DAS field dataset to compare technologies and deployment scenarios – Antarctica Dataset

This report describes a Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) dataset acquired by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the University of Oxford in Antarctic during 2020. The field dataset contributes to the Deliverable D1.1 of the DigiMon project (DAS field dataset to compare technologies and deployment scenarios), which is associated with tasks 1.2 and 1.3 of the project

Constraints on North Anatolian Fault Zone Width in the Crust and Upper Mantle From S Wave Teleseismic Tomography

We present high-resolution S wave teleseismic tomography images of the western segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ) in Turkey using teleseismic data recorded during the deployment period of the Dense Array for Northern Anatolia array. The array comprised 66 stations with a nominal station spacing of 7 km, thus permitting a horizontal and vertical resolution of approximately 15 km. We use the current S wave results with previously published P wave teleseismic tomography to produce maps of relative VP/VSanomalies, which we use to highlight the difference in overall composition of the three terranes separated by the northern (NNAF) and southern branches of the NAFZ. Our results show a narrow S wave low-velocity anomaly beneath the northern branch of the NAFZ extending from the upper crust, where it has a width of ∼10 km, to the lower crust, where it widens to ∼30 km. This low-velocity zone most likely extends into the upper mantle, where we constrain its width to be ≤ 50 km and interpret it as indicative of localized shear beneath the NNAF; this structure is similar to what has been observed for the NAFZ west of 32°, and therefore, we propose that the structure of the NNAF is similar to that of the NAFZ in the east. The southern branch of the NAFZ does not show a very strong signature in our images, and we conclude that it is most likely rooted in the crust, possibly accommodating deformation related to rotation of the Armutlu/Almacik Blocks situated between the two NAFZ branches

Icequake Source Mechanisms for Studying Glacial Sliding

Improving our understanding of glacial sliding is crucial for constraining basal drag in ice dynamics models. We use icequakes, sudden releases of seismic energy as the ice slides over the bed, to provide geophysical observations that can be used to aid understanding of the physics of glacial sliding and constrain ice dynamics models. These icequakes are located at the bed of an alpine glacier in Switzerland and the Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica, two extremes of glacial settings and spatial scales. We investigate a number of possible icequake source mechanisms by performing full waveform inversions to constrain the fundamental physics and stress release during an icequake stick-slip event. Results show that double-couple mechanisms best describe the source for the events from both glacial settings and the icequakes originate at or very near the ice-bed interface. We also present an exploratory method for attempting to measure the till shear modulus, if indirect reflected icequake radiation is observed. The results of this study increase our understanding of how icequakes are associated with basal drag while also providing the foundation for a method of remotely measuring bed shear strengt

Automated detection of basal icequakes and discrimination from surface crevassing

ABSTRACTIcequakes at or near the bed of a glacier have the potential to allow us to investigate the interaction of ice with the underlying till or bedrock. Understanding this interaction is important for studying basal sliding of glaciers and ice streams, a critical process in ice dynamics models used to constrain future sea-level rise projections. However, seismic observations on glaciers can be dominated by seismic energy from surface crevassing. We present a method of automatically detecting basal icequakes and discriminating them from surface crevassing, comparing this method to a commonly used spectrum-based method of detecting icequakes. We use data from Skeidararjökull, an outlet glacier of the Vatnajökull Ice Cap, South-East Iceland, to demonstrate that our method outperforms the commonly used spectrum-based method. Our method detects a higher number of basal icequakes, has a lower rate of incorrectly identifying crevassing as basal icequakes and detects an additional, spatially independent basal icequake cluster. We also show independently that the icequakes do not originate from near the glacier surface. We conclude that the method described here is more effective than currently implemented methods for detecting and discriminating basal icequakes from surface crevassing.Tom Hudson was funded by a the Cambridge Earth System Science NERC Doctoral Training Partnership. The Skeidararjo ̈kull data collection was funded by a BAS innovation grant and NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility Loan 1022. The Rutford data collection was funded by NERC grant NE/B502287/1 and NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility Loan 852. University of Cambridge, Department of Earth Sciences contribution number 4390

Array processing in cryoseismology: a comparison to network-based approaches at an Antarctic ice stream

Seismicity at glaciers, ice sheets, and ice shelves provides observational constraint on a number of glaciologi- cal processes. Detecting and locating this seismicity, specifi- cally icequakes, is a necessary first step in studying processes such as basal slip, crevassing, imaging ice fabric, and iceberg calving, for example. Most glacier deployments to date use conventional seismic networks, comprised of seismometers distributed over the entire area of interest. However, smaller- aperture seismic arrays can also be used, which are typically sensitive to seismicity distal from the array footprint and re- quire a smaller number of instruments. Here, we investigate the potential of arrays and array-processing methods to de- tect and locate subsurface microseismicity at glaciers, bench- marking performance against conventional seismic-network- based methods for an example at an Antarctic ice stream. We also provide an array-processing recipe for body-wave cryoseismology applications. Results from an array and a network deployed at Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica, show that arrays and networks both have strengths and weaknesses. Arrays can detect icequakes from further distances, whereas networks outperform arrays in more comprehensive studies of a particular process due to greater hypocentral constraint within the network extent. We also gain new insights into seismic behaviour at the Rutford Ice Stream. The array de- tects basal icequakes in what was previously interpreted to be an aseismic region of the bed, as well as new icequake observations downstream and at the ice stream shear mar- gins, where it would be challenging to deploy instruments. Finally, we make some practical recommendations for future array deployments at glaciers

Seismic Noise Interferometry and Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS): Inverting for the Firn Layer S ‐Velocity Structure on Rutford Ice Stream, Antarctica

Firn densification profiles are an important parameter for ice-sheet mass balance and palaeoclimate studies. One conventional method of investigating firn profiles is using seismic refraction surveys, but these are difficult to upscale to large-area measurements. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) presents an opportunity for large-scale seismic measurements of firn with dense spatial sampling and easy deployment, especially when seismic noise is used. We study the feasibility of seismic noise interferometry (SI) on DAS data for characterizing the firn layer at the Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Dominant seismic energy appears to come from anthropogenic noise and shear-margin crevasses. The DAS cross-correlation interferometry yields noisy Rayleigh wave signals. To overcome this, we present two strategies for cross-correlations: (a) hybrid instruments—correlating a geophone with DAS, and (b) stacking of selected cross-correlation panels picked in the tau-p domain. These approaches are validated with results derived from an active survey. Using the retrieved Rayleigh wave dispersion curve, we inverted for a high-resolution 1D S-wave velocity profile down to a depth of 100 m. The profile shows a “kink” (velocity gradient inflection) at ∼12 m depth, resulting from a change of compaction mechanism. A triangular DAS array is used to investigate directional variation in velocity, which shows no evident variations thus suggesting a lack of azimuthal anisotropy in the firn. Our results demonstrate the potential of using DAS and SI to image the near-surface and present a new approach to derive S-velocity profiles from surface wave inversion in firn studies

How dynamic are ice-stream beds?

Projections of sea-level rise contributions from West Antarctica's dynamically thinning ice streams contain high uncertainty because some of the key processes involved are extremely challenging to observe. An especially poorly observed parameter is sub-decadal stability of ice-stream beds, which may be important for subglacial traction, till continuity and landform development. Only two previous studies have made repeated geophysical measurements of ice-stream beds at the same locations in different years, but both studies were limited in spatial extent. Here, we present the results from repeat radar measurements of the bed of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, conducted 3–6 years apart, along a cumulative ∼ 60 km of profiles. Analysis of the correlation of bed picks between repeat surveys shows that 90 % of the bed displays no significant change despite the glacier increasing in speed by up to 40 % over the last decade. We attribute the negligible detection of morphological change at the bed of Pine Island Glacier to the ubiquitous presence of a deforming till layer, wherein sediment transport is in steady state, such that sediment is transported along the basal interface without inducing morphological change to the radar-sounded basal interface. Given the precision of our measurements, the upper limit of subglacial erosion observed here is 500 mm a‾¹, far exceeding erosion rates reported for glacial settings from proglacial sediment yields, but substantially below subglacial erosion rates of 1.0 m a‾¹ previously reported from repeat geophysical surveys in West Antarctica

Oceanic and atmospheric forcing of Larsen C Ice-Shelf thinning

The catastrophic collapses of Larsen A and B ice shelves on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula have caused their tributary glaciers to accelerate, contributing to sea-level rise and freshening the Antarctic Bottom Water formed nearby. The surface of Larsen C Ice Shelf (LCIS), the largest ice shelf on the peninsula, is lowering. This could be caused by unbalanced ocean melting (ice loss) or enhanced firn melting and compaction (englacial air loss). Using a novel method to analyse eight radar surveys, this study derives separate estimates of ice and air thickness changes during a 15-year period. The uncertainties are considerable, but the primary estimate is that the surveyed lowering (0.066 ± 0.017 m yr−1) is caused by both ice loss (0.28 ± 0.18 m yr−1) and firn-air loss (0.037 ± 0.026 m yr−1). The ice loss is much larger than the air loss, but both contribute approximately equally to the lowering because the ice is floating. The ice loss could be explained by high basal melting and/or ice divergence, and the air loss by low surface accumulation or high surface melting and/or compaction. The primary estimate therefore requires that at least two forcings caused the surveyed lowering. Mechanisms are discussed by which LCIS stability could be compromised in the future. The most rapid pathways to collapse are offered by the ungrounding of LCIS from Bawden Ice Rise or ice-front retreat past a "compressive arch" in strain rates. Recent evidence suggests that either mechanism could pose an imminent risk