Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet discharges into the Weddell Sea via the Coats Land ice margin. We have used geophysical data to determine the changing ice-sheet configuration in this region through its last glacial advance and Holocene retreat and to identify constraints on its future stability. Method...

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Published in:The Cryosphere
Main Authors: Hodgson, Dominic A., Hogan, Kelly, Smith, James M., Smith, James A., Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter, Graham, Alastair G. C., Fretwell, Peter, Allen, Claire, Peck, Vicky, Arndt, Jan-Erik, Dorschel, Boris, Hübscher, Christian, Smith, Andrew M., Larter, Robert
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: Digital Commons @ University of South Florida 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1571
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2536/viewcontent/tc_12_2383_2018.pdf
id ftusouthflorida:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2536
record_format openpolar
spelling ftusouthflorida:oai:digitalcommons.usf.edu:msc_facpub-2536 2023-08-20T04:02:05+02:00 Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica Hodgson, Dominic A. Hogan, Kelly Smith, James M. Smith, James A. Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter Graham, Alastair G. C. Fretwell, Peter Allen, Claire Peck, Vicky Arndt, Jan-Erik Dorschel, Boris Hübscher, Christian Smith, Andrew M. Larter, Robert 2018-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1571 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2536/viewcontent/tc_12_2383_2018.pdf unknown Digital Commons @ University of South Florida https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1571 doi:10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018 https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2536/viewcontent/tc_12_2383_2018.pdf http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Marine Science Faculty Publications Life Sciences article 2018 ftusouthflorida https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018 2023-07-30T16:26:26Z The East Antarctic Ice Sheet discharges into the Weddell Sea via the Coats Land ice margin. We have used geophysical data to determine the changing ice-sheet configuration in this region through its last glacial advance and Holocene retreat and to identify constraints on its future stability. Methods included high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiles, seismic-reflection profiles, sediment core analysis and satellite altimetry. These provide evidence that Coats Land glaciers and ice streams merged with the palaeo-Filchner Ice Stream during the last glacial advance. Retreat of this ice stream from 12 848 to 8351 cal. yr BP resulted in its progressive southwards decoupling from Coats Land outlet glaciers. Moraines and grounding-zone wedges document the subsequent retreat and thinning of these glaciers, their loss of contact with the bed and the formation of ice shelves, which re-advanced to pinning points on topographic highs at the distal end of the troughs. Once fully detached from the bed, these ice shelves were predisposed to rapid retreat back to coastal grounding lines. This was due to reverse-bed slopes, the consequent absence of further pinning points in the troughs and potentially to the loss of structural integrity resulting from weaknesses inherited at the grounding line. These processes explain why there are no large ice shelves in the eastern Weddell Sea between 75.5 and 77∘ S. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet Ice Shelves Weddell Sea University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital USFSP Antarctic Weddell Sea East Antarctic Ice Sheet Weddell Coats Land ENVELOPE(-27.500,-27.500,-77.000,-77.000) The Cryosphere 12 7 2383 2399
institution Open Polar
collection University of South Florida St. Petersburg: Digital USFSP
op_collection_id ftusouthflorida
language unknown
topic Life Sciences
spellingShingle Life Sciences
Hodgson, Dominic A.
Hogan, Kelly
Smith, James M.
Smith, James A.
Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter
Graham, Alastair G. C.
Fretwell, Peter
Allen, Claire
Peck, Vicky
Arndt, Jan-Erik
Dorschel, Boris
Hübscher, Christian
Smith, Andrew M.
Larter, Robert
Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
topic_facet Life Sciences
description The East Antarctic Ice Sheet discharges into the Weddell Sea via the Coats Land ice margin. We have used geophysical data to determine the changing ice-sheet configuration in this region through its last glacial advance and Holocene retreat and to identify constraints on its future stability. Methods included high-resolution multibeam bathymetry, sub-bottom profiles, seismic-reflection profiles, sediment core analysis and satellite altimetry. These provide evidence that Coats Land glaciers and ice streams merged with the palaeo-Filchner Ice Stream during the last glacial advance. Retreat of this ice stream from 12 848 to 8351 cal. yr BP resulted in its progressive southwards decoupling from Coats Land outlet glaciers. Moraines and grounding-zone wedges document the subsequent retreat and thinning of these glaciers, their loss of contact with the bed and the formation of ice shelves, which re-advanced to pinning points on topographic highs at the distal end of the troughs. Once fully detached from the bed, these ice shelves were predisposed to rapid retreat back to coastal grounding lines. This was due to reverse-bed slopes, the consequent absence of further pinning points in the troughs and potentially to the loss of structural integrity resulting from weaknesses inherited at the grounding line. These processes explain why there are no large ice shelves in the eastern Weddell Sea between 75.5 and 77∘ S.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Hodgson, Dominic A.
Hogan, Kelly
Smith, James M.
Smith, James A.
Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter
Graham, Alastair G. C.
Fretwell, Peter
Allen, Claire
Peck, Vicky
Arndt, Jan-Erik
Dorschel, Boris
Hübscher, Christian
Smith, Andrew M.
Larter, Robert
author_facet Hodgson, Dominic A.
Hogan, Kelly
Smith, James M.
Smith, James A.
Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter
Graham, Alastair G. C.
Fretwell, Peter
Allen, Claire
Peck, Vicky
Arndt, Jan-Erik
Dorschel, Boris
Hübscher, Christian
Smith, Andrew M.
Larter, Robert
author_sort Hodgson, Dominic A.
title Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
title_short Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
title_full Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
title_fullStr Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
title_full_unstemmed Deglaciation and Future Stability of the Coats Land Ice Margin, Antarctica
title_sort deglaciation and future stability of the coats land ice margin, antarctica
publisher Digital Commons @ University of South Florida
publishDate 2018
url https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1571
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2536/viewcontent/tc_12_2383_2018.pdf
long_lat ENVELOPE(-27.500,-27.500,-77.000,-77.000)
geographic Antarctic
Weddell Sea
East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Weddell
Coats Land
geographic_facet Antarctic
Weddell Sea
East Antarctic Ice Sheet
Weddell
Coats Land
genre Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelves
Weddell Sea
genre_facet Antarc*
Antarctic
Antarctica
Ice Sheet
Ice Shelves
Weddell Sea
op_source Marine Science Faculty Publications
op_relation https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1571
doi:10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/context/msc_facpub/article/2536/viewcontent/tc_12_2383_2018.pdf
op_rights http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2383-2018
container_title The Cryosphere
container_volume 12
container_issue 7
container_start_page 2383
op_container_end_page 2399
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