Diverse landscapes beneath Pine Island Glacier influence ice flow

Robert G. Bingham (), David G. Vaughan, Edward C. King, Damon Davies, Stephen L. Cornford, Andrew M. Smith, Robert J. Arthern, Alex M. Brisbourne, Jan Rydt, Alastair G. C. Graham, Matteo Spagnolo, Oliver J. Marsh and David E. Shean
Additional contact information
Robert G. Bingham: University of Edinburgh
David G. Vaughan: British Antarctic Survey
Edward C. King: British Antarctic Survey
Damon Davies: University of Edinburgh
Stephen L. Cornford: Swansea University
Andrew M. Smith: British Antarctic Survey
Robert J. Arthern: British Antarctic Survey
Alex M. Brisbourne: British Antarctic Survey
Jan Rydt: British Antarctic Survey
Alastair G. C. Graham: University of Exeter
Matteo Spagnolo: University of Aberdeen
Oliver J. Marsh: University of Canterbury
David E. Shean: University of Washington

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract The retreating Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, presently contributes ~5–10% of global sea-level rise. PIG’s retreat rate has increased in recent decades with associated thinning migrating upstream into tributaries feeding the main glacier trunk. To project future change requires modelling that includes robust parameterisation of basal traction, the resistance to ice flow at the bed. However, most ice-sheet models estimate basal traction from satellite-derived surface velocity, without a priori knowledge of the key processes from which it is derived, namely friction at the ice-bed interface and form drag, and the resistance to ice flow that arises as ice deforms to negotiate bed topography. Here, we present high-resolution maps, acquired using ice-penetrating radar, of the bed topography across parts of PIG. Contrary to lower-resolution data currently used for ice-sheet models, these data show a contrasting topography across the ice-bed interface. We show that these diverse subglacial landscapes have an impact on ice flow, and present a challenge for modelling ice-sheet evolution and projecting global sea-level rise from ice-sheet loss.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01597-y

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