Changes in vertical ice extent along the East Antarctic Ice Sheet margin in western Dronning Maud Land – initial field and modelling results of the MAGIC-DML collaboration

Constraining numerical ice sheet models by comparison with observational data is crucial to address the interactions between cryosphere and climate at a wide range of scales. Such models are tested and refined by comparing model predictions of past ice geometries with field-based reconstructions from geological, geomorphological, and ice core data. However, for the East Antarctic Ice sheet, there is a critical gap in the empirical data necessary to reconstruct changes in ice sheet geometry in the Dronning Maud Land (DML) region. In addition, there is poor control on the regional climate history of the ice sheet margin, because ice-core locations, where detailed reconstructions of climate history exist, are located on high inland domes. This leaves numerical models ofregional glaciation history in this near-coastal area largely unconstrained. MAGIC-DML is an ongoing Swedish-US-Norwegian-German-UK collaboration with a focus on improvingice sheet models of the western DML margin by combining advances in modeling with filling critical data gaps regarding the timing and pattern of ice-surface changes. A combination of geomorphological mapping using remote sensing data, field observations, cosmogenic nuclide surface exposure dating, and numerical ice sheetmodeling are being used in an iterative manner to produce a comprehensive reconstruction of the glacial historyof western DML. Here, we present an overview of the project, field evidence for formerly higher ice surfaces and in-situ cosmogenic nuclide measurements from the 2016/17 expedition. Preliminary field evidence indicate that interior sectors of DML have experienced a general decrease in ice sheet thickness since the late Miocene, with potential episodes of increasing thickness in the late Pleistocene (700-300 ka, 250-75 ka). To aid in interpreting these field data, new high-resolution ice sheet model reconstructions, constraining ice sheet configurations during key episodes, are presented

Mid-Pleistocene ice sheet fluctuations from cosmogenic nuclide field constraints in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

The East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) is generally assumed to have been relatively insensitive to Quaternary climat echange. However, recent studies have shown potential instabilities in coastal, marine sectors of the EAIS. In addition, long-term climate reconstructions and modelling experiments indicate the potential for significant changes in ice volume and ice sheet configuration since the Pliocene. Hence, more empirical evidence for ice surface and ice volume changes is required to discriminate between contrasting inferences. MAGIC-DML is an ongoing Swedish-US-Norwegian-German-UK collaboration focused on improving ice sheetm odels by filling critical data gaps that exist in our knowledge of the timing and pattern of ice surface changes along the western Dronning Maud Land (DML) margin and combining this with advances in numerical techniques. As part of the project, field studies in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 austral summers targeted selected sites spanning accessible altitudes in the Heimefrontfjella, Vestfjella, Ahlmannryggen, Borgmassivet, and Kirwanveggen nunatakranges for in situcosmogenic nuclide sampling. Comparing concentrations of nuclides with widely differing half-lives in bedrock and erratics from a range of altitudes above modern ice surfaces can provide information on ice sheet fluctuations and complex burial and exposure histories, and thus, past configurations of non-erosive ice. Quartz-bearing rock types were sampled and analyzed for 10Be (t1/21.4 My),14C (t1/25.7 ky),26Al (t1/2705ky), and 21Ne (stable), and mafic lithologies for36Cl (t1/2301 ky). Results thus far for 3210Be and 26Al isotope pairs complemented with seven21Ne measurements have yielded some consistent patterns of paleoglaciation for the western DML margin. Eight out of fourteen bedrock samples from high-elevation (1700-2238 m a.s.l.) ridges and summits return some of the oldest exposure ages in Antarctica and have consistent 10Be,26Al, and 21Ne minimum apparent exposure ages of 1.8-4.1 Ma. Initial results therefore indicate that parts of the ice sheet marginal to the Antarctic plateau, along the Heimefrontfjella range, generally have experienced a decrease in ice thickness since the late Miocene. Another six bedrock samples (1556-1732 ma.s.l.) fall in the 300-700 ka range, and they all show significant burial. At face value, perhaps this indicates aregional ice sheet surface above 1700 m a.s.l. for much of the Plio-early Pleistocene. All other samples analyzedto date are erratics from lower elevation and more coastal sites (10 from nunataks at 553-1400 m a.s.l., and 6 froma surface moraine at 1385 m a.s.l.), exhibiting ages between 59 and 275 ka, save for two (4 and 6 ka). Whereas almost all of the nunatak erratics (including the young ones) show significant burial durations, five of the six surface moraine samples do not. These 2016/17 field samples are not yet leading to conclusive age constraints but already start to paint a picture of the western DML margin being relatively stable although there was possibly one or more episodes of relatively limited ice thickening during the last 700 ka

The Late Glacial History of the Magellan Strait in southern Patagonia, Chile : Testing the Applicability of KF-IRSL Dating

The timing of the ice margin retreat of the Late Glacial Patagonian ice sheet (PIS) in southern Patagonia has been the object of discussion for many years. In order to resolve questions about the complex response of the PIS to past climate change; geological interpretation and modelling data needs evaluation against absolute chronology. The aim of this project is to re-map the landforms and sediment of the Magellan Strait, to reconstruct the late glacial ice retreat during the deglaciation and to investigate the applicability of OSL dating to glaciofluvial sediment from this region. Unfortunately previous studies have shown that the quartz OSL luminescence characteristics, of this region, are unsuitable for dating. Therefore the potential of K-feldspar IRSL signals are reviewed and examined. Samples were collected from landforms interpreted as being deposited during the deglaciation of the Magellan ice lobe, with an expected age range between 17.5 and 23 ka, and from recently deposited sediments (<1 ka). Small aliquots and single grain distributions were studied by applying a IR50 SAR protocol with IRSL stimulation at 50°C for 100 s and a preheat of 250 °C (held at 60 s) are measured.  Appropriate uncertainties were assigned to the dose distribution data, by quantifying the laboratory over-dispersion (σOD) parameter (22.2% for small aliquots and 17.7 % for single grains) in laboratory bleached and γ-irradiated samples.  Thereafter the possible effects of incomplete bleaching and anomalous fading were examined. For the natural samples environmental over-dispersions between 30–130 % and mean interpreted residual doses between ~30 and 80 Gy were observed. Statistical models were further applied to identify the part of the dose population that was most likely to have been completely bleached. The models are consistent with each other which imply that they successfully identified the fully-bleached grains in the distributions; however observed discrepancies between the small aliquot and single grain data were also discussed. Large g2day values (on average 7.92±0.6%/decade for large aliquots) were observed but nevertheless, comparing our fading corrected ages to the expected age range result in 2 out of 3 ages consistent with geological interpretation and an established radiocarbon and cosmogenic nuclide chronology suggesting that this correction was done successfully. The results of these investigations suggest that small aliquot/single grain fading can be corrected for using an average value and that KF-IRSL dating is applicable in this part of Southern Patagonia. The third age is supported by an alternative geological interpretation while the two consistent ages imply that in the Magellan Strait the hills of the Brunswick peninsula (70-100 m.a.s.l) were deglaciated at around ~21 ka. Finally some recommendations for future research are considered

Deglaciationsförloppet och Isdämda sjöar i Vindelälvens källområde

En detaljerad landformkartering av ett högfjällsområde i Vindelälvens källområde har utförts med syfte att öka kunskapen om inlandsisens dynamik och karaktär (iskantens reträtt, isens aktivitet och rörelseriktningar och isens basala temperatur) under deglaciationen i denna del av den Svenska fjällkedjan. Undersökningsområdet antas ha varit beläget inom det, för inlandsisen, bottenfrusna kärnområde som karaktäriserade det senaste istidsmaximat (LGM). Trots avsaknaden av subglacial smältning under de kallbottnade subglaciala temperaturförhållandena fanns det tillgång på smältvatten. Spår efter forna issjöar och det glacifluviala landformsystemet är därför de enda data som finns för att rekonstruera isens reträttmönster där den varit kallbottnad eller där det är brist på andra landformer. Den flygbildstolkning som genomfördes fokuserade på glaciolakustrina, glaciofluviala och subglaciala landformer. Rekonstruktionen av isreträttmönstet bygger på fördelningen av glacialmorfologin, de dämda issjöarna och den iskant som krävdes för att en dämning av dessa issjöar skulle uppstå. En teoretisk modell för beräkning av isprofilen användes för att öka detaljgraden i rekonstruktionen av isavsmältningen och som kontroll av den landformbaserade rekonstruktionen. Karterade landformer formade basen för issjörekonstruktionen som genomfördes i ett GIS. Som topografiskt underlag användes Lantmäteriets höjddatabas. Iskantlägen rekonstruerade utifrån den teoretiska modellen visade god överensstämmelse med karterade landformer. Åtta issjöar kunde identifieras under arbetets gång. Två av dessa, Vindelälvens issjö och Båssjuosjávrrie – Gávásjávrries issjö, existerade med stor säkerhet och var ett dominerande inslag i landskapsbilden under deglaciationen. De dämdes i nordväst respektive västerut mellan blottade passpunkter i terrängen och den retirerande isen. Dämningen av större smältvattenmassor visar att inlandsisen, i undersökningsområdet, var aktiv under hela deglaciationen och retirerade generellt mot sydost. Deglaciationsmodellen indikerade nordvästliga och västliga isrörelseriktningar, i ett tidigt skede av deglaciationen, och västliga i ett sent skede. Den sista isrörelseriktningen i undersökningsområdet var mot väst och härrörde förmodligen från den sista isdelaren vid lågfjället Kráhpiesvarrie. Den basala temperaturfördelningen i undersökningsområdet får dock ses som oklar pga. tvetydiga bevis.A detailed landform mapping was carried out in the mountain region of the source area of River Vindelälven. The aim of this mapping study was to increase the current knowledge of the dynamics and character (the ice margin retreat, ice flow directions and the subglacial thermal organization) of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet during the last deglaciation in this part of the Swedish mountain range. The study area has been proposed to be situated within the cold based core area that characterized the last Ice age maxima (LGM). However, despite the lack of subglacial melting, glacial meltwater still exists. Traces after ancient glacial lakes and the glaciofluvial landform system are therefore the only data that exist when reconstructing the recession pattern of cold based ice sheets or when there is a general lack of glacial landforms. The aerial photograph interpretation focused on glaciolacustrine, glaciofluvial and subglacial landforms. The reconstruction of the ice sheet recession pattern was thus based on the distribution of the glacial geomorphology, the dammed glacial lakes and the hypothetical damming ice sheet margin. A theoretical model for calculation of the ice surface slope profile was used to increase the detail level of the reconstruction and as a control of the landform based reconstruction. Mapped landforms formed the base for the glacial lake reconstruction that was carried out in a GIS. Lantmäteriets height database was used as a topographical base dataset. Ice sheet margins reconstructed by the theoretical model showed good conformity with the mapped landforms. Eight glacial lakes where identified, two of these, Glacial lake Vindelälven and Glacial lake Båssjuosjávrrie – Gávásjávrries, existed with large safety and where dominant features in the landscape during the deglaciation. They where dammed in the northwest and west respectively between revealed saddle points in the terrain and the retreating ice sheet. The damming of large glacial lakes shows that the ice sheet, in the study area, was active throughout the entire deglaciation. The ice sheet retreated generally towards the southeast. The presented deglaciation model indicated northwesterly and westerly ice flow directions in an early phase of the deglaciation, and westerly in a late phase. The last ice flow direction in the study area was towards west and it stemmed probably from the last ice divide situated above the low fell Kráhpiesvarrie. The subglacial thermal organization in the study area may be viewed as uncertain due to ambiguous evidence

Paleoglaciology of the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, Central Asia

Central Asia is home to some of the highest and most spectacular mountain ranges in the world, including the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains, and plays a major role in global and regional climate and hydrology. Understanding the glacial history of this vast region is important for several reasons, but in particular there is a general lack of paleoclimatic data from this highly continental region, at the confluence of major climate systems, and glaciers are sensitive monitors of climate change. This thesis examines the pattern and history of glacial deposition and erosion in the Tian Shan and Altai Mountains using a combined approach including 1) geomorphological mapping, 2) spatial analysis of glacial geomorphology, 3) hypsometry, 4) Equilibrium Line Altitudes (ELA), and 5) 10Be exposure dating of erratic boulders on glacial landforms. Preliminary mapping of the Altai Mountains suggests the area mainly experienced alpine style glaciations, with glacial centers as ice caps and ice fields located around the higher mountainous areas. This is consistent with previous work on the Tian Shan. For the Tian Shan we have ne

Evaluating the timing of former glacier expansions in the Tian Shan - Supplementary dataset

This document package contains additional data and data analysis supporting the manuscript "Evaluating the timing of former glacier expansion in the Tian Shan: a key step towards robust spatial correlations" by Blomdin et al., Paper IV in the PhD thesis by Robin Blomdin, Stockholm University. The manuscript is currently accepted for publication in Quaternary Science Reviews

Paleoglaciation on opposite flanks of the Ikh-Turgen Mountains - Supplementary dataset

This document describes the extended methodology and supplementary data of the manuscript "Paleoglaciation on opposite flanks of the Ikh-Turgen Mountains, Central Asia: Importance of style of moraine deposition for 10-Be surface exposure dating" by Blomdin et al., Paper II in the PhD thesis by Robin Blomdin, Stockholm University

Timing of the deglaciation in southern Patagonia: Testing the applicability of K-Feldspar IRSL

The timing of the ice margin retreat of the Late Glacial Patagonian Ice Sheet (PIS) in southern Patagonia has been the object of discussion for many years. In order to resolve questions about the complex response of the PIS to past climate change, any geological interpretation and data modelling need evaluation against an absolute chronology. The aim of this project is to investigate the applicability of OSL dating to sediments from southern Patagonia; in particular, we examine the dating potential of K-feldspar IRSL signals. Samples were collected from landforms interpreted as being deposited during deglaciation of the PIS, with an expected age range of 17 and 22 ka, and from recently deposited sediment. We measure small aliquots and single grain distributions using an IR50 SAR protocol with IRSL stimulation at 50 degrees C following a preheat at 250 degrees C (held for 60 s). Uncertainties are assigned to our individual dose estimates based on the over-dispersion (OD) observed in laboratory gamma dose recovery experiments (22% for small aliquots and 18% for single grains). Then the possible effects of incomplete bleaching and differential fading are examined. For our natural samples we observe environmental ODs between 30 and 130% and mean residual doses between similar to 30 and 80 Gy. Minimum age models are used to identify the part of the dose population that is most likely to have been well-bleached and results from these models are compared. The models give ages that are consistent with each other; this may imply that they successfully identified the fully-bleached grains in the distributions, although there are some discrepancies between our small aliquot and single grain data. We observe large fading rates (on average 7.9 +/- 0.6%/decade for large aliquots) but nevertheless a comparison of our fading corrected ages with the expected age range shows that 2 out of 3 ages are consistent with geological interpretation and an established radiocarbon and cosmogenic nuclide chronology. We conclude that these investigations suggest that fading corrections can be based on laboratory average small aliquot/single grain fading rates. The third age is supported by an alternative geological interpretation, and the two ages consistent with the existing chronology imply that in the Strait of the Magellan the hills of the Brunswick peninsula (>70 m.a.s.l) were deglaciated at around 22 ka. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The glacial geomorphology of western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

Reconstructing the response of present-day ice sheets to past global climate change is important for constraining and refining the numerical models which forecast future contributions of these ice sheets to sea-level change. Mapping landforms is an essential step in reconstructing glacial histories. Here we present a new map of glacial landforms and deposits on nunataks in western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Nunataks are mountains or ridges that currently protrude through the ice sheet and may provide evidence that they have been wholly or partly covered by ice, thus indicating a formerly more extensive (thicker) ice sheet. The map was produced through a combination of mapping from Worldview satellite imagery and ground validation. The sub-metre spatial resolution of the satellite imagery enabled mapping with unprecedented detail. Ten landform categories have been mapped, and the landform distributions provide evidence constraining spatial patterns of a previously thicker ice sheet

Glacial geomorphology of the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains, Central Asia

In this article, we present a map of the glacial geomorphology of the Altai andWestern Sayan Mountains, covering an area of almost 600,000 km2. Although numerous studies provide evidence for restricted Pleistocene glaciations in this area, others have hypothesized the past existence of an extensive ice sheet. To provide a framework for accurate glacial reconstructions of the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains, we present a map at a scale of 1:1,000,000 based on a mapping from 30 m resolution ASTER DEM and 15 m/30 mresolution Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery. Four landform classes have been mapped: marginal moraines, glacial lineations, hummocky terrain, and glacial valleys. Our mapping reveals an abundance of glacial erosional and depositional landforms. The distribution of these glacial landforms indicates that the Altai and Western Sayan Mountains have experienced predominantly alpine-style glaciations, with some small ice caps centred on the higher mountain peaks. Large marginal moraine complexes mark glacial advances in intermontane basins. By tracing the outer limits of present-day glaciers, glacial valleys, and moraines, we estimate that the past glacier coverage have totalled to 65,000 km2 (10.9% of the mapped area), whereas present-day glacier coverage totals only 1300 km2 (0.2% of the mapped area). This demonstrates the usefulness of remote sensing techniques for mapping the glacial geomorphology in remote mountain areas and for quantifying the past glacier dimensions. The glacial geomorphological map presented here will be used for further detailed reconstructions of the paleoglaciology and paleoclimate of the region.Central Asia Paleoglaciology Project (CAPP