Englacial Architecture and Age-Depth Constraints Across the West Antarctic Ice Sheet
The englacial stratigraphic architecture of internal reflection horizons (IRHs) as imaged by ice-penetrating radar (IPR) across ice sheets reflects the cumulative effects of surface mass balance, basal melt, and ice flow. IRHs, considered isochrones, have typically been traced in interior, slow-flow...
| Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3077420/ https://doi.org/10.1029/2019gl086663 http://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3077420/1/2020_ashmore_GRL.pdf |
| Summary: | The englacial stratigraphic architecture of internal reflection horizons (IRHs) as imaged by ice-penetrating radar (IPR) across ice sheets reflects the cumulative effects of surface mass balance, basal melt, and ice flow. IRHs, considered isochrones, have typically been traced in interior, slow-flowing regions. Here, we identify three distinctive IRHs spanning the Institute and Möller catchments that cover 50% of West Antarctica's Weddell Sea Sector and are characterized by a complex system of ice stream tributaries. We place age constraints on IRHs through their intersections with previous geophysical surveys tied to Byrd Ice Core and by age-depth modeling. We further show where the oldest ice likely exists within the region and that Holocene ice-dynamic changes were limited to the catchment's lower reaches. The traced IRHs from this study have clear potential to nucleate a wider continental-scale IRH database for validating ice sheet models. |
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