Basal Crevasse Formation on Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, as Proxy for Past Subglacial Flooding Events
Name
Geophysical Research Letters - 2021 - Child - Basal Crevasse Formation on Byrd Glacier East Antarctica as Proxy for Past.pdf
Description
Published version
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1.55 MB
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Adobe PDF
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Author(s)
Child, Sarah F
Stearns, Leigh A
van der Veen, CJ
Elósegui, Pedro
Date Issued
July 21, 2021
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Citation
Child, S. F., Stearns, L. A., van der Veen, C. J., & Elósegui, P. (2021). Basal crevasse formation on Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, as proxy for past subglacial flooding events. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL090978.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Linear elastic fracture mechanics suggests that short-lived flow accelerations, such as the one initiated by a flooding event beneath Byrd Glacier in 2006, can form abnormally large basal crevasses at the grounding line. Airborne radar measurements acquired in 2011 reveal hundreds of basal crevasses ranging in height from urn:x-wiley:00948276:media:grl62752-math-000140–335 m. Particle tracking results show that formation of the largest basal crevasse occurred at the grounding line during the 2006 flooding event. Very large basal crevasses form distinctive surface depressions directly overhead, which are observed along the Byrd Glacier flowline to the terminus of the Ross Ice Shelf. By using these surface depressions as proxies for abnormally large basal crevasses, we create a timeline of past subglacial flooding events on Byrd Glacier. Understanding the frequency of flooding events and their effect on glacier dynamics will help inform models of ice sheet stability and subglacial hydrology.
MIT Department
Haystack Observatory
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Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020gl090978
