The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

We use the Glimmer ice sheet model to simulate periodic surges over the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. In contrast to previous studies we use the depth of water at the base of the ice sheet as the switch for these surges. We find that the surges are supported within the model...

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Published in:Climate of the Past
Main Authors: W. H. G. Roberts, A. J. Payne, P. J. Valdes
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2016
Subjects:
geo
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016
http://www.clim-past.net/12/1601/2016/cp-12-1601-2016.pdf
https://doaj.org/article/f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587
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spelling fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587 2023-05-15T16:35:39+02:00 The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet W. H. G. Roberts A. J. Payne P. J. Valdes 2016-08-01 https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016 http://www.clim-past.net/12/1601/2016/cp-12-1601-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/article/f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587 en eng Copernicus Publications 1814-9324 1814-9332 doi:10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016 http://www.clim-past.net/12/1601/2016/cp-12-1601-2016.pdf https://doaj.org/article/f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587 undefined Climate of the Past, Vol 12, Iss 8, Pp 1601-1617 (2016) geo envir Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2016 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016 2023-01-22T18:52:04Z We use the Glimmer ice sheet model to simulate periodic surges over the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. In contrast to previous studies we use the depth of water at the base of the ice sheet as the switch for these surges. We find that the surges are supported within the model and are quite robust across a very wide range of parameter choices, in contrast to many previous studies where surges only occur for rather specific cases. The robustness of the surges is likely due to the use of water as the switch mechanism for sliding. The statistics of the binge–purge cycles resemble observed Heinrich events. The events have a period of between 10 and 15 thousand years and can produce fluxes of ice from the mouth of Hudson Strait of 0.05 Sv – a maximum flux of 0.06 Sv is possible. The events produce an ice volume of 2.50 × 106 km3, with a range of 4.30 × 106–1.90 × 106 km3 possible. We undertake a suite of sensitivity tests varying the sliding parameter, the water drainage scheme, the sliding versus water depth parameterisation and the resolution, all of which support the ice sheet surges. This suggests that internally triggered ice sheet surges were a robust feature of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and are a possible explanation for the observed Heinrich events. Article in Journal/Newspaper Hudson Strait Ice Sheet Unknown Hudson Hudson Strait ENVELOPE(-70.000,-70.000,62.000,62.000) Climate of the Past 12 8 1601 1617
institution Open Polar
collection Unknown
op_collection_id fttriple
language English
topic geo
envir
spellingShingle geo
envir
W. H. G. Roberts
A. J. Payne
P. J. Valdes
The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
topic_facet geo
envir
description We use the Glimmer ice sheet model to simulate periodic surges over the Laurentide Ice Sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum. In contrast to previous studies we use the depth of water at the base of the ice sheet as the switch for these surges. We find that the surges are supported within the model and are quite robust across a very wide range of parameter choices, in contrast to many previous studies where surges only occur for rather specific cases. The robustness of the surges is likely due to the use of water as the switch mechanism for sliding. The statistics of the binge–purge cycles resemble observed Heinrich events. The events have a period of between 10 and 15 thousand years and can produce fluxes of ice from the mouth of Hudson Strait of 0.05 Sv – a maximum flux of 0.06 Sv is possible. The events produce an ice volume of 2.50 × 106 km3, with a range of 4.30 × 106–1.90 × 106 km3 possible. We undertake a suite of sensitivity tests varying the sliding parameter, the water drainage scheme, the sliding versus water depth parameterisation and the resolution, all of which support the ice sheet surges. This suggests that internally triggered ice sheet surges were a robust feature of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and are a possible explanation for the observed Heinrich events.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author W. H. G. Roberts
A. J. Payne
P. J. Valdes
author_facet W. H. G. Roberts
A. J. Payne
P. J. Valdes
author_sort W. H. G. Roberts
title The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
title_short The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
title_full The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
title_fullStr The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
title_full_unstemmed The role of basal hydrology in the surging of the Laurentide Ice Sheet
title_sort role of basal hydrology in the surging of the laurentide ice sheet
publisher Copernicus Publications
publishDate 2016
url https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016
http://www.clim-past.net/12/1601/2016/cp-12-1601-2016.pdf
https://doaj.org/article/f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587
long_lat ENVELOPE(-70.000,-70.000,62.000,62.000)
geographic Hudson
Hudson Strait
geographic_facet Hudson
Hudson Strait
genre Hudson Strait
Ice Sheet
genre_facet Hudson Strait
Ice Sheet
op_source Climate of the Past, Vol 12, Iss 8, Pp 1601-1617 (2016)
op_relation 1814-9324
1814-9332
doi:10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016
http://www.clim-past.net/12/1601/2016/cp-12-1601-2016.pdf
https://doaj.org/article/f7b8a9c904444e63b4c9690c40db0587
op_rights undefined
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-12-1601-2016
container_title Climate of the Past
container_volume 12
container_issue 8
container_start_page 1601
op_container_end_page 1617
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