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Hydrochemistry of ice stream beds—evaporitic or microbial effects?
Author(s) -
Skidmore Mark,
Tranter Martyn,
Tulaczyk Slawek,
Lanoil Brian
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
hydrological processes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.222
H-Index - 161
eISSN - 1099-1085
pISSN - 0885-6087
DOI - 10.1002/hyp.7580
Subject(s) - ice stream , biogeochemistry , ice sheet , geology , cryosphere , antarctic sea ice , glacier , arctic , melt pond , arctic ice pack , antarctic ice sheet , streams , hydrology (agriculture) , glaciology , ice shelf , oceanography , geomorphology , sea ice , paleontology , stratigraphy , computer network , geotechnical engineering , computer science , tectonics
Recently, new data have been acquired on the chemical composition of waters within the glacial till beneath the Kamb Ice Stream (KIS, formerly Ice Stream C) and the Bindschadler Ice Stream (BIS, formerly Ice Stream D), two of the arteries of ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS). We compare this water chemistry with basally stored subglacial waters from Arctic and Alpine glaciers and the only other measurements of sub‐ice sheet chemistry to date, that emerging from beneath Law Dome near Casey Station, SW Antarctica, during a jökulhlaup. We find that the chemistries pose significant questions about the hydrology and biogeochemistry of ice sheet beds. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.