Organization of ice flow by localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux

The impact of localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux on ice sheet dynamics is largely unknown. Simulations of ice dynamics are produced using poorly resolved and low-resolution estimates of geothermal heat flux. Observations of crustal heat production within the continental crust underneath the Lambert-Amery glacial system in East Antarctica indicate that high heat flux regions of at least 120 mW m⁻² exist. Here we investigate the influence of simulated but plausible, localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux on ice dynamics using a numerical ice sheet model of the Lambert-Amery glacial system. We find that high heat flux regions have a significant effect across areas of slow-moving ice with the influence extending both upstream and downstream of the geothermal anomaly, while fast-moving ice is relatively unaffected. Our results suggest that localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux may play an important role in the organization of ice sheet flow.