Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica
Antarctica has an active subglacial hydrological system, with interconnected subglacial lakes fed by subglacial meltwater. Subglacial hydrology can influence basal sliding, inject freshwater into the sub-ice-shelf cavity, and impact sediment transport and deposition which can affect the stability of...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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American Geophysical Union
2024
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/1/JGR%20Earth%20Surface%20-%202024%20-%20Freer%20-%20Coincident%20Lake%20Drainage%20and%20Grounding%20Line%20Retreat%20at%20Engelhardt%20Subglacial%20Lake%20%20West.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JF007724 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:538034 2024-09-30T14:26:55+00:00 Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica Freer, B.I.D. Marsh, O.J. Fricker, H.A. Hogg, A.E. Siegfried, M.R. Floricioiu, D. Sauthoff, W. Rigby, R. Wilson, S.F. 2024-09-14 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/1/JGR%20Earth%20Surface%20-%202024%20-%20Freer%20-%20Coincident%20Lake%20Drainage%20and%20Grounding%20Line%20Retreat%20at%20Engelhardt%20Subglacial%20Lake%20%20West.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JF007724 en eng American Geophysical Union https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/1/JGR%20Earth%20Surface%20-%202024%20-%20Freer%20-%20Coincident%20Lake%20Drainage%20and%20Grounding%20Line%20Retreat%20at%20Engelhardt%20Subglacial%20Lake%20%20West.pdf Freer, B.I.D. orcid:0000-0002-8646-7773 Marsh, O.J. orcid:0000-0001-7874-514X Fricker, H.A.; Hogg, A.E.; Siegfried, M.R.; Floricioiu, D.; Sauthoff, W.; Rigby, R.; Wilson, S.F. 2024 Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica. JGR Earth Surface, 129 (9), e2024JF007724. 21, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724> cc_by_4 Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2024 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724 2024-09-18T00:05:58Z Antarctica has an active subglacial hydrological system, with interconnected subglacial lakes fed by subglacial meltwater. Subglacial hydrology can influence basal sliding, inject freshwater into the sub-ice-shelf cavity, and impact sediment transport and deposition which can affect the stability of grounding lines (GLs). We used satellite altimetry data from the ICESat, ICESat-2, and CryoSat-2 missions to document the second recorded drainage of Engelhardt Subglacial Lake (SLE), which began in July 2021 and discharged more than 2.3 km3 of subglacial water into the Ross Ice Shelf cavity. We used differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry from RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X alongside ICESat-2 repeat-track laser altimetry (RTLA) and REMA digital elevation model strips to detect 2–13 km of GL retreat since the previous drainage event in 2003–06. Combining these satellite observations, we evaluated the mechanism triggering SLE drainage, the cause of the observed GL retreat, and the interplay between subglacial hydrology and GL dynamics. We find that: (a) SLE drainage was initiated by influx from a newly identified upstream lake; (b) the observed GL retreat is mainly driven by the continued retreat of Engelhardt Ice Ridge and long-term dynamic thinning that caused a grounded ice plain to reach flotation; and (c) SLE drainage and GL retreat were largely independent. We also discuss the possible origins and influence of a 27 km grounded promontory found to protrude seaward from the GL. Our observations demonstrate the importance of high-resolution satellite data for improving the process-based understanding of dynamic and complex regions around the Antarctic Ice Sheet margins. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Engelhardt Ice Ridge ENVELOPE(-146.000,-146.000,-83.333,-83.333) Ross Ice Shelf The Antarctic West Antarctica Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 129 9 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
Antarctica has an active subglacial hydrological system, with interconnected subglacial lakes fed by subglacial meltwater. Subglacial hydrology can influence basal sliding, inject freshwater into the sub-ice-shelf cavity, and impact sediment transport and deposition which can affect the stability of grounding lines (GLs). We used satellite altimetry data from the ICESat, ICESat-2, and CryoSat-2 missions to document the second recorded drainage of Engelhardt Subglacial Lake (SLE), which began in July 2021 and discharged more than 2.3 km3 of subglacial water into the Ross Ice Shelf cavity. We used differential synthetic aperture radar interferometry from RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X alongside ICESat-2 repeat-track laser altimetry (RTLA) and REMA digital elevation model strips to detect 2–13 km of GL retreat since the previous drainage event in 2003–06. Combining these satellite observations, we evaluated the mechanism triggering SLE drainage, the cause of the observed GL retreat, and the interplay between subglacial hydrology and GL dynamics. We find that: (a) SLE drainage was initiated by influx from a newly identified upstream lake; (b) the observed GL retreat is mainly driven by the continued retreat of Engelhardt Ice Ridge and long-term dynamic thinning that caused a grounded ice plain to reach flotation; and (c) SLE drainage and GL retreat were largely independent. We also discuss the possible origins and influence of a 27 km grounded promontory found to protrude seaward from the GL. Our observations demonstrate the importance of high-resolution satellite data for improving the process-based understanding of dynamic and complex regions around the Antarctic Ice Sheet margins. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Freer, B.I.D. Marsh, O.J. Fricker, H.A. Hogg, A.E. Siegfried, M.R. Floricioiu, D. Sauthoff, W. Rigby, R. Wilson, S.F. |
spellingShingle |
Freer, B.I.D. Marsh, O.J. Fricker, H.A. Hogg, A.E. Siegfried, M.R. Floricioiu, D. Sauthoff, W. Rigby, R. Wilson, S.F. Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
author_facet |
Freer, B.I.D. Marsh, O.J. Fricker, H.A. Hogg, A.E. Siegfried, M.R. Floricioiu, D. Sauthoff, W. Rigby, R. Wilson, S.F. |
author_sort |
Freer, B.I.D. |
title |
Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
title_short |
Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
title_full |
Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica |
title_sort |
coincident lake drainage and grounding line retreat at engelhardt subglacial lake, west antarctica |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/1/JGR%20Earth%20Surface%20-%202024%20-%20Freer%20-%20Coincident%20Lake%20Drainage%20and%20Grounding%20Line%20Retreat%20at%20Engelhardt%20Subglacial%20Lake%20%20West.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2024JF007724 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-146.000,-146.000,-83.333,-83.333) |
geographic |
Antarctic Engelhardt Ice Ridge Ross Ice Shelf The Antarctic West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Engelhardt Ice Ridge Ross Ice Shelf The Antarctic West Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ross Ice Shelf West Antarctica |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/538034/1/JGR%20Earth%20Surface%20-%202024%20-%20Freer%20-%20Coincident%20Lake%20Drainage%20and%20Grounding%20Line%20Retreat%20at%20Engelhardt%20Subglacial%20Lake%20%20West.pdf Freer, B.I.D. orcid:0000-0002-8646-7773 Marsh, O.J. orcid:0000-0001-7874-514X Fricker, H.A.; Hogg, A.E.; Siegfried, M.R.; Floricioiu, D.; Sauthoff, W.; Rigby, R.; Wilson, S.F. 2024 Coincident Lake Drainage and Grounding Line Retreat at Engelhardt Subglacial Lake, West Antarctica. JGR Earth Surface, 129 (9), e2024JF007724. 21, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724> |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007724 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface |
container_volume |
129 |
container_issue |
9 |
_version_ |
1811633049353322496 |