Evidence of the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on the continental slope and rise sedimentary record: Insights from the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica-Reference-Cited by-同舟云学术

Evidence of the evolution of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet on the continental slope and rise sedimentary record: Insights from the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica

Published:2023-02-24 Issue: Volume: Page:
ISSN:0016-7606
Container-title:GSA Bulletin
language:en
Short-container-title:

Author:

Donda Federica¹,Romeo Roberto²,Leitchenkov German³⁴,Gei Davide¹,Rosenthal Yair⁵,Leventer Amy⁶,Lodolo Emanuele¹,Noble Taryn L.⁷,Post Alexandra⁸,O’Brien Philip E.⁹,Opdyke Bradley N.¹⁰,Olivo Elisabetta¹¹

Affiliation:

1. 1National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics—OGS, Section of Geophysics, Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy

2. 2National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics—OGS, Centre for Management of Maritime Infrastructures, Borgo Grotta Gigante 42/c, 34010 Sgonico, Trieste, Italy

3. 3The All-Russia Scientific Research Institute for Geology and Mineral Resources of the Ocean, St Petersburg, Russia

4. 4Institute of Earth Sciences, St. Petersburg State University, 199034 St. Petersburg, Russia

5. 5Department of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA

6. 6Geology Department, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York 13346, USA

7. 7Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia

8. 8Geoscience Australia, GPO Box 378, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia

9. 9Earth and Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia

10. 10Research School of Earth Sciences, The Australian National University, Acton, ACT 2601, Australia

11. 11Department of Environmental Sciences and Prevention, University of Ferrara, 35-44121 Ferrara, Italy

Abstract

Deciphering how the Antarctic Ice Sheet has responded to past climate warming is critical to understanding its sensitivity and role in current and future climate change. In this context, knowledge of the evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet in catchments with large potential sea-level contributions plays a key role. The Sabrina Coast of East Antarctica lies seaward of the second largest, but least known, subglacial basin on Earth, the Aurora Subglacial Basin. It is part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and drains to the Sabrina Coast via the Totten Glacier, the third largest drainage system in East Antarctica. Our refined, comprehensive seismic stratigraphic analysis of a large multichannel seismic data set collected in this sector of the Antarctic margin shows that sediments deposited on the continental slope and rise of the Sabrina Coast retain a well-preserved record of variations in glacial and oceanographic dynamics. Isobath and isopach maps evidence a complex, asymmetric evolution of the Sabrina slope and rise, with the western sector being the main sediment depocenter since the emplacement of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, as indicated by the up to 4-km-thick glacial-related sequences and inferred sedimentation rates of up to 300 m/m.y. However, significant sediment accumulation also occurs in the eastern area, particularly in the western levees of the canyons. Our findings highlight the potential of this region for deep ocean drilling that will provide an unprecedented history of the dynamics of the marine-based ice sheet in the Aurora Subglacial Basin and its sensitivity to climate change under different background climate conditions.

Publisher

Geological Society of America

Subject

Geology

Link

https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulletin/article-pdf/doi/10.1130/B36674.1/5792766/b36674.pdf