Scale of subglacial to sub-ice shelf facies variability, Eastern Basin, Ross Sea

• Main Authors: Loth, Audrey S., Bartek, L. R., III, Luyendyk, B. P., Wilson, D. S., Sorlien, Christopher C.
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln 2007
• Subjects: Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment; Antarctic; Ross Sea; West Antarctic Ice Sheet; Antarc*; Ice Sheet; Ice Shelf
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/andrillaffiliates/13; https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/context/andrillaffiliates/article/1012/viewcontent/Luyendyk_AAKCW_2007_Scale_of_subglacial.pdf

The Eastern Basin within the Ross Sea records changes in the volume of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). Examination of multibeam data revealed four acoustic facies that vary from west to east in a 900 km2 area. It is hypothesized that these facies, that formed nearly contemporaneously, are the result of differences in proximity to the grounding line and its relationship with the seafloor. The four facies are 1. Mega-Scale Lineation, 2. Slightly-Lineated Ridge Crest, 3. Discontinuous Ridges, 4. Irregular Mounds. These trends were also seen in SCS data, distinctively on the seafloor and mutedly at depth. Through determining the extent of fluctuation in these facies and their distribution in the Ross Sea it will be possible to apply this scale to the core record to determine if facies were generated via global processes or were local in origin.