New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations
Ice shelves play a critical role in the long-term stability of ice sheets through their buttressing effect. The underlying bathymetry and cavity thickness are key inputs for modelling future ice sheet evolution. However, direct observation of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry is time-consuming, logistically...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
Digital Commons @ University of South Florida
2020
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1574 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020.pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020_supplement.pdf |
id |
ftusouthflorida:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2530 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftusouthflorida:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2530 2023-07-30T03:58:37+02:00 New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations Jordan, Tom A. Porter, David Tinto, Kirsty Millan, Romain Muto, Atsuhiro Hogan, Kelly Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G. Paden, John D. 2020-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1574 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020.pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020_supplement.pdf unknown Digital Commons @ University of South Florida https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1574 doi:10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020.pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020_supplement.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Marine Science Faculty Publications Life Sciences article 2020 ftusouthflorida https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 2023-07-13T21:02:06Z Ice shelves play a critical role in the long-term stability of ice sheets through their buttressing effect. The underlying bathymetry and cavity thickness are key inputs for modelling future ice sheet evolution. However, direct observation of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry is time-consuming, logistically risky, and in some areas simply not possible. Here we use new compilations of airborne and marine gravity, radar depth sounding, and swath bathymetry to provide new estimates of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry outboard of the rapidly changing West Antarctic Thwaites Glacier and beneath the adjacent Dotson and Crosson ice shelves. This region is of special interest, as the low-lying inland reverse slope of the Thwaites Glacier system makes it vulnerable to marine ice sheet instability, with rapid grounding line retreat observed since 1993 suggesting this process may be underway. Our results confirm a major marine channel >800 m deep extends tens of kilometres to the front of Thwaites Glacier, while the adjacent ice shelves are underlain by more complex bathymetry. Comparison of our new bathymetry with ice shelf draft reveals that ice shelves formed since 1993 comprise a distinct population where the draft conforms closely to the underlying bathymetry, unlike the older ice shelves, which show a more uniform depth of the ice base. This indicates that despite rapid basal melting in some areas, these recently floated parts of the ice shelf are not yet in dynamic equilibrium with their retreated grounding line positions and the underlying ocean system, a factor which must be included in future models of this region's evolution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital USFSP Antarctic Thwaites Glacier ENVELOPE(-106.750,-106.750,-75.500,-75.500) The Cryosphere 14 9 2869 2882 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital USFSP |
op_collection_id |
ftusouthflorida |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Life Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Life Sciences Jordan, Tom A. Porter, David Tinto, Kirsty Millan, Romain Muto, Atsuhiro Hogan, Kelly Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G. Paden, John D. New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
topic_facet |
Life Sciences |
description |
Ice shelves play a critical role in the long-term stability of ice sheets through their buttressing effect. The underlying bathymetry and cavity thickness are key inputs for modelling future ice sheet evolution. However, direct observation of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry is time-consuming, logistically risky, and in some areas simply not possible. Here we use new compilations of airborne and marine gravity, radar depth sounding, and swath bathymetry to provide new estimates of sub-ice-shelf bathymetry outboard of the rapidly changing West Antarctic Thwaites Glacier and beneath the adjacent Dotson and Crosson ice shelves. This region is of special interest, as the low-lying inland reverse slope of the Thwaites Glacier system makes it vulnerable to marine ice sheet instability, with rapid grounding line retreat observed since 1993 suggesting this process may be underway. Our results confirm a major marine channel >800 m deep extends tens of kilometres to the front of Thwaites Glacier, while the adjacent ice shelves are underlain by more complex bathymetry. Comparison of our new bathymetry with ice shelf draft reveals that ice shelves formed since 1993 comprise a distinct population where the draft conforms closely to the underlying bathymetry, unlike the older ice shelves, which show a more uniform depth of the ice base. This indicates that despite rapid basal melting in some areas, these recently floated parts of the ice shelf are not yet in dynamic equilibrium with their retreated grounding line positions and the underlying ocean system, a factor which must be included in future models of this region's evolution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Jordan, Tom A. Porter, David Tinto, Kirsty Millan, Romain Muto, Atsuhiro Hogan, Kelly Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G. Paden, John D. |
author_facet |
Jordan, Tom A. Porter, David Tinto, Kirsty Millan, Romain Muto, Atsuhiro Hogan, Kelly Larter, Robert D. Graham, Alastair G. Paden, John D. |
author_sort |
Jordan, Tom A. |
title |
New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
title_short |
New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
title_full |
New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
title_fullStr |
New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
title_full_unstemmed |
New Gravity-derived Bathymetry for the Thwaites, Crosson, and Dotson Ice Shelves Revealing Two Ice Shelf Populations |
title_sort |
new gravity-derived bathymetry for the thwaites, crosson, and dotson ice shelves revealing two ice shelf populations |
publisher |
Digital Commons @ University of South Florida |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1574 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020.pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020_supplement.pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-106.750,-106.750,-75.500,-75.500) |
geographic |
Antarctic Thwaites Glacier |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Thwaites Glacier |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Thwaites Glacier |
op_source |
Marine Science Faculty Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1574 doi:10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020.pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2530/filename/0/type/additional/viewcontent/tc_14_2869_2020_supplement.pdf |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2869-2020 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
14 |
container_issue |
9 |
container_start_page |
2869 |
op_container_end_page |
2882 |
_version_ |
1772821384259436544 |