Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica
Abstract
Ongoing, centennial-scale flow variability within the Ross ice streams of West Antarctica suggests that the present-day positive mass balance in this region may reverse in the future. Here we use a three-dimensional ice sheet model to simulate ice flow in this region over 250 years. The flow responds to changing basal properties, as a subglacial till layer interacts with water transported in an active subglacial hydrological system. We show that a persistent weak bed beneath the tributaries of the dormant Kamb Ice Stream is a source of internal ice flow instability, which reorganizes all ice streams in this region, leading to a reduced (positive) mass balance within decades and a net loss of ice within two centuries. This hitherto unaccounted for flow variability could raise sea level by 5 mm this century. Furthermore, better constraints on future sea level change from this region will require improved estimates of geothermal heat flux and subglacial water transport.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom)
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Univ. of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1255085
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-15-27433
Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Grant/Contract Number:
- NE/E005950/1; NE/J005800/1; 0338295; ANT-0838885; AC52-06NA25396
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 42; Journal Issue: 20; Journal ID: ISSN 0094-8276
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES; 97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING
Citation Formats
Bougamont, M., Christoffersen, P., Price, S. F., Fricker, H. A., Tulaczyk, S., and Carter, S. P. Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1002/2015GL065782.
Bougamont, M., Christoffersen, P., Price, S. F., Fricker, H. A., Tulaczyk, S., & Carter, S. P. Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065782
Bougamont, M., Christoffersen, P., Price, S. F., Fricker, H. A., Tulaczyk, S., and Carter, S. P. Wed .
"Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065782. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1255085.
@article{osti_1255085,
title = {Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica},
author = {Bougamont, M. and Christoffersen, P. and Price, S. F. and Fricker, H. A. and Tulaczyk, S. and Carter, S. P.},
abstractNote = {Ongoing, centennial-scale flow variability within the Ross ice streams of West Antarctica suggests that the present-day positive mass balance in this region may reverse in the future. Here we use a three-dimensional ice sheet model to simulate ice flow in this region over 250 years. The flow responds to changing basal properties, as a subglacial till layer interacts with water transported in an active subglacial hydrological system. We show that a persistent weak bed beneath the tributaries of the dormant Kamb Ice Stream is a source of internal ice flow instability, which reorganizes all ice streams in this region, leading to a reduced (positive) mass balance within decades and a net loss of ice within two centuries. This hitherto unaccounted for flow variability could raise sea level by 5 mm this century. Furthermore, better constraints on future sea level change from this region will require improved estimates of geothermal heat flux and subglacial water transport.},
doi = {10.1002/2015GL065782},
journal = {Geophysical Research Letters},
number = 20,
volume = 42,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}
Web of Science
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