Subglacial hydrology and the formation of ice streams

T. M. Kyrke-Smith, R. F. Katz, A. C. Fowler

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Antarctic ice streams are associated with pressurized subglacial meltwater but the role this water plays in the dynamics of the streams is not known. To address this, we present a model of subglacial water flow below ice sheets, and particularly below ice streams. The base-level flow is fed by subglacial melting and is presumed to take the form of a rough-bedded film, in which the ice is supported by larger clasts, but there is a millimetric water film which submerges the smaller particles. A model for the film is given by two coupled partial differential equations, representing mass conservation of water and ice closure. We assume that there is no sediment transport and solve for water film depth and effective pressure. This is coupled to a vertically integrated, higher order model for ice-sheet dynamics. If there is a sufficiently small amount of meltwater produced (e.g. if ice flux is low), the distributed film and ice sheet are stable, whereas for larger amounts of melt the ice-water system can become unstable, and ice streams form spontaneously as a consequence. We show that this can be explained in terms of a multi-valued sliding law, which arises from a simplified, one-dimensional analysis of the coupled model.

Original languageEnglish
Article number20130494
Pages (from-to)20130494
JournalProceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Volume470
Issue number2161
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Jan 2013

Keywords

  • Hydraulic runaway
  • Ice sheets
  • Ice streams
  • Subglacial hydrology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Subglacial hydrology and the formation of ice streams'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this