Tidal and thermal stresses drive seismicity along a major Ross Ice Shelf rift

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters, 46(12), (2019): 6644-6652, doi:10.1029/2019GL082842.Understanding deformation in ice shelves is necessary to evaluate the response of ice shelves to thinning. We study microseismicity associated with ice shelf deformation using nine broadband seismographs deployed near a rift on the Ross Ice Shelf. From December 2014 to November 2016, we detect 5,948 icequakes generated by rift deformation. Locations were determined for 2,515 events using a least squares grid‐search and double‐difference algorithms. Ocean swell, infragravity waves, and a significant tsunami arrival do not affect seismicity. Instead, seismicity correlates with tidal phase on diurnal time scales and inversely correlates with air temperature on multiday and seasonal time scales. Spatial variability in tidal elevation tilts the ice shelf, and seismicity is concentrated while the shelf slopes downward toward the ice front. During especially cold periods, thermal stress and embrittlement enhance fracture along the rift. We propose that thermal stress and tidally driven gravitational stress produce rift seismicity with peak activity in the winter.NSF grants PLR‐1142518, 1141916, and 1142126 supported S. D. Olinger and D. A. Wiens, R. C. Aster, and A. A. Nyblade respectively. NSF grant PLR‐1246151 supported P. D. Bromirski, P. Gerstoft, and Z. Chen. NSF grant OPP‐1744856 and CAL‐DPR‐C1670002 also supported P. D. Bromirski. NSF grant PLR‐1246416 supported R. A. Stephen. The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) and the PASSCAL Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech provided seismic instruments and deployment support. The RIS seismic data (network code XH) are archived at the IRIS Data Management Center (http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/). S. D. Olinger catalogued and located icequakes, analyzed seismicity and environmental forcing, and drafted the manuscript. D. A. Wiens and B. P. Lipovsky provided significant contributions to the analysis and interpretation of results and to the manuscript text. D. A. Wiens, R. C. Aster, A. A. Nyblade, R. A. Stephen, P. Gerstoft, and P. D. Bromirski collaborated to design and obtain funding for the deployment. D. A. Wiens, R. C. Aster, R. A. Stephen, P. Gerstoft, P. D. Bromirski, and Z. Chen deployed and serviced seismographs in Antarctica. All authors provided valuable feedback, comments, and edits to the manuscript text. Special thanks to Patrick Shore for guidance throughout the research process.2019-11-2

Ross ice shelf icequakes associated with ocean gravity wave activity

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2019. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Research Letters 46(15), (2019): 8893-8902, doi:10.1029/2019GL084123.Gravity waves impacting ice shelves illicit a suite of responses that can affect ice shelf integrity. Broadband seismometers deployed on the Ross Ice Shelf, complemented by a near‐icefront seafloor hydrophone, establish the association of strong icequake activity with ocean gravity wave amplitudes (AG) below 0.04 Hz. The Ross Ice Shelf‐front seismic vertical displacement amplitudes (ASV) are well correlated with AG, allowing estimating the frequency‐dependent transfer function from gravity wave amplitude to icefront vertical displacement amplitude (TGSV(f)). TGSV(f) is 0.6–0.7 at 0.001–0.01 Hz but decreases rapidly at higher frequencies. Seismicity of strong icequakes exhibits spatial and seasonal associations with different gravity wave frequency bands, with the strongest icequakes observed at the icefront primarily during the austral summer when sea ice is minimal and swell impacts are strongest.Bromirski, Gerstoft, and Chen were supported by NSF grant PLR‐1246151. Bromirski also received support from NSF grant OPP‐1744856 and CAL‐DPR‐C1670002. Stephen, Wiens, Aster, and Nyblade were supported under NSF grants PLR‐1246416, 1142518, 1141916, and 1142126, respectively. Lee and Yun were support by a research grant from the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (KIMST20190361; PM19020). Seismic instruments and on‐ice support were provided by the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) through the PASSCAL Instrument Center at New Mexico Tech. The RIS and KPDR seismic data are archived at the IRIS Data Management Center, http://ds.iris.edu/ds/nodes/dmc/, with network codes XH and KP, respectively. The facilities of the IRIS Consortium are supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement EAR‐1261681 and the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration. We thank Patrick Shore, Michael Baker, Cai Chen, Robert Anthony, Reinhard Flick, Jerry Wanetick, Weisen Shen, Tsitsi Madziwa Nussinov, and Laura Stevens for their help with field operations. Logistical support from the U.S. Antarctica Program and staff at McMurdo Station was critical and is much appreciated.2020-02-0