Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica
Antarctic ice-discharge constitutes the largest uncertainty in future sea-level projections. Floating ice shelves, fringing most of Antarctica, exert retentive forces onto the ice flow. While abrupt ice-shelf retreat has been observed, it is generally considered a localized phenomenon. Here we show...
Published in: | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
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ftubpotsdam:oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-potsdam:37918 2024-04-21T07:46:18+00:00 Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica Albrecht, Torsten Levermann, Anders (Prof. Dr.) 2014 https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/37918 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 eng eng https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/37918 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Institut für Physik und Astronomie article doc-type:article 2014 ftubpotsdam https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 2024-03-27T15:02:48Z Antarctic ice-discharge constitutes the largest uncertainty in future sea-level projections. Floating ice shelves, fringing most of Antarctica, exert retentive forces onto the ice flow. While abrupt ice-shelf retreat has been observed, it is generally considered a localized phenomenon. Here we show that the disintegration of an ice shelf may induce the spontaneous retreat of its neighbor. As an example, we reproduce the spontaneous but gradual retreat of the Larsen B ice front as observed after the disintegration of the adjacent Larsen A ice shelf. We show that the Larsen A collapse yields a change in spreading rate in Larsen B via their connecting ice channels and thereby causes a retreat of the ice front to its observed position of the year 2000, prior to its collapse. This mechanism might be particularly relevant for the role of East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula in future sea level. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves University of Potsdam: publish.UP Earth and Planetary Science Letters 393 26 30 |
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Open Polar |
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University of Potsdam: publish.UP |
op_collection_id |
ftubpotsdam |
language |
English |
topic |
Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
spellingShingle |
Institut für Physik und Astronomie Albrecht, Torsten Levermann, Anders (Prof. Dr.) Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
topic_facet |
Institut für Physik und Astronomie |
description |
Antarctic ice-discharge constitutes the largest uncertainty in future sea-level projections. Floating ice shelves, fringing most of Antarctica, exert retentive forces onto the ice flow. While abrupt ice-shelf retreat has been observed, it is generally considered a localized phenomenon. Here we show that the disintegration of an ice shelf may induce the spontaneous retreat of its neighbor. As an example, we reproduce the spontaneous but gradual retreat of the Larsen B ice front as observed after the disintegration of the adjacent Larsen A ice shelf. We show that the Larsen A collapse yields a change in spreading rate in Larsen B via their connecting ice channels and thereby causes a retreat of the ice front to its observed position of the year 2000, prior to its collapse. This mechanism might be particularly relevant for the role of East Antarctica and the Antarctic Peninsula in future sea level. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Albrecht, Torsten Levermann, Anders (Prof. Dr.) |
author_facet |
Albrecht, Torsten Levermann, Anders (Prof. Dr.) |
author_sort |
Albrecht, Torsten |
title |
Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
title_short |
Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
title_full |
Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
title_fullStr |
Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
title_full_unstemmed |
Spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in Antarctica |
title_sort |
spontaneous ice-front retreat caused by disintegration of adjacent ice shelf in antarctica |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/37918 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Antarctica East Antarctica Ice Shelf Ice Shelves |
op_relation |
https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/37918 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2014.02.034 |
container_title |
Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
container_volume |
393 |
container_start_page |
26 |
op_container_end_page |
30 |
_version_ |
1796943109439881216 |