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Channelized Melting Drives Thinning Under a Rapidly Melting Antarctic Ice Shelf
Author(s) -
Gourmelen Noel,
Goldberg Dan N.,
Snow Kate,
Henley Sian F.,
Bingham Robert G.,
Kimura Satoshi,
Hogg Anna E.,
Shepherd Andrew,
Mouginot Jeremie,
Lenaerts Jan T. M.,
Ligtenberg Stefan R. M.,
Berg Willem Jan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2017gl074929
Subject(s) - ice shelf , geology , thinning , oceanography , lead (geology) , antarctic sea ice , ice stream , channelized , iceberg , sea ice , fast ice , geomorphology , arctic ice pack , cryosphere , geography , telecommunications , computer science , forestry
Abstract Ice shelves play a vital role in regulating loss of grounded ice and in supplying freshwater to coastal seas. However, melt variability within ice shelves is poorly constrained and may be instrumental in driving ice shelf imbalance and collapse. High‐resolution altimetry measurements from 2010 to 2016 show that Dotson Ice Shelf (DIS), West Antarctica, thins in response to basal melting focused along a single 5 km‐wide and 60 km‐long channel extending from the ice shelf's grounding zone to its calving front. If focused thinning continues at present rates, the channel will melt through, and the ice shelf collapse, within 40–50 years, almost two centuries before collapse is projected from the average thinning rate. Our findings provide evidence of basal melt‐driven sub‐ice shelf channel formation and its potential for accelerating the weakening of ice shelves.