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Deformation‐induced melting in the margins of the West Antarctic ice streams
Author(s) -
Suckale Jenny,
Platt John D.,
Perol Thibaut,
Rice James R.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: earth surface
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9011
pISSN - 2169-9003
DOI - 10.1002/2013jf003008
Subject(s) - geology , ice stream , clear ice , pressure ridge , streams , ice sheet , deformation (meteorology) , ice wedge , geomorphology , margin (machine learning) , shear (geology) , flow (mathematics) , antarctic ice sheet , ice divide , sea ice growth processes , petrology , antarctic sea ice , mechanics , cryosphere , sea ice , climatology , permafrost , oceanography , computer network , physics , machine learning , computer science
Flow of glacial ice in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet localizes in narrow bands of fast‐flowing ice streams bordered by ridges of nearly stagnant ice, but our understanding of the physical processes that generate this morphology is incomplete. Here we study the thermal and mechanical properties of ice‐stream margins, where flow transitions from rapid to stagnant over a few kilometers. Our goal is to explore under which conditions the intense shear deformation in the margin may lead to deformation‐induced melting. We propose a 2‐D model that represents a cross section through the ice stream margin perpendicular to the downstream flow direction. We limit temperature to the melting point to estimate melt rates based on latent heat. Using rheology parameters as constrained by laboratory data and observations, we conclude that a zone of temperate ice is likely to form in active shear margins.