Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream
What happens beneath a glacier affects the way it flows and the landforms left behind when it retreats. Direct observations from beneath glaciers are, however, rare and the subglacial environment remains poorly understood. We present new, repeat observations from West Antarctica that show active pro...
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Geological Society of America
2007
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:1197 2023-12-24T10:09:09+01:00 Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream Smith, A.M. Murray, T. Nicholls, K.W. Makinson, K. Adalgeirsdottir, G. Behar, A. Vaughan, D.G. 2007 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1197/ unknown Geological Society of America Smith, A.M. orcid:0000-0001-8577-482X Murray, T.; Nicholls, K.W. orcid:0000-0002-2188-4509 Makinson, K. orcid:0000-0002-5791-1767 Adalgeirsdottir, G.; Behar, A.; Vaughan, D.G. orcid:0000-0002-9065-0570 . 2007 Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream. Geology, 35 (2). 127-130. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1 <https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1> Glaciology Earth Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2007 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1 2023-11-24T00:03:08Z What happens beneath a glacier affects the way it flows and the landforms left behind when it retreats. Direct observations from beneath glaciers are, however, rare and the subglacial environment remains poorly understood. We present new, repeat observations from West Antarctica that show active processes beneath a modern glacier which can normally only be postulated from the geological record. We interpret erosion at a rate of 1 m a−1 beneath a fast-flowing ice stream, followed by cessation of erosion and the formation of a drumlin from mobilized sediment. We also interpret both mobilization and increased compaction of basal sediment with associated hydrological changes within the glacier bed. All these changes occurred on time scales of a few years or less. This variability suggests that an ice stream can reorganize its bed rapidly, and that present models of ice dynamics may not simulate all the relevant subglacial processes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica West Antarctica Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic West Antarctica Geology 35 2 127 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Glaciology Earth Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Glaciology Earth Sciences Smith, A.M. Murray, T. Nicholls, K.W. Makinson, K. Adalgeirsdottir, G. Behar, A. Vaughan, D.G. Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
topic_facet |
Glaciology Earth Sciences |
description |
What happens beneath a glacier affects the way it flows and the landforms left behind when it retreats. Direct observations from beneath glaciers are, however, rare and the subglacial environment remains poorly understood. We present new, repeat observations from West Antarctica that show active processes beneath a modern glacier which can normally only be postulated from the geological record. We interpret erosion at a rate of 1 m a−1 beneath a fast-flowing ice stream, followed by cessation of erosion and the formation of a drumlin from mobilized sediment. We also interpret both mobilization and increased compaction of basal sediment with associated hydrological changes within the glacier bed. All these changes occurred on time scales of a few years or less. This variability suggests that an ice stream can reorganize its bed rapidly, and that present models of ice dynamics may not simulate all the relevant subglacial processes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Smith, A.M. Murray, T. Nicholls, K.W. Makinson, K. Adalgeirsdottir, G. Behar, A. Vaughan, D.G. |
author_facet |
Smith, A.M. Murray, T. Nicholls, K.W. Makinson, K. Adalgeirsdottir, G. Behar, A. Vaughan, D.G. |
author_sort |
Smith, A.M. |
title |
Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
title_short |
Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
title_full |
Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
title_fullStr |
Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream |
title_sort |
rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an antarctic ice stream |
publisher |
Geological Society of America |
publishDate |
2007 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/1197/ |
geographic |
Antarctic West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic West Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica West Antarctica |
op_relation |
Smith, A.M. orcid:0000-0001-8577-482X Murray, T.; Nicholls, K.W. orcid:0000-0002-2188-4509 Makinson, K. orcid:0000-0002-5791-1767 Adalgeirsdottir, G.; Behar, A.; Vaughan, D.G. orcid:0000-0002-9065-0570 . 2007 Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream. Geology, 35 (2). 127-130. https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1 <https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1130/G23036A.1 |
container_title |
Geology |
container_volume |
35 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
127 |
_version_ |
1786206247148584960 |