Fractures as the main pathways of water flow in temperate glaciers

Andrew G. Fountain (), Robert W. Jacobel, Robert Schlichting and Peter Jansson
Additional contact information
Andrew G. Fountain: Portland State University
Robert W. Jacobel: St Olaf College
Robert Schlichting: Cleveland High School
Peter Jansson: Stockholm University

Nature, 2005, vol. 433, issue 7026, 618-621

Abstract: Breaking the ice The behaviour of water in a glacier is a key factor in determining how the glacier moves, and how water is removed from it. The conventional view is that water flows through a glacier via natural tubular conduits, but new field work suggests it is time to reconsider. Video images from boreholes drilled into the Storglaciären, together with radar soundings, reveal a network of water-bearing fractures and, surprisingly, almost none of the expected conduits. This work provides a new perspective on the storage and routing of water in glaciers. The existence of fractures deep within glaciers may have relevance for the catastrophic collapse of ice shelves, like the recent collapse at Larsen-B. The cover shows Storglaciären, northern Sweden, with the peaks of Kebnekaise mountain in the background (Photo: Robert W. Jacobel).

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03296

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