Roughness of ice shelves is correlated with basal melt rates

Watkins, R.; Bassis, J. N.; Thoulesss, M. D.

doi:10.1002/essoar.10507300.1

Cited by 2 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…In summary, the findings of Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) are intriguing and provide a basis for further work to test their hypothesis that roughness correlates with basal melt and its potential applications.…”

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Results from analyses of variations in ice thickness, or “roughness”, of ice shelves by Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) raise the tantalizing prospect that this may provide such a measure.…”

Section: A Way Of Measuring Impact On Structural Integrity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) suggest that this could be due to the small number of tracks analyzed, or to the Getz Ice Shelf's relatively slow flow and the fact that it is constrained by multiple pinning points. A comparative analysis with George VI Ice shelf, which has a similar basal melt rate, is also slow flowing and is pinned between Alexander Island and Palmer Land, Antarctic Peninsula, could provide a useful test of the importance of the latter two factors.…”

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If RES data with higher spatial resolution could be obtained it would be interesting to determine whether or not the power law relationship reported by Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) extends to even shorter wavelengths.…”

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A further interesting way to build on the study by Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) would be compare results from data of different vintages for ice shelves where there are high basal melt rates, to reveal how roughness has changed through time. RES surveys over the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf, which has the highest basal melt rates among those analyzed, have been conducted several times since 2004 (Holt et al., 2006; Jordan et al., 2020; Paden et al., 2010) so this would seem to present an ideal opportunity, particularly in view of recent studies that conclude this ice shelf will soon become critically vulnerable (Alley et al., 2021; Wild et al., 2022).…”

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves

Larter

2022

Geophysical Research Letters

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Ice shelves, extensions of glaciers that float over the ocean, act as buttresses restraining the flow of glaciers feeding into them. They restrict outflow from many of the largest glaciers and ice streams in Antarctica. This concept had been considered theoretically for decades, but its reality was very clearly demonstrated by the collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf on the east side of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2002 and the subsequent increase in flow velocity of glaciers that had previously flowed into it (De Angelis & Skvarca, 2003;Scambos et al., 2004). Collapse of ice shelves that larger glaciers flow into leading to acceleration of their flow into the ocean would increase the Antarctic contribution to global sea-level rise.Many large glaciers in West Antarctica and some covering large parts of East Antarctica flow on beds that increase in depth upstream. For these glaciers, ice thinning resulting from such flow acceleration would force retreat of their grounding lines, where glacier ice starts to float as it flows toward the ocean. This in turn has the potential to initiate runaway retreat through a feedback process called Marine Ice Sheet Instability (MISI;Schoof, 2007;Weertman, 1974).A further possibility is that sudden ice-shelf collapse could leave tall ice cliffs in which gravitational stress from the mass above water and buoyancy from the submerged part exceeds the yield strength of the ice. Where glacier beds increase in depth upstream, resulting cliff failure would expose even taller cliffs, potentially leading to runaway retreat through a different feedback process called Marine Ice Cliff Instability (MICI; Bassis & Jacobs, 2013;Crawford et al., 2021). There are no examples of MICI having driven substantial retreat during the relatively short period of modern observations of ice-sheet change, but characteristics of iceberg-keel plow marks over an

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Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: A Way Of Measuring Impact On Structural Integrity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential For Further Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves

Larter

2022

Geophysical Research Letters

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Seasonal Acceleration of Petermann Glacier, Greenland, From Changes in Subglacial Hydrology

Ehrenfeucht

Morlighem

Rignot

et al. 2022

Geophysical Research Letters

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Petermann Glacier is a major outlet glacier of northern Greenland that drains a marine‐based basin vulnerable to destabilization from enhanced oceanic and atmospheric forcings. Using satellite radar interferometry data from the Sentinel‐1a/b missions, we observe a seasonal glacier acceleration of 15% in the summer, from 1,250 to 1,500 m/yr near the grounding line, but the physical drivers of this seasonality have not been elucidated. Here, we use a subglacial hydrology model coupled one‐way to an ice sheet model to evaluate the role of subglacial hydrology as a physical mechanism explaining the seasonal acceleration. We find excellent agreement between the observed and predicted velocity in terms of timing and magnitude with the addition of an applied lower limit on effective pressure of 6% of ice overburden pressure. We conclude that seasonal changes in subglacial hydrology are sufficient to explain the observed seasonal speed up of Petermann Glacier.

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Roughness of ice shelves is correlated with basal melt rates

Cited by 2 publications

References 42 publications

Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves

Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves

Seasonal Acceleration of Petermann Glacier, Greenland, From Changes in Subglacial Hydrology

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