Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics
Despite the importance of ice streaming to the evaluation of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) stability we know little about mid- to long-term dynamic changes within the Institute Ice Stream (IIS) catchment. Here, we use airborne radio-echo sounding to investigate the subglacial topography, internal...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
2015
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003518 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/1/Winter_et_al-2015-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Earth_Surface.pdf |
id |
ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:23564 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivnorthumb:oai:nrl.northumbria.ac.uk:23564 2023-05-15T13:24:10+02:00 Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics Winter, Kate Woodward, John Ross, Neil Dunning, Stuart Bingham, Robert G. Corr, Hugh Siegert, Martin 2015-09-03 text https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003518 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/1/Winter_et_al-2015-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Earth_Surface.pdf en eng Wiley-Blackwell https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/1/Winter_et_al-2015-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Earth_Surface.pdf Winter, Kate, Woodward, John, Ross, Neil, Dunning, Stuart, Bingham, Robert G., Corr, Hugh and Siegert, Martin (2015) Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 120 (9). pp. 1611-1625. ISSN 2169-9003 cc_by_4_0 CC-BY F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Article PeerReviewed 2015 ftunivnorthumb https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003518 2022-09-25T06:02:21Z Despite the importance of ice streaming to the evaluation of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) stability we know little about mid- to long-term dynamic changes within the Institute Ice Stream (IIS) catchment. Here, we use airborne radio-echo sounding to investigate the subglacial topography, internal stratigraphy and Holocene flow regime of the upper IIS catchment near the Ellsworth Mountains. Internal layer buckling within three discrete, topographically-confined tributaries, through Ellsworth, Independence and Horseshoe Valley troughs provides evidence for former enhanced ice-sheet flow. We suggest that enhanced ice flow through Independence and Ellsworth troughs, during the mid- to late-Holocene was the source of ice streaming over the region now occupied by the slow-flowing Bungenstock Ice Rise. Although buckled layers also exist within the slow-flowing ice of Horseshoe Valley Trough, a thicker sequence of surface-conformable layers in the upper ice column suggests slowdown more than ~4000 years ago, so we do not attribute enhanced flow switch-off here, to the late-Holocene ice flow reorganization. Intensely buckled englacial layers within Horseshoe Valley and Independence troughs cannot be accounted for under present day flow speeds. The dynamic nature of ice flow in IIS and its tributaries suggests that recent ice-stream switching and mass changes in the Siple Coast and Amundsen Sea Sectors are not unique to these sectors and that they may have been regular during the Holocene and may characterize the decline of the WAIS. Article in Journal/Newspaper Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Institute Ice Stream West Antarctica Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) Amundsen Sea Antarctic Ellsworth Mountains ENVELOPE(-85.000,-85.000,-78.750,-78.750) Horseshoe Valley ENVELOPE(-82.000,-82.000,-80.083,-80.083) Institute Ice Stream ENVELOPE(-75.000,-75.000,-82.000,-82.000) Siple ENVELOPE(-83.917,-83.917,-75.917,-75.917) Siple Coast ENVELOPE(-155.000,-155.000,-82.000,-82.000) West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 120 9 1611 1625 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Northumbria University, Newcastle: Northumbria Research Link (NRL) |
op_collection_id |
ftunivnorthumb |
language |
English |
topic |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
spellingShingle |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences Winter, Kate Woodward, John Ross, Neil Dunning, Stuart Bingham, Robert G. Corr, Hugh Siegert, Martin Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
topic_facet |
F800 Physical and Terrestrial Geographical and Environmental Sciences |
description |
Despite the importance of ice streaming to the evaluation of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) stability we know little about mid- to long-term dynamic changes within the Institute Ice Stream (IIS) catchment. Here, we use airborne radio-echo sounding to investigate the subglacial topography, internal stratigraphy and Holocene flow regime of the upper IIS catchment near the Ellsworth Mountains. Internal layer buckling within three discrete, topographically-confined tributaries, through Ellsworth, Independence and Horseshoe Valley troughs provides evidence for former enhanced ice-sheet flow. We suggest that enhanced ice flow through Independence and Ellsworth troughs, during the mid- to late-Holocene was the source of ice streaming over the region now occupied by the slow-flowing Bungenstock Ice Rise. Although buckled layers also exist within the slow-flowing ice of Horseshoe Valley Trough, a thicker sequence of surface-conformable layers in the upper ice column suggests slowdown more than ~4000 years ago, so we do not attribute enhanced flow switch-off here, to the late-Holocene ice flow reorganization. Intensely buckled englacial layers within Horseshoe Valley and Independence troughs cannot be accounted for under present day flow speeds. The dynamic nature of ice flow in IIS and its tributaries suggests that recent ice-stream switching and mass changes in the Siple Coast and Amundsen Sea Sectors are not unique to these sectors and that they may have been regular during the Holocene and may characterize the decline of the WAIS. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Winter, Kate Woodward, John Ross, Neil Dunning, Stuart Bingham, Robert G. Corr, Hugh Siegert, Martin |
author_facet |
Winter, Kate Woodward, John Ross, Neil Dunning, Stuart Bingham, Robert G. Corr, Hugh Siegert, Martin |
author_sort |
Winter, Kate |
title |
Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
title_short |
Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
title_full |
Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
title_fullStr |
Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
title_full_unstemmed |
Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
title_sort |
airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in institute ice stream, west antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics |
publisher |
Wiley-Blackwell |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/ https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003518 https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/1/Winter_et_al-2015-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Earth_Surface.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-85.000,-85.000,-78.750,-78.750) ENVELOPE(-82.000,-82.000,-80.083,-80.083) ENVELOPE(-75.000,-75.000,-82.000,-82.000) ENVELOPE(-83.917,-83.917,-75.917,-75.917) ENVELOPE(-155.000,-155.000,-82.000,-82.000) |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic Ellsworth Mountains Horseshoe Valley Institute Ice Stream Siple Siple Coast West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic Ellsworth Mountains Horseshoe Valley Institute Ice Stream Siple Siple Coast West Antarctic Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Institute Ice Stream West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Institute Ice Stream West Antarctica |
op_relation |
https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/23564/1/Winter_et_al-2015-Journal_of_Geophysical_Research-_Earth_Surface.pdf Winter, Kate, Woodward, John, Ross, Neil, Dunning, Stuart, Bingham, Robert G., Corr, Hugh and Siegert, Martin (2015) Airborne radar evidence for tributary flow switching in Institute Ice Stream, West Antarctica: implications for ice sheet configuration and dynamics. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 120 (9). pp. 1611-1625. ISSN 2169-9003 |
op_rights |
cc_by_4_0 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003518 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface |
container_volume |
120 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
1611 |
op_container_end_page |
1625 |
_version_ |
1766377787321483264 |