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AGU: Journal of Geophysical Research, Earth Surface

 

Keywords

  • glacier dynamics
  • glacier erosion
  • Antarctica

Index Terms

  • Cryosphere: Glaciers
  • Cryosphere: Ice sheets
  • Cryosphere: Dynamics
Abstract
Cited By (4)
 

Abstract

JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH, VOL. 114, F04010, 15 PP., 2009
doi:10.1029/2009JF001309

Dynamics and mass balance of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica: 1. Geometry and surface velocities

J. L. Kavanaugh

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

K. M. Cuffey

Department of Geography, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

D. L. Morse

Institute for Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

H. Conway

Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

E. Rignot

Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, California, USA

Taylor Glacier, Antarctica, exemplifies a little-studied type of outlet glacier, one that flows slowly through a region of rugged topography and dry climate. This glacier, in addition, connects the East Antarctic Ice Sheet with the McMurdo Dry Valleys, a region much studied for geomorphology, paleoclimate, and ecology. Here we report extensive new measurements of surface velocities, ice thicknesses, and surface elevations, acquired with InSAR, GPS, and GPR. The latter two were used to construct elevation models of the glacier's surface and bed. Ice velocities in 2002–2004 closely matched those in 2000 and the mid-1970s, indicating negligible interannual variations of flow. Comparing velocities with bed elevations shows that, along much of the glacier, flow concentrates in a narrow axis of relatively fast flowing ice that overlies a bedrock trough. The flow of the glacier over major undulations in its bed can be regarded as a “cascade”; it speeds up over bedrock highs and through valley narrows and slows down over deep basins and in wide spots. This pattern is an expected consequence of mass conservation for a glacier near steady state. Neither theory nor data from this Taylor Glacier study support the alternative view, recently proposed, that an outlet glacier of this type trickles slowly over bedrock highs and flows fastest over deep basins.

Received 15 March 2009; accepted 7 July 2009; published 3 November 2009.

Citation: Kavanaugh, J. L., K. M. Cuffey, D. L. Morse, H. Conway, and E. Rignot (2009), Dynamics and mass balance of Taylor Glacier, Antarctica: 1. Geometry and surface velocities, J. Geophys. Res., 114, F04010, doi:10.1029/2009JF001309.

Cited By

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