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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Digital Commons @ University of South Florida
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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 |
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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 |
_version_ |
1774712468949434368 |