The structure and effect of suture zones in the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica

McGrath, Daniel; Steffen, Konrad; Holland, Paul R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8370-289X; Scambos, Ted; Rajaram, Harihar; Abdalati, Waleed; Rignot, Eric. 2014 The structure and effect of suture zones in the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 119 (3). 588-602. 10.1002/2013JF002935

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Abstract/Summary

Ice-shelf fractures frequently terminate where they encounter suture zones, regions of material heterogeneity that form between meteoric inflows in ice shelves. This heterogeneity can consist of marine ice, meteoric ice with modified rheological properties or the presence of fractures. Here, we use radar observations on the Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctica to investigate i) the termination of a 25 km-long rift in the Churchill Peninsula suture zone, which was found to contain ~60 m of accreted marine ice, and ii) the along-flow evolution of a suture zone originating at Cole Peninsula. We determine a steady-state field of basal melting/freezing rates and apply it to a flowline model to delineate the along-flow evolution of layers within the ice shelf. The thickening surface wedge of locally accumulated meteoric ice, which likely has limited lateral variation in its mechanical properties, accounts for ~60% of the total ice thickness near the calving front. Thus, we infer that the lower ~40% of the ice column and the material heterogeneities present there are responsible for resisting fracture propagation and thereby delaying tabular calving events, as demonstrated in the >40 year time series leading up to the 2004/05 calving event for Larsen C. This likely represents a highly sensitive aspect of ice-shelf stability, as changes in the oceanic forcing may lead to the loss of this heterogeneity.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1002/2013JF002935
Programmes:	BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Ice Sheets
ISSN:	21699003
Additional Keywords:	ice shelves, suture zone, fracture, GPR
Date made live:	28 Feb 2014 11:57 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/505063

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1002/2013JF002935

Programmes:

BAS Programmes > Polar Science for Planet Earth (2009 - ) > Ice Sheets

ISSN:

21699003

Additional Keywords:

ice shelves, suture zone, fracture, GPR

Date made live:

28 Feb 2014 11:57 +0 (UTC)