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Basal friction of Fleming Glacier, Antarctica - Part 2: evolution from 2008 to 2015
Citation
Zhao, C and Gladstone, RM and Warner, RC and King, MA and Zwinger, T and Morlighem, M, Basal friction of Fleming Glacier, Antarctica - Part 2: evolution from 2008 to 2015, The Cryosphere, 12, (8) pp. 2653-2666. ISSN 1994-0416 (2018) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2018 the authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
DOI: doi:10.5194/tc-12-2653-2018
Abstract
The Wordie Ice Shelf–Fleming Glacier system in the southern Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a long-term retreat and disintegration of its ice shelf in the past 50 years. Increases in the glacier velocity and dynamic thinning have been observed over the past two decades, especially after 2008 when only a small ice shelf remained at the Fleming Glacier front. It is important to know whether the substantial further speed-up and greater surface draw-down of the glacier since 2008 is a direct response to ocean forcing, or driven by feedbacks within the grounded marine-based glacier system, or both. Recent observational studies have suggested the 2008–2015 velocity change was due to the ungrounding of the Fleming Glacier front. To explore the mechanisms underlying the recent changes, we use a full-Stokes ice sheet model to simulate the basal shear stress distribution of the Fleming system in 2008 and 2015. This study is part of the first high resolution modelling campaign of this system. Comparison of inversions for basal shear stresses for 2008 and 2015 suggests the migration of the grounding line ∼9 km upstream by 2015 from the 2008 ice front/grounding line positions, which virtually coincided with the 1996 grounding line position. This migration is consistent with the change in floating area deduced from the calculated height above buoyancy in 2015. The retrograde submarine bed underneath the lowest part of the Fleming Glacier may have promoted retreat of the grounding line. Grounding line retreat may also be enhanced by a feedback mechanism upstream of the grounding line by which increased basal lubrication due to increasing frictional heating enhances sliding and thinning. Improved knowledge of bed topography near the grounding line and further transient simulations with oceanic forcing are required to accurately predict the future movement of the Fleming Glacier system grounding line and better understand its ice dynamics and future contribution to sea level.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | ice sheet modelling, Fleming Glacier |
Research Division: | Earth Sciences |
Research Group: | Physical geography and environmental geoscience |
Research Field: | Glaciology |
Objective Division: | Expanding Knowledge |
Objective Group: | Expanding knowledge |
Objective Field: | Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences |
UTAS Author: | Zhao, C (Ms Chen Zhao) |
UTAS Author: | Warner, RC (Dr Roland Warner) |
UTAS Author: | King, MA (Professor Matt King) |
ID Code: | 127893 |
Year Published: | 2018 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 5 |
Deposited By: | Geography and Spatial Science |
Deposited On: | 2018-08-20 |
Last Modified: | 2019-03-15 |
Downloads: | 96 View Download Statistics |
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