implies that the channels have survived numerous advances and retreats of grounded ice. (c) 2008 University of Washington. All rights reserved. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica Quaternary Research 71 2 190 200 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Glaciology Hydrology Earth Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Glaciology Hydrology Earth Sciences Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
topic_facet |
Glaciology Hydrology Earth Sciences |
description |
Subglacial meltwater plays a significant yet poorly understood role in the dynamics of the Antarctic ice sheets. Here we present new swath bathymetry from the western Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica, showing rneltwater channels eroded into acoustic basement. Their morphological characteristics and size are consistent with incision by subglacial meltwater. To understand how and when these channels formed we have investigated the infill of three channels. Diamictons deposited beneath or proximal to an expanded grounded West Antarctic Ice Sheet are present in two of the channels and these are overlain by glaciomarine sediments deposited after deglaciation. The sediment core from the third channel recovered a turbidite sequence also deposited after the last deglaciation. The presence of deformation till at one core site and the absence of typical meltwater deposits (e.g., sorted sands and gravels) in all three cores suggest that channel incision pre-dates overriding by fast flowing grounded ice during the last glacial period. Given the overall scale of the channels and their incision into bedrock, it is likely that the channels formed over multiple glaciations, possibly since the Miocene, and have been reoccupied on several occasions. This also implies that the channels have survived numerous advances and retreats of grounded ice. (c) 2008 University of Washington. All rights reserved. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard |
author_facet |
Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G.C. Kuhn, Gerhard |
author_sort |
Smith, James A. |
title |
Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_short |
Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_full |
Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_fullStr |
Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf |
title_sort |
sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the west antarctic continental shelf |
publisher |
Academic Press Inc Elsevier Science |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/11284/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic The Antarctic West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
op_relation |
Smith, James A. orcid:0000-0002-1333-2544 Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter orcid:0000-0003-0240-7317 Larter, Robert D.; Graham, Alastair G.C.; Kuhn, Gerhard. 2009 Sediment infill of subglacial meltwater channels on the West Antarctic continental shelf. Quaternary Research, 71 (2). 190-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yqres.2008.11.005 |
container_title |
Quaternary Research |
container_volume |
71 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
190 |
op_container_end_page |
200 |
_version_ |
1766377404246261760 |