Ocean stratification and low melt rates at the Ross Ice Shelf grounding zone

Ocean‐driven melting of ice shelves is a primary mechanism for ice loss from Antarctica. However, due to the difficulty in accessing the sub‐ice shelf ocean cavity, the relationship between ice shelf melting and ocean conditions is poorly understood, particularly near the grounding zone, where the ice transitions from grounded to floating. We present the first borehole oceanographic observations from the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica's largest ice shelf by area. Contrary to predictions that tidal currents near grounding zones mix the water column, we found that Ross Ice Shelf waters were vertically stratified. Current velocities at middepth in the ocean cavity did not change significantly over measurement periods at two different parts of the tidal cycle. The observed stratification resulted in low melt rates near this portion of the grounding zone, inferred from phase‐sensitive radar observations. These melt rates were generally <10 cm/year, which is lower than average for the Ross Ice Shelf (∼20 cm/year). Melt rates may be higher at portions of the grounding zone that experience higher subglacial discharge or stronger tidal mixing. Stratification in the cavity at the borehole site was prone to diffusive convection as a result of ice shelf melting. Since diffusive convection influences vertical heat and salt fluxes differently than shear‐driven turbulence, this process may affect ice shelf melting and merits further consideration in ocean models of sub‐ice shelf circulation

Rotating micro-structures in Antarctic cold basal ice: implications for glacier flow and its interpretation

Structural analyses were conducted in the basal zone of an Antarctic glacier. The studied basal ice sequence was retrieved from a 20-m-long subglacial tunnel dug at the margin of the glacier and is at the temperature of -17°C. For the first time, rotating clast systems embedded within debris-rich ice were thin-sectioned using specially designed cutting techniques. The observed structures reflect the occurrence of pervasive shearing at the base of the glacier, and can be used as shear sense indicators. In addition, some of these structures provide evidence for the presence of thin liquid films at the time of formation despite the marked freezing temperature of the ice. It is showed here that cautious analysis of deformation structures present in debris-bearing ice may bring insights not only into the flow dynamics of the embedding matrix, but also into the behaviour of the interstitial fluid network at the base of cold glaciers and ice sheets. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe