Evolving Instability of the Scar Inlet Ice Shelf based on Sequential Landsat Images Spanning 2005–2018

Abstract

Following the large-scale disintegration of the Larsen B Ice Shelf (LBIS) in 2002, ice flow velocities for its remnants and tributary glaciers began to increase. In this study, we used sequential Landsat images spanning 2005–2018 to produce detailed maps of the ice flow velocities and surface features for the Scar Inlet Ice Shelf (SIIS). Our results indicate that the ice flow velocities for the SIIS and its tributary glaciers (Flask and Leppard Glaciers) have substantially increased since 2005. Surface features, such as rifts and crevasses, have also substantially increased in both scope and scale and are particularly evident in the region between the Leppard Glacier and the Jason Peninsula. Several indicators—including the acceleration of ice flows, the rapid growth of major surface rifts, the heavily enhanced surface crevasses, and the dynamic position of the ice front—point to the evolving instability of the SIIS. These same indicators describe the conditions for the LBIS leading up to its 2002 collapse. To date, however, the SIIS remains intact. The formation of fast ice supporting the ice shelf front, combined with moderate mean summer temperatures, may be preventing or delaying its collapse.