Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves
Expanding multibeam bathymetric data coverage over the last two decades has revealed extensive networks of submarine channels incised into bedrock on the Antarctic inner continental shelf. The large dimensions and prevalence of the channels implies the presence of an active subglacial hydrological s...
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:527820 2023-05-15T13:23:51+02:00 Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves Kirkham, James D. Hogan, Kelly A. Larter, Robert D. Arnold, Neil S. Nitsche, Frank O. Kuhn, Gerhard Gohl, Karsten Anderson, John B. Dowdeswell, Julian A. 2020-12-01 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/1/1-s2.0-S0169555X20303421-main.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X20303421 en eng Elsevier https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/1/1-s2.0-S0169555X20303421-main.pdf Kirkham, James D. orcid:0000-0002-0506-1625 Hogan, Kelly A. orcid:0000-0002-1256-8010 Larter, Robert D. orcid:0000-0002-8414-7389 Arnold, Neil S.; Nitsche, Frank O.; Kuhn, Gerhard; Gohl, Karsten; Anderson, John B.; Dowdeswell, Julian A. 2020 Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves. Geomorphology, 370, 107369. 22, pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369> cc_by_nc_nd_4 CC-BY-NC-ND Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2020 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369 2023-02-04T19:50:43Z Expanding multibeam bathymetric data coverage over the last two decades has revealed extensive networks of submarine channels incised into bedrock on the Antarctic inner continental shelf. The large dimensions and prevalence of the channels implies the presence of an active subglacial hydrological system beneath the past Antarctic Ice Sheet which we can use to learn more about inaccessible subglacial processes. Here, we map and analyse over 2700 bedrock channels situated across >100,000 km2 of continental shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Amundsen Sea to produce the first inventory of submarine channels on the Antarctic inner continental shelf. Morphometric analysis reveals highly similar distributions of channel widths, depths, cross-sectional areas and geometric properties, with subtle differences between channels in the western Antarctic Peninsula compared to those in the Amundsen Sea. At 75–3400 m wide, 3–280 m deep, 160–290,000 m2 in cross-sectional area, and typically 8 times as wide as they are deep, the channels have similar morphologies to tunnel valleys and meltwater channel systems observed from other formerly glaciated landscapes despite differences in substrate geology and glaciological regime. We propose that the Antarctic bedrock channels formed over multiple glacial cycles through the episodic drainage of at least 59 former subglacial lakes identified on the inner continental shelf. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Amundsen Sea Geomorphology 370 107369 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
Expanding multibeam bathymetric data coverage over the last two decades has revealed extensive networks of submarine channels incised into bedrock on the Antarctic inner continental shelf. The large dimensions and prevalence of the channels implies the presence of an active subglacial hydrological system beneath the past Antarctic Ice Sheet which we can use to learn more about inaccessible subglacial processes. Here, we map and analyse over 2700 bedrock channels situated across >100,000 km2 of continental shelf in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Amundsen Sea to produce the first inventory of submarine channels on the Antarctic inner continental shelf. Morphometric analysis reveals highly similar distributions of channel widths, depths, cross-sectional areas and geometric properties, with subtle differences between channels in the western Antarctic Peninsula compared to those in the Amundsen Sea. At 75–3400 m wide, 3–280 m deep, 160–290,000 m2 in cross-sectional area, and typically 8 times as wide as they are deep, the channels have similar morphologies to tunnel valleys and meltwater channel systems observed from other formerly glaciated landscapes despite differences in substrate geology and glaciological regime. We propose that the Antarctic bedrock channels formed over multiple glacial cycles through the episodic drainage of at least 59 former subglacial lakes identified on the inner continental shelf. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kirkham, James D. Hogan, Kelly A. Larter, Robert D. Arnold, Neil S. Nitsche, Frank O. Kuhn, Gerhard Gohl, Karsten Anderson, John B. Dowdeswell, Julian A. |
spellingShingle |
Kirkham, James D. Hogan, Kelly A. Larter, Robert D. Arnold, Neil S. Nitsche, Frank O. Kuhn, Gerhard Gohl, Karsten Anderson, John B. Dowdeswell, Julian A. Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
author_facet |
Kirkham, James D. Hogan, Kelly A. Larter, Robert D. Arnold, Neil S. Nitsche, Frank O. Kuhn, Gerhard Gohl, Karsten Anderson, John B. Dowdeswell, Julian A. |
author_sort |
Kirkham, James D. |
title |
Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
title_short |
Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
title_full |
Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
title_fullStr |
Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
title_full_unstemmed |
Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves |
title_sort |
morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on antarctic inner continental shelves |
publisher |
Elsevier |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/1/1-s2.0-S0169555X20303421-main.pdf https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169555X20303421 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Amundsen Sea |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Amundsen Sea |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/527820/1/1-s2.0-S0169555X20303421-main.pdf Kirkham, James D. orcid:0000-0002-0506-1625 Hogan, Kelly A. orcid:0000-0002-1256-8010 Larter, Robert D. orcid:0000-0002-8414-7389 Arnold, Neil S.; Nitsche, Frank O.; Kuhn, Gerhard; Gohl, Karsten; Anderson, John B.; Dowdeswell, Julian A. 2020 Morphometry of bedrock meltwater channels on Antarctic inner continental shelves. Geomorphology, 370, 107369. 22, pp. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369> |
op_rights |
cc_by_nc_nd_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY-NC-ND |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2020.107369 |
container_title |
Geomorphology |
container_volume |
370 |
container_start_page |
107369 |
_version_ |
1766375908451549184 |