Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet
Current understanding of ice dynamics predicts that increasing availability and variability of meltwater will have an impact on basal motion and therefore on the evolution and future behavior of the Greenland ice sheet. We present measurements of ice deformation, subglacial water pressure, and surfa...
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Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
2014
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ftunivzuerich:oai:www.zora.uzh.ch:101723 2024-10-13T14:07:39+00:00 Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet Ryser, Claudia Lüthi, Martin P Andrews, Lauren C Catania, Ginny A Funk, Martin Hawley, Robert L Hoffman, Matthew J Neumann, Thomas A 2014 application/pdf https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/ https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/1/2014%20L%C3%BCthiM_jgrf20319%20.pdf https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-101723 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF003067 eng eng Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc. https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/1/2014%20L%C3%BCthiM_jgrf20319%20.pdf doi:10.5167/uzh-101723 doi:10.1002/2013JF003067 urn:issn:2169-9011 info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess Ryser, Claudia; Lüthi, Martin P; Andrews, Lauren C; Catania, Ginny A; Funk, Martin; Hawley, Robert L; Hoffman, Matthew J; Neumann, Thomas A (2014). Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 119(10):2258-2271. Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel Journal Article PeerReviewed info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2014 ftunivzuerich https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-10172310.1002/2013JF003067 2024-09-18T00:49:47Z Current understanding of ice dynamics predicts that increasing availability and variability of meltwater will have an impact on basal motion and therefore on the evolution and future behavior of the Greenland ice sheet. We present measurements of ice deformation, subglacial water pressure, and surface velocity that show periodic and episodic variations on several time scales (seasonal, multiday, and diurnal). These variations, observed with GPS and sensors at different depths throughout the ice column, are not synchronous but show delayed responses of ice deformation with increasing depth and basal water pressure in antiphase with surface velocity. With the help of a Full-Stokes ice flow model, these observations are explained as ice motion in a caterpillar-like fashion. Caused by patches of different basal slipperiness, horizontal stress transfer through the stiff central part of the ice body leads to spatially varying surface velocities and ice deformation patterns. Variation of this basal slipperiness induces characteristic patterns of ice deformation variability that explain the observed behavior. Ice flow in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet is therefore controlled by activation of basal patches by varying slipperiness in the course of a melt season, leading to caterpillar-like ice motion superposed on the classical shear deformation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet University of Zurich (UZH): ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive Greenland |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Zurich (UZH): ZORA (Zurich Open Repository and Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivzuerich |
language |
English |
topic |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel |
spellingShingle |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel Ryser, Claudia Lüthi, Martin P Andrews, Lauren C Catania, Ginny A Funk, Martin Hawley, Robert L Hoffman, Matthew J Neumann, Thomas A Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
topic_facet |
Institute of Geography 910 Geography & travel |
description |
Current understanding of ice dynamics predicts that increasing availability and variability of meltwater will have an impact on basal motion and therefore on the evolution and future behavior of the Greenland ice sheet. We present measurements of ice deformation, subglacial water pressure, and surface velocity that show periodic and episodic variations on several time scales (seasonal, multiday, and diurnal). These variations, observed with GPS and sensors at different depths throughout the ice column, are not synchronous but show delayed responses of ice deformation with increasing depth and basal water pressure in antiphase with surface velocity. With the help of a Full-Stokes ice flow model, these observations are explained as ice motion in a caterpillar-like fashion. Caused by patches of different basal slipperiness, horizontal stress transfer through the stiff central part of the ice body leads to spatially varying surface velocities and ice deformation patterns. Variation of this basal slipperiness induces characteristic patterns of ice deformation variability that explain the observed behavior. Ice flow in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet is therefore controlled by activation of basal patches by varying slipperiness in the course of a melt season, leading to caterpillar-like ice motion superposed on the classical shear deformation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ryser, Claudia Lüthi, Martin P Andrews, Lauren C Catania, Ginny A Funk, Martin Hawley, Robert L Hoffman, Matthew J Neumann, Thomas A |
author_facet |
Ryser, Claudia Lüthi, Martin P Andrews, Lauren C Catania, Ginny A Funk, Martin Hawley, Robert L Hoffman, Matthew J Neumann, Thomas A |
author_sort |
Ryser, Claudia |
title |
Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
title_short |
Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full |
Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
title_fullStr |
Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet |
title_sort |
caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the greenland ice sheet |
publisher |
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc. |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/ https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/1/2014%20L%C3%BCthiM_jgrf20319%20.pdf https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-101723 https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF003067 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_source |
Ryser, Claudia; Lüthi, Martin P; Andrews, Lauren C; Catania, Ginny A; Funk, Martin; Hawley, Robert L; Hoffman, Matthew J; Neumann, Thomas A (2014). Caterpillar-like ice motion in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 119(10):2258-2271. |
op_relation |
https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/101723/1/2014%20L%C3%BCthiM_jgrf20319%20.pdf doi:10.5167/uzh-101723 doi:10.1002/2013JF003067 urn:issn:2169-9011 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-10172310.1002/2013JF003067 |
_version_ |
1812814150187876352 |