Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole
Melting at the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet influences ice dynamics and our ability to recover ancient climatic records from deep ice cores. Basal melt rates are affected by geothermal flux, one of the least constrained properties of the Antarctic continent. Estimates of Antarctic geothermal flux...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:517892 2023-05-15T13:49:34+02:00 Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole Jordan, T.A. Martin, C. Ferraccioli, F. Matsuoka, K. Corr, H. Forsberg, R. Olesen, A. Siegert, M. 2018-11-15 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/1/10.1038_s41598-018-35182-0.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35182-0 en eng https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/1/10.1038_s41598-018-35182-0.pdf Jordan, T.A. orcid:0000-0003-2780-1986 Martin, C. orcid:0000-0002-2661-169X Ferraccioli, F. orcid:0000-0002-9347-4736 Matsuoka, K.; Corr, H.; Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A.; Siegert, M. 2018 Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole. Scientific Reports, 8 (16785). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0> cc_by_4 CC-BY Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2018 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0 2023-02-04T19:45:24Z Melting at the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet influences ice dynamics and our ability to recover ancient climatic records from deep ice cores. Basal melt rates are affected by geothermal flux, one of the least constrained properties of the Antarctic continent. Estimates of Antarctic geothermal flux are typically regional in nature, derived from geological, magnetic or seismic data, or from sparse point measurements at ice core sites. We analyse ice-penetrating radar data upstream of South Pole revealing a ~100 km long and 50 km wide area where internal ice sheet layers converge with the bed. Ice sheet modelling shows that this englacial layer configuration requires basal melting of up to 6 ± 1 mm a−1 and a geothermal flux of 120 ± 20 mW m−2, more than double the values expected for this cratonic sector of East Antarctica. We suggest high heat producing Precambrian basement rocks and hydrothermal circulation along a major fault system cause this anomaly. We conclude that local geothermal flux anomalies could be more widespread in East Antarctica. Assessing their influence on subglacial hydrology and ice sheet dynamics requires new detailed geophysical observations, especially in candidate areas for deep ice core drilling and at the onset of major ice streams. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet South pole South pole Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica South Pole Scientific Reports 8 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
Melting at the base of the Antarctic Ice Sheet influences ice dynamics and our ability to recover ancient climatic records from deep ice cores. Basal melt rates are affected by geothermal flux, one of the least constrained properties of the Antarctic continent. Estimates of Antarctic geothermal flux are typically regional in nature, derived from geological, magnetic or seismic data, or from sparse point measurements at ice core sites. We analyse ice-penetrating radar data upstream of South Pole revealing a ~100 km long and 50 km wide area where internal ice sheet layers converge with the bed. Ice sheet modelling shows that this englacial layer configuration requires basal melting of up to 6 ± 1 mm a−1 and a geothermal flux of 120 ± 20 mW m−2, more than double the values expected for this cratonic sector of East Antarctica. We suggest high heat producing Precambrian basement rocks and hydrothermal circulation along a major fault system cause this anomaly. We conclude that local geothermal flux anomalies could be more widespread in East Antarctica. Assessing their influence on subglacial hydrology and ice sheet dynamics requires new detailed geophysical observations, especially in candidate areas for deep ice core drilling and at the onset of major ice streams. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jordan, T.A. Martin, C. Ferraccioli, F. Matsuoka, K. Corr, H. Forsberg, R. Olesen, A. Siegert, M. |
spellingShingle |
Jordan, T.A. Martin, C. Ferraccioli, F. Matsuoka, K. Corr, H. Forsberg, R. Olesen, A. Siegert, M. Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
author_facet |
Jordan, T.A. Martin, C. Ferraccioli, F. Matsuoka, K. Corr, H. Forsberg, R. Olesen, A. Siegert, M. |
author_sort |
Jordan, T.A. |
title |
Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
title_short |
Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
title_full |
Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
title_fullStr |
Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
title_full_unstemmed |
Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole |
title_sort |
anomalously high geothermal flux near the south pole |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/1/10.1038_s41598-018-35182-0.pdf https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-35182-0 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica South Pole |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic East Antarctica South Pole |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet South pole South pole |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica ice core Ice Sheet South pole South pole |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/517892/1/10.1038_s41598-018-35182-0.pdf Jordan, T.A. orcid:0000-0003-2780-1986 Martin, C. orcid:0000-0002-2661-169X Ferraccioli, F. orcid:0000-0002-9347-4736 Matsuoka, K.; Corr, H.; Forsberg, R.; Olesen, A.; Siegert, M. 2018 Anomalously high geothermal flux near the South Pole. Scientific Reports, 8 (16785). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0> |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35182-0 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
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8 |
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1 |
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1766251694381858816 |