Thermo-Mechanics and Hydrology of Western Antarctic Ice Stream Margins

Harvard University, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

Rice/1341499 Flow of glacial ice along the Siple Coast, West Antarctica, localizes into fast-flowing ice streams of 20-80 km width, moving at speeds of 100s of m/yr as the ice streams approach the sea. These ice streams are bordered by ridges of nearly stagnant ice and no topographic feature in the ice sheet bed has been identified as guiding that width, which instead seems to be chosen dynamically. Using theoretical modeling and computational physics, this study aims to understand (1) the mechanical, hydrologic and thermal processes active within the ice streams, (2) the origin of the stream morphology and what controls the margin locations of the fast-flowing ice, and (3) how ice discharge from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet will respond to climate-related changes in atmospheric and ocean temperatures and precipitation. Preliminary studies suggest that the margins of all active ice streams in the Siple Coast have substantial ?temperate zones?, i.e., ice is at the melting point for several dozens to hundreds of meters above the bed. Temperate ice contains melt water, and thus a first focus is to understand how water generation and transport near the bed in the shear margins might partially stabilize the margin locations and control the speed of ice discharge within the ice stream. The intellectual merit of these studies is that it will contribute to understanding what controls the channelization of ice flow in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) and the rate at which its ice is discharged to the adjacent ocean. The broader impacts of the work are that advancing our knowledge of ice-stream dynamics is crucial for predicting how ice discharge will be impacted by future variations in atmospheric and ocean temperatures, ocean currents, precipitation, and solar radiation. Based on the results from this study, the investigators will attempt to develop a mathematical model of ice stream and their shear margins, that can be included in larger scale numerical simulations of ice sheet processes and climate models. This project will contribute to the training of two graduate students. This award does not have any field work in Antarctica.