Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica

Bougamont, M.; Christoffersen, P.; Price, S. F.; Fricker, H. A.; Tulaczyk, S.; Carter, S. P.

doi:10.1002/2015GL065782

Title: Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica

Journal Article · Wed Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2015 · Geophysical Research Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065782· OSTI ID:1255085

Bougamont, M. ^[1]; Christoffersen, P. ^[1]; Price, S. F. ^[2]; Fricker, H. A. ^[3]; Tulaczyk, S. ^[4]; Carter, S. P. ^[3]

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)

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.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: NE/E005950/1; NE/J005800/1; 0338295; ANT-0838885; AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1255085

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-15-27433

Journal Information:: Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 20; ISSN 0094-8276

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 20 works

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Title: Reactivation of Kamb Ice Stream tributaries triggers century-scale reorganization of Siple Coast ice flow in West Antarctica

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