Sediment Freeze‐On and Transport Near the Onset of a Fast‐Flowing Glacier in East Antarctica

Autor: Steven Franke, Michael Wolovick, Reinhard Drews, Daniela Jansen, Kenichi Matsuoka, Paul D. Bons
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 51, Iss 6, Pp n/a-n/a (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1944-8007
0094-8276
DOI: 10.1029/2023GL107164
Popis: Abstract Understanding the material properties and physical conditions of basal ice is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of Antarctic ice‐sheet dynamics. Yet, direct data are sparse and difficult to acquire. Here, we employ ultra‐wideband radar to map high‐backscatter zones near the glacier bed within East Antarctica's Jutulstraumen drainage basin. Our backscatter analysis reveals that the basal ice in an area of ∼10,000 km2 is composed of along‐flow oriented sediment‐laden basal ice units connected to the basal substrate, extending up to several hundred meters thick. Three‐dimensional thermomechanical modeling supports that these units form via basal freeze‐on of subglacial water that originated from further upstream. Our findings suggest that basal freeze‐on, and the entrainment and transport of subglacial material play a significant role in an accurate representation of material, physical, and rheological properties of the Antarctic ice sheet's basal ice, ultimately enhancing the accuracy and reliability of ice‐sheet modeling.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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