Tidal Grounding-Line Migration Modulated by Subglacial Hydrology

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>We present a mathematical model of the hydrology of grounding‐line migration on tidal timescales, in which the ice acts elastically, overlying a connected hydrological network, with the ocean tides modeled by an oscillating far‐field fluid h...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Warburton, KLP, Hewitt, DR, Neufeld, JA
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/309663
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.56758
Description
Summary:<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>We present a mathematical model of the hydrology of grounding‐line migration on tidal timescales, in which the ice acts elastically, overlying a connected hydrological network, with the ocean tides modeled by an oscillating far‐field fluid height. The upstream grounding‐line migration is driven by a fluid pressure gradient through the grounding zone, while the downstream migration is limited by fluid drainage through the till. The two processes are described using separate travelling‐wave solutions, based on a model of fluid flow under an elastic sheet. The asymmetry between the upstream and downstream motion allows the grounding line to act as a nonlinear filter on the tidal forcing as the pressure signal propagates upstream, and this frequency modulation is discussed in the context of velocity data from ice streams across Antarctica to provide a novel constraint on till permeability.</jats:p>