New boundary conditions for the West Antarctic ice sheet: Subglacial topography beneath Pine Island Glacier

Predictions about future changes in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) have been hampered by poorly known subglacial topography. Extensive airborne survey has allowed us to derive improved subglacial topography for the Pine Island Glacier basin. The trunk of this glacier...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Geophysical research letters Vol. 33; no. 9; pp. L09501 - n/a
Main Authors:	Vaughan, David G., Corr, Hugh F. J., Ferraccioli, Fausto, Frearson, Nicholas, O'Hare, Aidan, Mach, Dieter, Holt, John W., Blankenship, Donald D., Morse, David L., Young, Duncan A.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Washington, DC American Geophysical Union 01-05-2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Subjects:	Cryosphere Earth sciences Earth, ocean, space Exact sciences and technology Geodesy and Gravity Glaciology Global Change Ice sheets Marine Ocean/Earth/atmosphere/hydrosphere/cryosphere interactions Sea level change Narrows New York Amundsen Sea United States Southern Ocean Antarctica Antarctic ice sheet PSW, Amundsen Sea Antarctica, Ellsworth Land, Pine Island Glacier Antarctica, West Antarctica, West Antarctic Ice Sheet troughs glaciers tributaries isostatic rebound topography surveys ice Convective instability global deglaciation slopes North America Ice stream ice streams bedrock islands prediction polar regions boundary conditions collapse sea level
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Summary:	Predictions about future changes in the Amundsen Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet (WAIS) have been hampered by poorly known subglacial topography. Extensive airborne survey has allowed us to derive improved subglacial topography for the Pine Island Glacier basin. The trunk of this glacier lies in a narrow, 250‐km long, 500‐m deep sub‐glacial trough, suggesting a long‐lived and constrained ice stream. Two tributaries lie in similar troughs, others lie in less defined, shallower troughs. The lower basin of the glacier is surrounded by bedrock, which, after deglaciation and isostatic rebound, could rise above sea level. This feature would impede ice‐sheet collapse initiated near the grounding line of this glacier, and prevent its progress into the deepest portions of WAIS. The inland‐slope of the bed beneath the trunk of the glacier, however, confirms potential instability of the lower basin, containing sufficient ice to raise global sea by ∼24 cm.
Bibliography:	ArticleID:2005GL025588 ark:/67375/WNG-VH8FQ01Q-7 istex:45093B9E60EFD75FDFA66EEBC6F1DD40A6575F33 10.1029/2005GL025561 This is a commentary on DOI ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0094-8276 1944-8007
DOI:	10.1029/2005GL025588