Organization of ice flow by localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 43; no. 7; pp. 3342 - 3350
• Main Authors: Pittard, M. L., Galton‐Fenzi, B. K., Roberts, J. L., Watson, C. S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington John Wiley & Sons, Inc 16-04-2016
• Subjects: Continental crust; Dynamic tests; Dynamical systems; Dynamics; East Antarctic Ice Sheet; Estimates; Fluctuations; Geophysics; Geothermal; geothermal heat flux; Glaciers; Heat flux; Heat transfer; Ice; ice dynamics; ice sheet modeling; Ice sheets; Lambert‐Amery glacial system; Laminar flow; radiogenic crustal heat production; Antarctica, East Antarctica
• ISSN: 0094-8276; 1944-8007
• DOI: 10.1002/2016GL068436

The impact of localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux on ice sheet dynamics is largely unknown. Simulations of ice dynamics are produced using poorly resolved and low‐resolution estimates of geothermal heat flux. Observations of crustal heat production within the continental crust underneath the Lambert‐Amery glacial system in East Antarctica indicate that high heat flux regions of at least 120 mW m−2 exist. Here we investigate the influence of simulated but plausible, localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux on ice dynamics using a numerical ice sheet model of the Lambert‐Amery glacial system. We find that high heat flux regions have a significant effect across areas of slow‐moving ice with the influence extending both upstream and downstream of the geothermal anomaly, while fast‐moving ice is relatively unaffected. Our results suggest that localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux may play an important role in the organization of ice sheet flow.
Key Points
Localized regions of elevated geothermal heat flux may organize ice flow in regions of relatively slow ice flow
Fast‐flowing glaciers are unaffected by localized elevated geothermal heat flux
Improved estimates of fine‐scale geothermal heat flux are needed to assess possible impacts on ice dynamics and mass budget estimates