Extensive and anomalous grounding line retreat at Vanderford Glacier, Vincennes Bay, Wilkes Land, East Antarctica
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Published:2023-08-26
Issue:8
Volume:17
Page:3593-3616
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ISSN:1994-0424
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Container-title:The Cryosphere
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language:en
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Short-container-title:The Cryosphere
Author:
Picton Hannah J.ORCID, Stokes Chris R.ORCID, Jamieson Stewart S. R., Floricioiu DanaORCID, Krieger LukasORCID
Abstract
Abstract. Wilkes Land, East Antarctica, has been losing mass at an
accelerating rate over recent decades in response to enhanced oceanic
forcing. Overlying the Aurora Subglacial Basin, it has been referred to as
the “weak underbelly” of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and is drained by
several major outlet glaciers. Despite their potential importance, few of
these glaciers have been studied in detail. This includes the six outlet
glaciers which drain into Vincennes Bay, a region recently discovered to
have the warmest intrusions of modified Circumpolar Deep Water (mCDW) ever
recorded in East Antarctica. Here, we use satellite imagery; differential
synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR); and remotely sensed
datasets of ice-surface velocity, ice-surface elevation and grounding line
position to investigate ice dynamics between 1963 and 2022. Our results
support previous observations of extensive grounding line retreat at
Vanderford Glacier, measured at 18.6 km between 1996 and 2020. The
persistent grounding line retreat, averaging 0.8 km yr−1, places
Vanderford Glacier as the fastest retreating glacier in East Antarctica, and
the third fastest in Antarctica, across decadal timescales. Such rapid
retreat is consistent with the hypothesis that warm mCDW is able to access
deep cavities formed below the Vanderford Ice Shelf, driving high rates of
basal melting close to the grounding line. With a retrograde slope observed
inland along the Vanderford Trench, such oceanic forcing may have
significant implications for the future stability of Vanderford Glacier.
Funder
Natural Environment Research Council
Publisher
Copernicus GmbH
Subject
Earth-Surface Processes,Water Science and Technology
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