Subsurface hydrology of an overdeepened cirque glacier.

The article investigates the subsurface hydrological characteristics of an overdeepened cirque glacier on the bed of West Washmawapta Glacier in British Columbia. A survey of nine boreholes that were drilled to the bed revealed the presence of a hydraulically connected subglacial drainage system towards the northern glacier margin based on diurnal pressure and temperature records. The researchers found the potential impact of hydraulic jacking in the overdeepening on basal ice flow an erosion, as well as the potential impact of sediment layer underlying the glacier on hydrology and ice dynamics. Observations show the increase in subglacial water temperatures above the pressure-melting point as a result of the influx of warm groundwater into the basal system.