Bottom melting on the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf, Antarctica, using different measuring techniques

Abstract

During the 1989/90 field season on Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf (FRIS), Antarctica, special interest was focussed on the examination of the bottom-melting rate by different measuring techniques. Access to the sea water underneath the ice shelf was gained by means of hot-water drillings. The installation of temperature cable and TDR-sensor lines yield a distinct value of the bottom mass-balance parameter after re-measurement in 1992. In addition a seasonal dependence for bottom melting is indicated. The results of the long-term observation conform with a mass-balance study performed in the same region from surface-based measurements in the same season (Determann et al., 1990 ).The influence of tidal-induced ice shelf/ocean interaction with regard to bottom melting can be derived from a continual registration of sea-water temperatures