Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica
We present conventional and swath altimetry data from CryoSat-2, revealing a system of subglacial lakes that drained between June 2013 and January 2014 under the central part of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica (TWG). Much of the drainage happened in less than 6 months, with an apparent connection...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2017-02-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/451/2017/tc-11-451-2017.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818534857765027840 |
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| author | B. E. Smith N. Gourmelen A. Huth I. Joughin |
| author_facet | B. E. Smith N. Gourmelen A. Huth I. Joughin |
| author_sort | B. E. Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present conventional and swath altimetry data from
CryoSat-2, revealing a system of subglacial lakes that drained between June 2013 and January 2014 under the central part of Thwaites Glacier, West
Antarctica (TWG). Much of the drainage happened in less than 6 months,
with an apparent connection between three lakes spanning more than 130 km.
Hydro-potential analysis of the glacier bed shows a large number of small
closed basins that should trap water produced by subglacial melt, although
the observed large-scale motion of water suggests that water can sometimes
locally move against the apparent potential gradient, at least during
lake-drainage events. This shows that there are important limitations in the
ability of hydro-potential maps to predict subglacial water flow. An
interpretation based on a map of the melt rate suggests that lake drainages
of this type should take place every 20–80 years, depending on the
connectivity of the water flow at the bed. Although we observed an
acceleration in the downstream part of TWG immediately before the start of
the lake drainage, there is no clear connection between the drainage and any
speed change of the glacier. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:17:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-417925ff7867494fa1e73cfe1196ddc8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T18:17:04Z |
| publishDate | 2017-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-417925ff7867494fa1e73cfe1196ddc82022-12-22T00:55:23ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242017-02-0111145146710.5194/tc-11-451-2017Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West AntarcticaB. E. Smith0N. Gourmelen1A. Huth2I. Joughin3Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USASchool of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8, ScotlandDepartment of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAApplied Physics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USAWe present conventional and swath altimetry data from CryoSat-2, revealing a system of subglacial lakes that drained between June 2013 and January 2014 under the central part of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica (TWG). Much of the drainage happened in less than 6 months, with an apparent connection between three lakes spanning more than 130 km. Hydro-potential analysis of the glacier bed shows a large number of small closed basins that should trap water produced by subglacial melt, although the observed large-scale motion of water suggests that water can sometimes locally move against the apparent potential gradient, at least during lake-drainage events. This shows that there are important limitations in the ability of hydro-potential maps to predict subglacial water flow. An interpretation based on a map of the melt rate suggests that lake drainages of this type should take place every 20–80 years, depending on the connectivity of the water flow at the bed. Although we observed an acceleration in the downstream part of TWG immediately before the start of the lake drainage, there is no clear connection between the drainage and any speed change of the glacier.http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/451/2017/tc-11-451-2017.pdf |
| spellingShingle | B. E. Smith N. Gourmelen A. Huth I. Joughin Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica The Cryosphere |
| title | Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica |
| title_full | Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica |
| title_fullStr | Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica |
| title_short | Connected subglacial lake drainage beneath Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica |
| title_sort | connected subglacial lake drainage beneath thwaites glacier west antarctica |
| url | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/451/2017/tc-11-451-2017.pdf |
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