Laterally varying basal conditions beneath ice Streams B and C, West Antarctica

Abstract

AbstractThe study of the phase of reflections of Ρ waves off the base of Ice Streams Β and C, and Ridge BC, indicates that acoustic impedances of the beds of both ice streams vary laterally. In some places, the impedance is higher than in the ice (a high-impedance bed) and in some places it is less (a low-impedance bed). The estimated impedances in a dilated bed (porosity 0.4) and in a model of the lowermost ice that takes into account the relatively low P-wave speed in ice at or very near the melting point are nearly the same. Whether the impedance in the bed is greater or less than in the ice could depend on minor changes in the nature of the sediments composing the bed, or the physical state of the bed (e.g. porosity) that could occur laterally. Lateral variations of this kind provide a ready explanation for the observations on Ice Stream B. The bed under a substantial part of Ice Stream C that exhibits a low-impedance bed also must be dilated. The evaluation of the state of the bed under the rest of Ice Stream C and on Ridge BC requires further analysis, which is in progress.