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Thwaites Glacier (TG) plays an important role in future sea-level rise (SLR) contribution from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Recent observations show that TG is losing mass, and its grounding zone is retreating. Previous modeling has produced a wide range of results concerning whether, when, and how rapidly further retreat will occur under continued warming. These differences arise at least in part from ill-constrained processes, including friction from the bed, and future atmosphere and ocean forcing affecting ice-shelf and grounding-zone buttressing. Here, we apply the Ice Sheet and Sea-level System Model (ISSM) with a range of specifications of basal sliding behavior in response to varying ocean forcing. We find that basin-wide bed character strongly affects TG's response to sub-shelf melt by modulating how changes in driving stress are balanced by the bed as the glacier responds to external forcing. Resulting differences in dynamic thinning patterns alter modeled grounding-line retreat across Thwaites' catchment, affecting both modeled rates and magnitudes of SLR contribution from this critical sector of the ice sheet. Bed character introduces large uncertainties in projections of TG under equal external forcing, pointing to this as a crucial constraint needed in predictive models of West Antarctica.

Direct observations of the size of the Greenland Ice Sheet during Quaternary interglaciations are sparse yet valuable for testing numerical models of ice-sheet history and sea level contribution. Recent measurements of cosmogenic nuclides in bedrock from beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet collected during past deep-drilling campaigns reveal that the ice sheet was significantly smaller, and perhaps largely absent, sometime during the past 1.1 million years. These discoveries from decades-old basal samples motivate new, targeted sampling for cosmogenic-nuclide analysis beneath the ice sheet. Current drills available for retrieving bed material from the US Ice Drilling Program require < 700 m ice thickness and a frozen bed, while quartz-bearing bedrock lithologies are required for measuring a large suite of cosmogenic nuclides. We find that these and other requirements yield only ∼ 3.4 % of the Greenland Ice Sheet bed as a suitable drilling target using presently available technology. Additional factors related to scientific questions of interest are the following: which areas of the present ice sheet are the most sensitive to warming, where would a retreating ice sheet expose bare ground rather than leave a remnant ice cap, and which areas are most likely to remain frozen bedded throughout glacial cycles and thus best preserve cosmogenic nuclides? Here we identify locations beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet that are best suited for potential future drilling and analysis. These include sites bordering Inglefield Land in northwestern Greenland, near Victoria Fjord and Mylius-Erichsen Land in northern Greenland, and inland from the alpine topography along the ice margin in eastern and northeastern Greenland. Results from cosmogenic-nuclide analysis in new sub-ice bedrock cores from these areas would help to constrain dimensions of the Greenland Ice Sheet in the past.

Marine-terminating glaciers lose mass through melting and iceberg calving, and we find that meltwater drainage systems influence calving timing at Helheim Glacier, a tidewater glacier in East Greenland. Meltwater feeds a buoyant subglacial discharge plume at the terminus of Helheim Glacier, which rises along the glacial front and surfaces through the mélange. Here, we use high-resolution satellite and time-lapse imagery to observe the surface expression of this meltwater plume and how plume timing and location compare with that of calving and supraglacial meltwater pooling from 2011 to 2019. The plume consistently appeared at the central terminus even as the glacier advanced and retreated, fed by a well-established channelized drainage system with connections to supraglacial water. All full-thickness calving episodes, both tabular and non-tabular, were separated from the surfacing plume by either time or by space. We hypothesize that variability in subglacial hydrology and basal coupling drive this inverse relationship between subglacial discharge plumes and full-thickness calving. Surfacing plumes likely indicate a low-pressure subglacial drainage system and grounded terminus, while full-thickness calving occurrence reflects a terminus at or close to flotation. Our records of plume appearance and full-thickness calving therefore represent proxies for the grounding state of Helheim Glacier through time.

Glacial hydraulic tremor (GHT) can be monitored to observe changes in location and distribution of water flow beneath glacial ice, allowing the spatiotemporal evolution of subglacial hydrology to be studied continuously and remotely. We use frequency-dependent polarization analysis (FDPA) to classify types of GHT and assess its spatio-temporal extent beneath Rhonegletscher, Switzerland, in a continuous seismic record through 2018 and 2019 at three ice-proximal bedrock-based seismometers. We determine the frequency bands composing the GHT and calculate back azimuth angles pointing to a previously known subglacial channel. We also inspect the relationship between GHT seismic power and water discharge from the glacier to compare daily and seasonal shifts with the observed GHT. We observed the seasonal shift from a distributed system to a channelized system, and our dataset allowed comparison of channel locations within and across seasons, with implications for sediment evacuation and bed erosion. The successful use of this method to assess GHT previously on Taku glacier (the methods of which this project follows) and now Rhonegletscher shows that existing ice-proximal passive seismic installations can be used to easily and continuously monitor subglacial hydraulic activity., Journal of Glaciology, 69 (274), ISSN:0022-1430, ISSN:1727-5652

Seismic studies of glaciers yield insights into spatio-temporal processes within and beneath glaciers on scales relevant to flow and deformation of the ice. These methods enable direct monitoring of the bed in ways that complement other geophysical techniques, such as geodetic or ground penetrating radar observations. In this work, we report on the analysis of passive seismic data collected from the interior of the North East Greenland Ice Stream, the Greenland ice sheet's largest outlet glacier. We record thousands of basal earthquakes, many of which repeat with nearly identical waveforms. We also record many long-duration glacial tremor episodes that migrate across the seismic network with slow velocities (e.g. ~4–12 m s−1). Analysis of the basal earthquakes indicates a transition between times of individual event activity and times of tremor activity. We suggest that both processes are produced by shear slip at localized asperities along the bed. The transition between discrete and quasi-continuous slipping modes may be driven by pore-water pressure transients or heterogeneous strain accumulation in the ice due to strength contrasts of the underlying till.

We describe elongate, wet, subglacial bedforms in the shear margins of the NE Greenland Ice Stream and place some constraints on their formation. Lateral shear margin moraines have been observed across the previously glaciated landscape, but little is known about the ice-flow conditions necessary to form these bedforms. Here we describe in situ sediment bedforms under the NE Greenland Ice Stream shear margins that are observed in active-source seismic and ground-penetrating radar surveys. We find bedforms in the shear margins that are ~500 m wide, ~50 m tall, and elongated nearly parallel to ice-flow, including what we believe to be the first subglacial observation of a shear margin moraine. Acoustic impedance analysis of the bedforms shows that they are composed of unconsolidated, deformable, water-saturated till. We use these geophysical observations to place constraints on the possible formation mechanism of these subglacial features.

Three holes were drilled to the bed of Rutford Ice Stream, through ice up to 2154 m thick, to investigate the basal processes and conditions associated with fast ice flow and the glacial history of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A narrative of the drilling, measuring and sampling activities, as well as some preliminary results and initial interpretations of subglacial conditions, is given. These were the deepest subglacial access holes ever drilled using the hot-water drilling method. Samples of bed and englacial sediments were recovered, and a number of instruments were installed in the ice column and the bed. The ice–bed interface was found to be unfrozen, with an existing, well-developed subglacial hydrological system at high pressure, within ~1% of the ice overburden. The bed itself comprises soft, water-saturated sediments, consistent with previous geophysical interpretations. Englacial sediment quantity varies significantly between two locations ~2 km apart, and possibly over even shorter (~20 m) distances. Difficulties and unusual observations encountered while connecting to the subglacial hydrological system in one hole possibly resulted from the presence of a large clast embedded in the bottom of the ice.

Recent seismic measurements from upper Thwaites Glacier indicate that the bed-type variability is closely related to the along-flow basal topography. In high-relief subglacial highlands, stoss sides of topographic highs have a relatively higher acoustic impedance (‘hard’ bed) with lower acoustic impedance (‘soft’ till) on lee sides. This pattern is similar to observations of many deglaciated terrains. Subglacial hydraulic-potential gradient and its divergence show a tendency for water to diverge over the stoss sides and converge into the lee sides. Convergence favors a thicker or more widespread water system, which can more efficiently decouple ice from the underlying till. Under such circumstances, till deformation does occur but, fluxes are relatively small. Till carried from the lee sides onto stoss sides of downstream bumps should couple to the ice more efficiently, increasing the ability for transport by till deformation. In turn, this suggests that steady-state till transport can be achieved if the stoss-side till layer is thin or discontinuous. In addition, the large basal shear stress generated in the highlands seems too high for a bed lubricated by a continuous although thin deforming till, suggesting till discontinuity, which would allow debris-laden ice to erode bedrock on stoss sides, supplying additional till for transport.

The history of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been influenced by the geodynamic response to ice sheet fluctuations, and this interaction may help explain past deglaciations under modest climate forcing. We hypothesize that when the Iceland hot spot passed beneath north‐central Greenland, it thinned the lithosphere and left anomalous heat likely with partially melted rock; however, it did not break through the crust to supply voluminous flood basalts. Subsequent Plio‐Pleistocene glacial‐interglacial cycles caused large and rapidly migrating stresses, driving dike formation and other processes that shifted melted rock toward the surface. The resulting increase in surface geothermal flux favored a thinner, faster‐responding ice sheet that was more prone to deglaciation. If this hypothesis of control through changes in geothermal flux is correct, then the long‐term (10 (sup 5) to 10 (sup 6) years) trend now is toward lower geothermal flux, but with higher‐frequency (less than or equal to 10( sup 4) to 10 (sup 5) years) oscillations linked to glacial‐interglacial cycles. Whether the geothermal flux is increasing or decreasing now is not known but is of societal relevance due to its possible impact on ice flow. We infer that projections of the future of the ice sheet and its effect on sea level must integrate geologic and geophysical data as well as glaciological, atmospheric, oceanic, and paleoclimatic information.

The grounding zone of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica, exhibits an abrupt transition in basal properties from the grounded ice to the ocean cavity over distances of less than 0.5–1 km. Active-source seismic methods reveal the downglacier-most grounded portion of the ice stream is underlain by a relatively stiff substrate (relatively high shear wave velocities of 1100±430 m s−1) compared to the deformable till found elsewhere beneath the ice stream. Changes in basal reflectivity in our study area cannot be explained by the stage of the tide. Several kilometres upstream of the grounding zone, layers of subglacial water are detected, as are regions that appear to be water layers but are less than the thickness resolvable by our technique. The presence of stiff subglacial sediment and thin water layers upstream of the grounding zone supports previous studies that have proposed the dewatering of sediment within the grounding zone and the trapping of subglacial water upstream of the ocean cavity. The setting enables calibration of our methodology using returns from the floating ice shelf. This allows a comparison of different techniques used to estimate the sizes of the seismic sources, a constraint essential for the accurate recovery of subglacial properties. We find a strong correlation (coefficient of determination=0.46) between our calibrated method and a commonly used multiple-bounce method, but our results also highlight the incomplete knowledge of other factors affecting the amplitude of seismic sources and reflections in the cryosphere.

Microseismicity, induced by the sliding of a glacier over its bed, can be used to characterize frictional properties of the ice‐bed interface, which are a key parameter controlling ice stream flow. We use naturally occurring seismicity to monitor spatiotemporally varying bed properties at Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. We locate 230000 micro‐earthquakes with local magnitudes from –2.0 to –0.3 using 90 days of recordings from a 35‐station seismic network located ∼40 km upstream of the grounding line. Events exclusively occur near the ice‐bed interface and indicate predominantly flow‐parallel stick‐slip. They mostly lie within a region of interpreted stiff till and along the likely stiffer part of mega‐scale glacial landforms. Within these regions, micro‐earthquakes occur in spatially (

We describe methods for measuring crystal orientation fabric with sonic waves in an ice core borehole, with special attention paid to vertical-girdle fabrics that are prevalent at the WAIS Divide. The speed of vertically propagating compressional waves in ice is influenced by vertical clustering of the ice crystal c-axes. Shear-wave speeds – particularly the speed separation between fast and slow shear polarizations – are sensitive to azimuthal anisotropy. Sonic data from the WAIS Divide complement thin-section measurements of fabric. Thin sections show a steady transition to strong girdle fabrics in the upper 2000 m of ice, followed by a transition to vertical-pole fabrics below 2500 m depth. Compressional-wave sonic data are inconclusive in the upper ice, due to noise, as well as the method's inherent insensitivity to girdle fabrics. Compared with available thin sections, sonic data provide better resolution of the transition to pole fabrics below 2500 m, notably including an abrupt increase in vertical clustering near 3000 m. Our compressional-wave measurements resolve fabric changes occurring over depth ranges of a few meters that cannot be inferred from available thin sections, but are sensitive only to zenithal anisotropy. Future logging tools should be designed to measure shear waves in addition to compressional waves, especially for logging in regions where ice flow patterns favor the development of girdle fabrics.

We present a comprehensive ice-penetrating radar survey of a subglacial embayment and adjacent peninsula along the grounding zone of Whillans Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Through basal waveform and reflectivity analysis, we identify four distinct basal interfaces: (1) an ice–water-saturated till interface inland of grounding; (2) a complex interface in the grounding zone with variations in reflectivity and waveforms caused by reflections from fluting, sediment deposits and crevasses; (3) an interface of anomalously low reflectivity downstream of grounding in unambiguously floating areas of the embayment due to basal roughness and entrained debris; and (4) a high-reflectivity ice–seawater interface that occurs immediately seaward of grounding at the subglacial peninsula and several kilometers seaward of grounding in the embayment, occurring after basal debris and grounding-zone flutes have melted off the ice bottom. Sediment deposition via basal debris melt-out occurs in both locations. The higher basal-melt rate at the peninsula contributes to greater grounding-line stability by enabling faster construction of a stabilizing sediment wedge. In the embayment, the low slopes of the ice bottom and bed prevent development of a strong thermohaline circulation leading to a lower basal-melt rate and less-rapid sediment deposition. Thus, grounding lines in subglacial embayments are more likely to lack stabilizing sediment deposits and are more prone to external forcing, whether from the ocean, the subglacial water system, or large-scale ice dynamics. Our conclusions indicate that subglacial peninsulas and embayments should be treated differently in ice-sheet–ocean models if these models are to accurately simulate grounding-line response to external forcing.

For common-offset radar data, there is no clear way to disentangle path effects from reflector characteristics, so efforts to determine the physical properties at the bed using reflection amplitude are inherently limited by the constraints on englacial attenuation. In this study, we identify the theoretical considerations required for interpreting bistatic radar surveys, and use data collected on the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) and Kamb Ice Stream to compute local attenuation profiles. We found that failing to correct for angle-dependent controls on return power (including antenna directivity, the reflection coefficient, and refractive focusing) can bias the computed attenuation rates as much as 30 dB/km for reflectors at 1 km depth. Because the radiation characteristics are the dominant source of uncertainty in our data, we recommend either a simplified survey design for the future (where the antennae are decoupled from the ice surface), or additional data collection to constrain the near-field permittivity and its effect on the radiation pattern. Depth-averaged attenuation rates computed using CMP methods for deep reflectors yield values >10 dB/km higher than attenuation rates computed using common-offset techniques with the same data. We attribute these anomolously high attenuation rates to additional wavenumber (and therefore, angle) dependent interferences between sub-wavelength reflectors.

A multiple-station technique for localizing glacier calving events is applied to Helheim Glacier in southeastern Greenland. The difference in seismic-wave arrival times between each pairing of four local seismometers is used to generate a locus of possible event origins in the shape of a hyperbola. The intersection of the hyperbolas provides an estimate of the calving location. This method is used as the P and S waves are not distinguishable due to the proximity of the local seismometers to the event and the emergent nature of calving signals. We find that the seismic waves that arrive at the seismometers are dominated by surface (Rayleigh) waves. The surface-wave velocity for Helheim Glacier is estimated using a grid search with 11 calving events identified at Helheim from August 2014 to August 2015. From this, a catalogue of 11 calving locations is generated, showing that calving preferentially happens at the northern end of Helheim Glacier.

We identify a unique type of seismic source in the uppermost part of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet recorded by temporary broadband seismic arrays in East Antarctica. These sources, termed “firnquakes,” are characterized by dispersed surface wave trains with frequencies of 1–10 Hz detectable at distances up to 1000 km. Events show strong dispersed Rayleigh wave trains and an absence of observable body wave arrivals; most events also show weaker Love waves. Initial events were discovered by standard detection schemes; additional events were then detected with a correlation scanner using the initial arrivals as templates. We locate sources by determining the L2 misfit for a grid of potential source locations using Rayleigh wave arrival times and polarization directions. We then perform a multiple-filter analysis to calculate the Rayleigh wave group velocity dispersion and invert the group velocity for shear velocity structure. The resulting velocity structure is used as an input model to calculate synthetic seismograms. Inverting the dispersion curves yields ice velocity structures consistent with a low-velocity firn layer ~100 m thick and show that velocity structure is laterally variable. The absence of observable body wave phases and the relative amplitudes of Rayleigh waves and noise constrain the source depth to be less than 20 m. The presence of Love waves for most events suggests the source is not isotropic. We propose the events are linked to the formation of small crevasses in the firn, and several events correlate with shallow crevasse fields mapped in satellite imagery.

Amplitude analysis of reflection seismic data reveals the presence of highly variable bed conditions under the main sticky spot and adjacent regions of the Kamb Ice Stream (KIS—formerly ice stream C). The sticky spot, which is a zone of bed that imparts high basal resistance to ice flow, is situated on a local topographic high composed of consolidated sediments or sedimentary rock. Any meltwater draining from upglacier along the base of the ice is routed around the sticky spot. The ice over the sticky spot includes, in at least some places, a seismically detectable basal layer containing a low concentration of debris, which locally thickens to 40 m over a topographic low in the bed. The ice-contact basal material ranges from dilated and highly porous to more-compacted and stiff, and perhaps locally frozen. The softer material is preferentially in topographic lows, but there is not a one-to-one correspondence between basal character and basal topography. We speculate that the 40-m-thick frozen-on debris layer formed by glaciohydraulic supercooling of lake-drainage events along a basal channel during the former, active phase of the ice stream. We also speculate that loss of lubricating water, perhaps from piracy upstream, contributed to the slowdown of the ice stream, with drag from the sticky spot playing an important role, and with the basal heterogeneity greatly increasing after the slowdown of the ice stream.

The tidally modulated, stick-slip events of Whillans Ice Stream in West Antarctica produce seismic energy from three locations near the grounding line. Using ice velocity records obtained by combining time series from colocated broadband seismometers and GPS receivers installed on the ice stream during the 2010–2011 and 2011–2012 austral summers, along with far-field seismic recordings of elastic waves, we locate regions of high rupture velocity and stress drop. These regions, which are analogous to “asperities” in traditional seismic fault studies, are areas of elevated friction at the base of the ice stream. Slip events consistently initiate at one of two locations: near the center of the ice stream, where events associated with the Ross Sea high tide originate, or a grounding-line spot, where events associated with the Ross Sea low tide initiate, as well as occasional high-tide events following a skipped low-tide event. The grounding-line site, but not the central site, produces Rayleigh waves observable up to 1000 km away, through fast expansion of the slip area. Grounding-line initiation events also show strong directivity in the downstream direction, indicating initial rupture propagation at 1.5 km/s, compared to an average of 0.150 km/s for the entire slip event. Following slip initiation, additional seismic energy is produced from two sources located near the grounding line: first at the downstream end of Subglacial Lake Engelhardt and second toward the farthest downstream extent of the ice stream. This evidence suggests that the stronger, higher-friction material along the grounding line controls motion throughout the stick-slip region.

The geometry of ice-sheet internal layers is frequently interpreted as an indicator of present and past ice-sheet flow dynamics. One of the primary goals of radio-echo sounding is to accurately reproduce that layer geometry. Internal layers show a loss in reflection amplitude as a function of increasing dip angle. We posit that this energy loss occurs via several mechanisms: destructive interference in trace stacking, energy dispersion through synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing and off-nadir ray path losses. Adjacent traces collected over a dipping horizon contain reflection arrivals which are not in phase. Stacking these traces results in destructive interference. When the phase shift between adjacent traces exceeds one-half wavelength, SAR processing, which otherwise coherently combines data from dipping reflectors, disperses the energy, reducing image quality further. Along with amplitude loss from destructive stacking and SAR dispersion, imaging reflectors from off-nadir angles results in additional travel time and thus additional englacial attenuation relative to horizontal reflectors at similar depths. When selecting radar frequency, spatial sample rate and stacking interval for a given survey, the geometry of the imaging target must be considered. Based on our analysis, we make survey design recommendations for these parameters.

Patterns in radar-detected internal layers in glaciers and ice streams can be tracked hundreds of kilometers downstream. We use distinctive patterns to delineate flowbands of Thwaites Glacier in the Amundsen Sea sector of West Antarctica. Flowbands contain information for the past century to millennium, the approximate time for ice to flow through the study region. GPS-detected flow directions (acquired in 2007/08) agree within uncertainty (~4°) with the radar-detected flowlines, indicating that the flow direction has not changed significantly in recent centuries. In contrast, InSAR-detected directions (from 1996) differ from the radar- and GPS-detected flowlines in all but the middle tributary, indicating caution is needed when using InSAR velocities to define flow directions. There is agreement between all three datasets in the middle tributary. We use two radar-detected flowlines to define a 95 km long flowband and perform a flux balance analysis using InSAR-derived velocities, radar-detected ice thickness, and estimates of the accumulation rate. Inferred thinning of 0.49 ± 0.34 m a–1 is consistent with satellite altimetry measurements, but has higher uncertainty due mainly to the velocity uncertainty. The uncertainty is underestimated because InSAR velocities often differ from GPS velocities by more than the stated uncertainties.

We summarize new observations of the deceleration and stick–slip motion of Whillans Ice Stream (WIS), Antarctica. We refine the location of the large sticky spots that resist motion between slip events, the locations of which are controlled by the patterns of subglacial water flow. Our examination of the long-term velocity time series for the ice stream reveals that the decadal-scale deceleration is not occurring at a steady rate, but varies at the sub-decadal timescale. This unsteady deceleration modulates the temporal evolution of a broad (~50 km across) surface-elevation bulge forming at the junction between the relatively narrow upstream portion of the ice stream and broad ice plain that constitutes the downstream end of WIS. Comparison of observations from April 2003 and November 2010 reveals significant changes in the tidally modulated stick–slip cycle that regulates motion on the ice plain. We observe that the timing of slip events has become less regular in response to decreased flow speed in the upstream portions of the ice stream. The decreased regularity of slip events has reduced the release of stored elastic strain during slip events, increasing the rate of deceleration.

We analyze the internal stratigraphy in radio-echo sounding data of the northeast Greenland ice stream to infer past and present ice dynamics. In the upper reaches of the ice stream, we propose that shear-margin steady-state folds in internal reflecting horizons (IRHs) form due to the influence of ice flow over spatially varying basal lubrication. IRHs are generally lower in the ice stream than outside, likely because of greater basal melting in the ice stream from enhanced geothermal flux and heat of sliding. Strain-rate modeling of IRHs deposited during the Holocene indicates no recent major changes in ice-stream vigor or extent in this region. Downstream of our survey, IRHs are disrupted as the ice flows into a prominent overdeepening. When combined with additional data from other studies, these data suggest that upstream portions of the ice stream are controlled by variations in basal lubrication whereas downstream portions are confined by basal topography.

[1] New laboratory experiments exploring likely subglacial conditions reveal controls on the transition between stable sliding and stick-slip motion of debris-laden ice over rock, with implications for glacier behavior. Friction between a rock substrate and clasts in ice generates heat, which melts nearby ice to produce lubricating water. An increase in sliding speed or an increase in entrained debris raises heat generation and thus meltwater production. Unstable sliding is favored by low initial lubrication followed by rapid meltwater production in response to a velocity increase. Low initial lubrication can result from cold or drained conditions, whereas rapid increase in meltwater generation results from strong frictional heating caused by high sliding velocity or high debris loads. Strengthening of the interface (healing) during “stick” intervals between slip events occurs primarily through meltwater refreezing. When healing and unstable sliding are taken together, the experiments reported here suggest that stick-slip behavior is common from motion of debris-laden glacier ice over bedrock.

[1] Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, has the potential to directly contribute ∼1 m to sea level and currently is losing mass and thinning rapidly. Here, we report on regional results for the Sea-level Response to Ice Sheet Evolution (SeaRISE) experiments and investigate the impact of i) spatial resolution within existing data sets, ii) grounding-zone processes, and iii) till rheology on the dynamics of this outlet glacier. In addition to the SeaRISE data sets, we use detailed aerogeophysical and satellite data from Thwaites Glacier as input to a coupled ice stream/ice-shelf/ocean-plume model that includes oceanic influences across a several kilometers wide grounding zone suggested by new, high-resolution data. Our results indicate that the ice tongue provides limited stability, and that while future atmospheric warming will likely add mass to the surface of the glacier, strong ice stream stabilization on bedrock highs narrower than the length of the grounding zone may be ephemeral if circulating waters substantially reduce basal resistance and enhance melting beneath grounded ice within this zone. However, we find that stability is significantly enhanced by effectively plastic till beds. Accurate projections of future sea level change relies on correct understanding of the till rheology as well as local basal processes near the grounding line.

Active seismic imaging of glaciers and ice sheets is important for constraining inputs to climate models, such as englacial ice fabric and the nature of the basal interface. However, acquiring high-quality seismic data is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Using traditional single-element geophones requires ideal weather conditions (e.g. light winds) and excellent source coupling. In addition, deploying and retrieving these geophones is slow and cumbersome. We have developed a four-element ‘georod’ that enhances signal levels by 20–30dB in a variety of conditions, including blowing snow and poorly coupled source detonations. The long, slender design of these georods makes them easy to deploy and retrieve, allowing researchers to acquire greater line-kilometers of seismic data during field campaigns that are commonly time-constrained.

Pine Island Glacier (PIG), West Antarctica, has been experiencing acceleration in its flow speed and mass loss for nearly two decades, driven in part by an increase in the delivery of relatively warm Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW). However, at present, the configuration of the sub-ice-shelf cavity and bed conditions beneath the PIG ice shelf that dictate such oceanic influences remain poorly understood. Here, we use aerogravity data and ocean bottom depths measured by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to model the bathymetry and sediment layer thickness beneath the PIG ice shelf. Results reveal that the deep basins, previously found by AUV on both landward and seaward sides of a submarine ridge, extend substantially to the north and south. The water column thickness of the basins reaches 400-550 m on the landward side of the ridge and 500-600 m on the seaward side. The sediment layer covers the whole expanse of the seabed beneath the ice shelf, and the thickness is in the range ∼200-1000 m. The thinnest sediments (

[1] Ice shelf response to climate cycling introduces hysteretic behavior in outlet glaciers, with the evolution of meltwater drainage networks enhancing this effect. The 2002 collapse of the Larsen B ice shelf (one of the floating extensions formed from glaciers flowing off the Antarctic Peninsula into the Weddell Sea) followed the development of widespread, poorly drained surface melt ponds during the atypical warmth of the 2001–2002 summer melt season. Yet, for at least the past half century, the floating termini of outlet glaciers in Greenland did not collapse despite being exposed to summer mean temperatures and melt rates that far exceed those recorded in 2001–2002 on the Antarctic Peninsula. We suggest that this paradox can be explained by the advection of well-developed englacial drainage networks within Greenland's extensive ablation zone. The efficiency of this plumbing system limits meltwater ponding within crevasses and the subsequent ice shelf failure observed on the Antarctic Peninsula. Whether progressive or abrupt, ice shelf removal leads to near-synchronous glacier retreat. Conversely, glaciation of fjords is delayed during ice shelf formation. Ultimately, the relatively rapid loss and gradual establishment of ice shelf buttressing amid climate cycling leads to an asymmetric response in outlet glacier dynamics. This asymmetry may have implications for the future of existing and recently calved ice shelves, eustatic sea level, and the hysteretic behavior of ice sheets.

Abrupt changes in crystal-orientation fabric (COF), and therefore viscosity, are observed near the base of the ice sheet throughout West Antarctica. We report on active-source seismic observations from WAIS Divide, mid-stream and downstream on Thwaites Glacier, and the onset region of Bindschadler Ice Stream. These data reveal a prevalence of englacial seismic reflectivity in the bottom quarter of the ice sheet. The observed seismic reflectivity is complex but largely bed-conformable, with long-spatial-wavelength features observed in the flow direction and short-wavelength features observed across flow. A correspondence of englacial structures with bed features is also observed. We determine the origin of the reflectivity to be abrupt changes in the COF of ice, based on the following: (1) observations of englacial reflectivity are consistent with current knowledge of COF within ice sheets, (2) englacial reflectivity caused by COF contrasts requires the simplest genesis, especially at ice divides, and (3) amplitude analysis shows that the observed englacial reflectivity can be explained by contrasts in seismic velocity due to COF changes. We note that the downstream increase in the quantity and complexity of observations indicates that direct observations of COF at ice divides likely underestimate the role that fabric plays in ice-sheet dynamics.

Seismic reflection techniques are a powerful way to probe physical properties of subglacial strata. Inversion of seismic data for physical properties may be hampered, however, by lack of knowledge of the source amplitude as well as lack of knowledge of the compressional and shear attenuation in the ice. New methods are described to measure the source signature that require no a priori knowledge of the ice attenuation profile. Another new method is described to obtain the angular dependence of the subglacial bed reflection coefficient that is relatively insensitive to knowledge of the ice attenuation. Finally, a correction is provided to a long-standing error in the literature regarding measurement of the bed normal incidence reflection coefficient.

Ice-stream velocities can change rapidly. Understanding the spatial and temporal pattern of these changes and the forcings responsible is essential for predicting ice-sheet mass balance. Inland migration of the onset location will lead to more efficient drainage of inland ice. One way to monitor the stability of the onset location is to investigate changes in the velocity field. We report on the velocity near the onset of Bindschadler Ice Stream, West Antarctica, in 2002 and compare these data to the velocity measured in 1996. Mean annual velocities were determined by measuring the GPS position of markers during consecutive seasons. We compare our results with similar measurements from 1996 to investigate temporal changes in this ice-stream onset. Our results indicate that only minimal changes have occurred in the speed of the ice stream between 1996 and 2002.

Contrary to prior expectations that warming would cause mass addition averaged over the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets and over the next century, the ice sheets appear to be losing mass, at least partly in response to recent warming. With warming projected for the future, additional mass loss appears more likely than not.

Outburst flooding from subglacial reservoirs and associated surging of ice-streams are caused by processes following climatic cooling that produce ice-shelf grounding on proglacial sills trapping subglacial water, according to an hypothesis presented here. Glaciers often advance into proglacial water bodies. Cooling may allow ice-shelf formation and advance causing grounding on a proglacial sill, trapping subglacial water. Ice-shelf freeze-on to the sill and development of a local reversal in ice–air surface slope over the sill then are likely, allowing ice thickening and water overpressurization. If basal thawing then occurs, as is likely, an outburst flood and a surge may be triggered. These processes may have been involved in Heinrich events, generation of Antarctic subglacial lakes, and meltwater scouring of some regions.

Sufficiently deep water-filled fractures can penetrate even cold ice-sheet ice, but glaciogenic stresses are typically smaller than needed to propagate water-filled fractures that are less than a few tens of meters deep, as shown by our simplified analytical treatment based on analogous models of magmatic processes. However, water-filled fractures are inferred to reach the bed of Greenland through >1 km of ice and then collapse to form moulins, which are observed. Supraglacial lakes appear especially important among possible crack ‘nucleation’ mechanisms, because lakes can warm ice, supply water, and increase the pressure driving water flow and ice cracking.

A powerful seismic technique that exploits the phase of the ice-bottom reflections shows that soft till is widespread beneath a West Antarctic ice stream very close to the onset of streaming flow. The amplitude vs offset (AVO) method measures the change in amplitude of the reflection as a function of increasing angle of incidence. For a decrease in acoustic impedance with depth, the reflection phase is negative at low angles of impedance but positive at intermediate angles. The change in phase by 180° is an obvious and robust measure of the relative acoustic impedance contrasts. This technique is only usable when there is a change in phase vs offset, conditions which obtain for “UpB-type” tills (high water pressures and porosity, low compressional- and shear-wave velocities, similar to those observed at Upstream B camp). I have applied this technique to the far upstream regions of Ice Stream C and find that a dilatant ( and presumably deforming), relatively thick (meters) till layer has formed beneath the ice stream within tens of km of the region identified as the transition from inland flow to ice-stream flow. These results suggest that the onset of rapid basal motion is linked to the formation of this deforming subglacial layer.

Vigorous flow of central regions of Ice Stream C, West Antarctica, near the UpC camp ended about the year 1830, based on analysis of a firn and ice core taken at the camp. Ice-stream flow was characterized by repeated fracturing and healing, probably subsurface, especially near the onset of streaming flow. High longitudinal stresses caused fracturing, recrystallization of the ice and elongation of bubbles, and enhanced densification rates of high-density firn indicating power-law-creep behavior.

The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS) is the sole interior Greenlandic ice stream. Fast flow initiates near the summit dome, and the ice stream terminates approximately 1000 km downstream in three large outlet glaciers that calve into the Greenland Sea. To better understand this important system, in the summer of 2012 we drilled a 67 m firn core and conducted ground-based radio-echo sounding (RES) and active-source seismic surveys at a site approximately 150 km downstream from the onset of streaming flow (NEGIS firn core, 75°37.61' N, 35°56.49' W). The site is representative of the upper part of the ice stream, while also being in a crevasse-free area for safe surface operations. Annual cycles were observed for insoluble dust, sodium and ammonium concentrations and for electrolytic conductivity, allowing a seasonally resolved chronology covering the past 400 yr. Annual layer thicknesses averaged 0.11 m ice equivalent (i.e.) for the period 1607–2011, although accumulation varied between 0.08 and 0.14 m i.e., likely due to flow-related changes in surface topography. Tracing of RES layers from the NGRIP (North Greenland Ice Core Project) ice core site shows that the ice at NEGIS preserves a climatic record of at least the past 51 kyr. We demonstrate that deep ice core drilling in this location can provide a reliable Holocene and late-glacial climate record, as well as helping to constrain the past dynamics and ice–lithosphere interactions of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Satellite passive-microwave sensors provide a sensitive means of studying ice-sheet surface processes that assists ice-core interpretation and can extend local observations across regional scales. Analysis of special sensor microwave/imager (SSM/I) brightness temperature (TB) data supports ice-core research in two specific ways. First, the summer hoar complex layers used to date the Holocene portion of the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 ice core can be defined temporally and spatially by SSM/I 37-GHz vertically (V) and horizontally (H) polarized B ratio (V/H) trends. Second, comparison of automatic weather station temperatures to SSM/I 37-GHz V TB data shows that they are an effective proxy temperature record in this region. Also, the TB data can be correlated with proxy temperature trends from stable-isotope-ratio (δ18O and δD) profiles from snow pits and this allows the assignment of dates to specific snow depths.

The seismicity rate beneath the downglacier 85 km of ice stream C, West Antarctica, is modulated by the tide. The tide beneath the Ross Ice Shelf modifies the force balance of the ice stream basal environment enough to change the rate of basal microearthquake generation by an order of magnitude. This tidal forcing travels up the ice stream as an attenuating wave at approximately 1.6m s−1 and is detectable 85km from the grounding line. We successfully model this behavior as an elastic ice stream underlain by a viscous substrate of viscosity η and thickness hb and calculate that the substrate has an apparent stiffness η/hb of O(108) Pa s m−1. This finding suggests that the conditions of the till layer at the bed of ice stream C are similar to those of ice stream B and that the reason for the recent stagnation of ice stream C is other than loss of till. We further find that the ice stream at the grounding line is more strongly affected by ice shelf processes than by the basal shear stress.

By fitting a very simple atmospheric impurity model to high-resolution data on ice accumulation and contaminant fluxes in the GISP2 ice core, we have estimated changes in the atmospheric concentrations of soluble major ions, insoluble particulates and10Be during the transition from glacial to Holocene conditions. For many species, changes in concentration in the ice typically overestimate atmospheric changes, and changes in flux to the ice typically underestimate atmospheric changes, because times of increased atmospheric contaminant loading are also times of reduced snowfall. The model interpolates between the flux and concentration records by explicitly allowing for wet- and dry-deposition processes. Compared to the warm Preboreal that followed, we estimate that the atmosphere over Greenland sampled by snow accumulated during the Younger Dryas cold event contained on average four–seven times the insoluble particulates and nearly seven times the soluble calcium derived from continental sources, and about three times the sea salt but only slightly more cosmogenic10Be.

[1] Seismic attenuation α, or internal friction Q−1, in glacial ice is highly sensitive to temperature, particularly near the melting point. Here we detail a technique to estimate Q and apply it to active source seismic data from Jakobshavn Isbrae, Greenland. We compare our results to measured and modeled temperature profiles of the ice in the region. We find an excellent match, with differences between seismically estimated and modeled temperatures of less than 2°C. Mapping variations in seismic Q through glacial ice thus is shown to allow detailed estimation of englacial temperature profiles, which may be of special value in regions where in situ measurements are logistically difficult.

We calibrate theδ18O paleothermometer for central Greenland using borehole temperatures, a thermal model forced by a measuredδ18O record and a formal inverse technique. The calibration is determined mostly by temperature fluctuations of the last several centuries, including the Little Ice Age. Results are generally insensitive to model variables, including initial condition, basal boundary condition, parameterization of snow thermal properties, ice thickness and likely errors in temperature and isotope measurements. Results of this borehole calibration also seem to be in agreement with modern spatial gradients ofδ18O and temperature. We suggest that calibrations of isotopic paleothermometers using borehole temperatures are a useful paleoclimate tool, because they are independent of spatial gradients and include the effects of prehistoric temperatures over ice sheets.

We calibrate the δ18O paleothermometer for central Greenland using borehole temperatures, a thermal model forced by a measured δ18O record and a formal inverse technique. The calibration is determined mostly by temperature fluctuations of the last several centuries, including the Little Ice Age. Results are generally insensitive to model variables, including initial condition, basal boundary condition, parameterization of snow thermal properties, ice thickness and likely errors in temperature and isotope measurements. Results of this borehole calibration also seem to be in agreement with modern spatial gradients of δ18O and temperature. We suggest that calibrations of isotopic paleothermometers using borehole temperatures are a useful paleoclimate tool, because they are independent of spatial gradients and include the effects of prehistoric temperatures over ice sheets.

c-axis fabrics of the GISP2 ice core from central Greenland have been measured rapidly and accurately in the field, using both compressional and shear waves generated by an inexpensive, commercially available, “idiot-proof” device. Compressional-wave data were collected at 10 m intervals for the upper 2250 m of the ice sheet and show progressive clustering ofcaxes toward the vertical with increasing depth but no large steps at climatic boundaries in the core. The degree of clustering measured by ultrasound agrees closely with that measured using traditional optical techniques but the ultrasound technique is easier and faster than optical methods. A slight asymmetry in thec-axis clustering is revealed by the shear-wave data and increases with increasing depth, indicating that deformation is not symmetric about the vertical at the site.

[1] Rapid melting beneath the Ross Ice Shelf (RIS) occurs near the ice front, likely in response to a secondary buoyant plume with tidal mixing, and is sensitive to seasonal water temperatures in front of the ice shelf. The front of the RIS is examined using GLAS ICESat laser altimetry data. Spatial and temporal changes in surface elevations are attributed to enhanced basal melting of the ice shelf near the ice front. Melt rates (b) increase exponentially as the front is approached, from approximately zero at 40 km from the front to an average of 2.8 ± 1.0 m a−1 within the front kilometer. Melt estimates within the front 60 km are best fit by the relationship b = 2.0 × exp(−x/11900) m a−1, where x denotes distance from the front. Frontal melt totals approximately 16 km3 a−1 in the front 40 km, which accounts for between 10% and 40% of current published estimates of total melt beneath the RIS. Spatial averaging along the front reveals a different pattern of melt in regions that have recently calved as compared to regions that have not calved. Frontal melt is modeled as a one-dimensional buoyant plume with tidal currents included. These model results imply that modest increases in sea surface temperatures will lead to considerable increases in melting beneath the ice shelf front.

Micro-earthquakes have been monitored at two locations on Ice Stream Β and one on Ice Stream C using a seismographic array built specifically for that purpose. Subglacial micro-earthquakes arc 20 times more abundant beneath Ice Stream C than beneath Ice Stream B, despite the 100 times more rapid movement of Ice Stream B. Triangulation shows the foci beneath Ice Stream C, like those beneath Ice Stream B, to be within a few meters of the base of the ice, presumably within the uppermost part of the bed, and fault-plane analysis indicates slips on horizontal planes at about a 30° angle to the presumed direction of formerly active flow. Source parameters, computed from spectra of the arrivals, confirmed that the speed of slip is three orders of magnitude faster beneath Ice Stream C than beneath Ice Stream Β which means that a five orders-of-magnitude greater fraction of the velocity of Ice Stream C is contributed by the faulting, although that fraction is still small. We attribute the difference in activity beneath the two ice streams to the loss of dilatancy in the till beneath Ice Stream C in the process that led to its stagnation.

Formation of a surface-hoar/depth-hoar complex at the GISP2 site in central Greenland was correlated with large changes in Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) brightness-temperature data. Pass-averaged SSM/I brightness-temperature data over a 1/2° latitude by 1° longitude cell for the 19 and 37 GHz, vertically (V) and horizontally (Η) polarized bands were manipulated to yield differential (V-Η) trends which clearly show a gradual decline as the hoar formation caused a progressively rougher surface with progressively lower density. The hoar episode ended as snowfall, and high winds buried and destroyed the surface-hoar layer and caused rapid V-Η increases in ≈ 1 day. Comparison of the different trends with changes in the field-monitored variables and theoretical values suggest that the V-Η trends are sensitive primarily to changes in surface roughness, and secondarily to near-surface density changes. Consistent expression of trends in microwave brightness temperature over 35 adjacent study cells indicates that this technique may provide a remote-sensing signature capable of defining the timing and spatial extent of surface- and depth-hoar formation in central Greenland.

[1] We derive a model for crustal shear wave velocities in the Transantarctic Mountains and surrounding areas of East Antarctica and the Ross Sea region of West Antarctica using Rayleigh wave Green's functions estimated from the cross correlation of ambient seismic noise recorded by the Transantarctic Mountains Seismic Experiment. Group velocity maps are determined from travel times measured from the Rayleigh waves filtered at periods between 5 and 23 s. The velocity maps are inverted for shear velocities across the region using a niching genetic algorithm. We observe only minor variation in crustal velocities beneath East Antarctica and the Transantarctic Mountains, and velocities are similar to those observed for Precambrian crust worldwide. Low velocities, which may be related to the presence of sediment, are observed at shallow depths beneath the Wilkes Subglacial Basin and the Aurora Subglacial Basin, but dispersion curves show that sediment thickness must be limited to less than about 2 km. In the Ross Sea, we observe low velocities at shallow depths from thick sediments and high velocities approaching mantle values between 16 and 20 km depth.