Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams
peer-reviewed Observations have long associated ice streams with the presence of meltwater at the bed. More recently, theoretical models have been able to reproduce ice stream behavior as a consequence of the coupled dynamics of ice and subglacial meltwater. In this paper we analyze the properties o...
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ftunivlimerick:oai:ulir.ul.ie:10344/5037 2023-05-15T14:03:30+02:00 Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams Kyrke-Smith, T.M. Katz, R.F Fowler, Andrew C. SFI Natural Environment Research Council 2016-04-26T14:33:46Z http://hdl.handle.net/10344/5037 eng eng American Geophysical Union Journal of Geophyical Research: Earth Surface;120, pp. 1501-1504 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003505 12/1A/1683 NE/I528485/1 http://hdl.handle.net/10344/5037 ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess West Antractica East Antarctica layer beneath water piracy sheet flow glacier system onset info:eu-repo/semantics/article all_ul_research ul_published_reviewed 2016 ftunivlimerick https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003505 2022-05-23T15:13:37Z peer-reviewed Observations have long associated ice streams with the presence of meltwater at the bed. More recently, theoretical models have been able to reproduce ice stream behavior as a consequence of the coupled dynamics of ice and subglacial meltwater. In this paper we analyze the properties of ice streams that form in a coupled model of ice flow and subglacial hydrology. We see that there is a natural length scale defining ice stream separation and width. This arises as a result of the balance between effective pressure gradients driving meltwater away from ice streams and the enhanced water production in the streams due to the fast ice flow. We further discuss how the model interacts with topography, and we show that small perturbations to a uniform bed have a strong effect on where ice streams emerge in the model. However, in many cases ice streams then evolve to be closer to the dimensions defined by the natural length scale of the unperturbed system. The nondimensional parameter that defines this length scale is therefore of fundamental importance in the model. PUBLISHED peer-reviewed Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica University of Limerick: Institutional Repository (ULIR) East Antarctica Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 120 8 1501 1514 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
University of Limerick: Institutional Repository (ULIR) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivlimerick |
language |
English |
topic |
West Antractica East Antarctica layer beneath water piracy sheet flow glacier system onset |
spellingShingle |
West Antractica East Antarctica layer beneath water piracy sheet flow glacier system onset Kyrke-Smith, T.M. Katz, R.F Fowler, Andrew C. Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
topic_facet |
West Antractica East Antarctica layer beneath water piracy sheet flow glacier system onset |
description |
peer-reviewed Observations have long associated ice streams with the presence of meltwater at the bed. More recently, theoretical models have been able to reproduce ice stream behavior as a consequence of the coupled dynamics of ice and subglacial meltwater. In this paper we analyze the properties of ice streams that form in a coupled model of ice flow and subglacial hydrology. We see that there is a natural length scale defining ice stream separation and width. This arises as a result of the balance between effective pressure gradients driving meltwater away from ice streams and the enhanced water production in the streams due to the fast ice flow. We further discuss how the model interacts with topography, and we show that small perturbations to a uniform bed have a strong effect on where ice streams emerge in the model. However, in many cases ice streams then evolve to be closer to the dimensions defined by the natural length scale of the unperturbed system. The nondimensional parameter that defines this length scale is therefore of fundamental importance in the model. PUBLISHED peer-reviewed |
author2 |
SFI Natural Environment Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kyrke-Smith, T.M. Katz, R.F Fowler, Andrew C. |
author_facet |
Kyrke-Smith, T.M. Katz, R.F Fowler, Andrew C. |
author_sort |
Kyrke-Smith, T.M. |
title |
Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
title_short |
Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
title_full |
Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
title_fullStr |
Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
title_full_unstemmed |
Subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
title_sort |
subglacial hydrology as a control on emergence, scale, and spacing of ice streams |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/10344/5037 |
geographic |
East Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
East Antarctica |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica East Antarctica |
op_relation |
Journal of Geophyical Research: Earth Surface;120, pp. 1501-1504 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003505 12/1A/1683 NE/I528485/1 http://hdl.handle.net/10344/5037 |
op_rights |
©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003505 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface |
container_volume |
120 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1501 |
op_container_end_page |
1514 |
_version_ |
1766274182144851968 |