Abstract. As the accuracy and sensitivity of remote-sensing satellites improve, there is an increasing demand for more accurate and updated base datasets for surveying and monitoring. However, differentiating rock outcrop from snow and ice is a particular problem in Antarctica, where extensive cloud cover and widespread shaded regions lead to classification errors. The existing rock outcrop dataset has significant georeferencing issues as well as overestimation and generalisation of rock exposure areas. The most commonly used method for automated rock and snow differentiation, the normalised difference snow index (NDSI), has difficulty differentiating rock and snow in Antarctica due to misclassification of shaded pixels and is not able to differentiate illuminated rock from clouds. This study presents a new method for identifying rock exposures using Landsat 8 data. This is the first automated methodology for snow and rock differentiation that excludes areas of snow (both illuminated and shaded), clouds and liquid water whilst identifying both sunlit and shaded rock, achieving higher and more consistent accuracies than alternative data and methods such as the NDSI. The new methodology has been applied to the whole Antarctic continent (north of 82°40′ S) using Landsat 8 data to produce a new rock outcrop dataset for Antarctica. The new data (merged with existing data where Landsat 8 tiles are unavailable; most extensively south of 82°40′ S) reveal that exposed rock forms 0.18 % (21 745 km2) of the total land area of Antarctica: half of previous estimates.
A new method for modeling heat flux shows that the upper crust contributes up to 70% of the Antarctic Peninsula's subglacial heat flux and that heat flux values are more variable at smaller spatial resolutions than geophysical methods can resolve. Results indicate a higher heat flux on the east and south of the Peninsula (mean 81 mW m−2) where silicic rocks predominate, than on the west and north (mean 67 mW m−2) where volcanic arc and quartzose sediments are dominant. While the data supports the contribution of heat‐producing element‐enriched granitic rocks to high heat flux values, sedimentary rocks can be of comparative importance dependent on their provenance and petrography. Models of subglacial heat flux must utilize a heterogeneous upper crust with variable radioactive heat production if they are to accurately predict basal conditions of the ice sheet. Our new methodology and data set facilitate improved numerical model simulations of ice sheet dynamics.
The allochthonous terrane accretion model previously proposed for the geological development of the Antarctic Peninsula continental margin arc is reviewed in light of recent data and the geology is reinterpreted as having evolved as an
in situ
continental arc. This is based upon the following factors: (1) the presence of Early Palaeozoic basement and stratigraphic correlation of sequences between the autochthonous and previously proposed allochthonous terranes; (2) isotopic evidence for similar deep crustal structure across the different terranes; (3) ocean island basalt magmas and deep marine sedimentary rocks formed during continental margin extension within the previously proposed accretionary wedge sequence (i.e. not formed against an active oceanic arc); (4) the distribution of magnetic susceptibility measurements and aeromagnetic data locating the palaeo-subduction zone along the west of the Peninsula; (5) a lack of clear palaeomagnetic distinction between the terranes. The following alternative tectonic history is proposed: (1) amalgamation and persistence of Gondwana; (2) subsequent silicic large igneous province magmatism and extension; (3) development and history of Andean subduction until its cessation in the Cenozoic. A number of features in the Antarctic Peninsula correlate with those of other circum-Pacific margins, supporting a global evaluation of allochthonous v. autochthonous margin development to aid our understanding of crustal growth mechanisms.
Abstract. Antarctic geothermal heat flow (GHF) affects the temperature of the ice
sheet, determining its ability to slide and internally deform, as well as
the behaviour of the continental crust. However, GHF remains poorly
constrained, with few and sparse local, borehole-derived estimates and
large discrepancies in the magnitude and distribution of existing
continent-scale estimates from geophysical models. We review the methods to
estimate GHF, discussing the strengths and limitations of each approach;
compile borehole and probe-derived estimates from measured temperature
profiles; and recommend the following future directions. (1) Obtain more
borehole-derived estimates from the subglacial bedrock and englacial
temperature profiles. (2) Estimate GHF from inverse glaciological modelling,
constrained by evidence for basal melting and englacial temperatures (e.g.
using microwave emissivity). (3) Revise geophysically derived GHF estimates
using a combination of Curie depth, seismic, and thermal isostasy models. (4) Integrate in these geophysical approaches a more accurate model of the
structure and distribution of heat production elements within the crust and
considering heterogeneities in the underlying mantle. (5) Continue
international interdisciplinary communication and data access.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.