A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period
Ice streams regulate most ice mass loss in Antarctica. Determining ice stream response to warmer conditions during the Pliocene could provide insights into their future behaviour, but this is hindered by a poor representation of subglacial topography in ice-sheet models. We address this limitation u...
Published in: | Communications Earth & Environment |
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Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85170653146&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e 2024-06-23T07:47:21+00:00 A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period Mas e Braga, Martim Jones, Richard S. Bernales, Jorge Andersen, Jane Lund Fredin, Ola Morlighem, Mathieu Koester, Alexandria J. Lifton, Nathaniel A. Harbor, Jonathan M. Suganuma, Yusuke Glasser, Neil F. Rogozhina, Irina Stroeven, Arjen P. 2023-12 https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85170653146&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Mas e Braga , M , Jones , R S , Bernales , J , Andersen , J L , Fredin , O , Morlighem , M , Koester , A J , Lifton , N A , Harbor , J M , Suganuma , Y , Glasser , N F , Rogozhina , I & Stroeven , A P 2023 , ' A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period ' , Communications Earth & Environment , vol. 4 , no. 1 , 321 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 article 2023 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 2024-06-11T14:22:51Z Ice streams regulate most ice mass loss in Antarctica. Determining ice stream response to warmer conditions during the Pliocene could provide insights into their future behaviour, but this is hindered by a poor representation of subglacial topography in ice-sheet models. We address this limitation using a high-resolution model for Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica). We show that contrary to dynamic thinning of the region’s ice streams following ice-shelf collapse, the largest ice stream, Jutulstraumen, thickens by 700 m despite lying on a retrograde bed slope. We attribute this counterintuitive thickening to a shallower Pliocene subglacial topography and inherent high lateral stresses at its flux gate. These conditions constrict ice drainage and, combined with increased snowfall, allow ice accumulation upstream. Similar stress balances and increased precipitation projections occur across 27% of present-day East Antarctica, and understanding how lateral stresses regulate ice-stream discharge is necessary for accurately assessing Antarctica’s future sea-level rise contribution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Aarhus University: Research Antarctic Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Jutulstraumen ENVELOPE(-1.000,-1.000,-72.000,-72.000) Communications Earth & Environment 4 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
description |
Ice streams regulate most ice mass loss in Antarctica. Determining ice stream response to warmer conditions during the Pliocene could provide insights into their future behaviour, but this is hindered by a poor representation of subglacial topography in ice-sheet models. We address this limitation using a high-resolution model for Dronning Maud Land (East Antarctica). We show that contrary to dynamic thinning of the region’s ice streams following ice-shelf collapse, the largest ice stream, Jutulstraumen, thickens by 700 m despite lying on a retrograde bed slope. We attribute this counterintuitive thickening to a shallower Pliocene subglacial topography and inherent high lateral stresses at its flux gate. These conditions constrict ice drainage and, combined with increased snowfall, allow ice accumulation upstream. Similar stress balances and increased precipitation projections occur across 27% of present-day East Antarctica, and understanding how lateral stresses regulate ice-stream discharge is necessary for accurately assessing Antarctica’s future sea-level rise contribution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mas e Braga, Martim Jones, Richard S. Bernales, Jorge Andersen, Jane Lund Fredin, Ola Morlighem, Mathieu Koester, Alexandria J. Lifton, Nathaniel A. Harbor, Jonathan M. Suganuma, Yusuke Glasser, Neil F. Rogozhina, Irina Stroeven, Arjen P. |
spellingShingle |
Mas e Braga, Martim Jones, Richard S. Bernales, Jorge Andersen, Jane Lund Fredin, Ola Morlighem, Mathieu Koester, Alexandria J. Lifton, Nathaniel A. Harbor, Jonathan M. Suganuma, Yusuke Glasser, Neil F. Rogozhina, Irina Stroeven, Arjen P. A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
author_facet |
Mas e Braga, Martim Jones, Richard S. Bernales, Jorge Andersen, Jane Lund Fredin, Ola Morlighem, Mathieu Koester, Alexandria J. Lifton, Nathaniel A. Harbor, Jonathan M. Suganuma, Yusuke Glasser, Neil F. Rogozhina, Irina Stroeven, Arjen P. |
author_sort |
Mas e Braga, Martim |
title |
A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
title_short |
A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
title_full |
A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
title_fullStr |
A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
title_full_unstemmed |
A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period |
title_sort |
thicker antarctic ice stream during the mid-pliocene warm period |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85170653146&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-1.000,-1.000,-72.000,-72.000) |
geographic |
Antarctic Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Jutulstraumen |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Jutulstraumen |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Dronning Maud Land East Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelf |
op_source |
Mas e Braga , M , Jones , R S , Bernales , J , Andersen , J L , Fredin , O , Morlighem , M , Koester , A J , Lifton , N A , Harbor , J M , Suganuma , Y , Glasser , N F , Rogozhina , I & Stroeven , A P 2023 , ' A thicker Antarctic ice stream during the mid-Pliocene warm period ' , Communications Earth & Environment , vol. 4 , no. 1 , 321 . https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 |
op_relation |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/en/publications/8fbbc040-26e8-4fff-84f8-592c98d84a9e |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-00983-3 |
container_title |
Communications Earth & Environment |
container_volume |
4 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1802651436806307840 |