IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v7y2016i1d10.1038_ncomms11897.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds

Author

Listed:
  • Bryn Hubbard

    (Centre for Glaciology, Aberystwyth University)

  • Adrian Luckman

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

  • David W. Ashmore

    (Centre for Glaciology, Aberystwyth University)

  • Suzanne Bevan

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

  • Bernd Kulessa

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

  • Peter Kuipers Munneke

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

  • Morgane Philippe

    (Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Environnement et Société, Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Daniela Jansen

    (Alfred Wegener Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung)

  • Adam Booth

    (School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds)

  • Heidi Sevestre

    (University Centre in Svalbard)

  • Jean-Louis Tison

    (Laboratoire de Glaciologie, Environnement et Société, Université Libre de Bruxelles)

  • Martin O’Leary

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

  • Ian Rutt

    (Glaciology Group, Swansea University)

Abstract

Surface melt ponds form intermittently on several Antarctic ice shelves. Although implicated in ice-shelf break up, the consequences of such ponding for ice formation and ice-shelf structure have not been evaluated. Here we report the discovery of a massive subsurface ice layer, at least 16 km across, several kilometres long and tens of metres deep, located in an area of intense melting and intermittent ponding on Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica. We combine borehole optical televiewer logging and radar measurements with remote sensing and firn modelling to investigate the layer, found to be ∼10 °C warmer and ∼170 kg m−3 denser than anticipated in the absence of ponding and hitherto used in models of ice-shelf fracture and flow. Surface ponding and ice layers such as the one we report are likely to form on a wider range of Antarctic ice shelves in response to climatic warming in forthcoming decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Bryn Hubbard & Adrian Luckman & David W. Ashmore & Suzanne Bevan & Bernd Kulessa & Peter Kuipers Munneke & Morgane Philippe & Daniela Jansen & Adam Booth & Heidi Sevestre & Jean-Louis Tison & Martin O, 2016. "Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 7(1), pages 1-6, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11897
    DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11897
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11897
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/ncomms11897?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jennifer F. Arthur & Chris R. Stokes & Stewart S. R. Jamieson & J. Rachel Carr & Amber A. Leeson & Vincent Verjans, 2022. "Large interannual variability in supraglacial lakes around East Antarctica," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:7:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms11897. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.