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Ice shelves buttress the grounded ice sheet, restraining its flow into the ocean. Mass loss from these ice shelves occurs primarily through ocean-induced basal melting, with the highest melt rates occurring in regions that host basal channels – elongated, kilometre-wide zones of relatively thin ice. While some models suggest that basal channels could mitigate overall ice shelf melt rates, channels have also been linked to basal and surface crevassing, leaving their cumulative impact on ice-shelf stability uncertain. Due to their relatively small spatial scale and the limitations of previous satellite datasets, our understanding of how channelised melting evolves over time remains limited. In this study, we present a novel approach that uses CryoSat-2 radar altimetry data to calculate ice shelf basal melt rates, demonstrated here as a case study over Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf. Our method generates monthly Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and melt maps with a 250 m spatial resolution. The data show that near the grounding line, basal melting preferentially melts a channel’s western flank 50% more than its eastern flank. Additionally, we find that the main channelised geometries on PIG are inherited upstream of the grounding line and play a role in forming ice shelf pinning points. These observations highlight the importance of channels under ice shelves, emphasising the need to investigate them further and consider their impacts on observations and models that do not resolve them.

Speaker: Katie Lowry, British Antarctic Survey
Wednesday 12 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
Venue: BAS Seminar Room 2.
Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Birgit Rogalla.

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Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Conservation Talks - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 09:59

Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Ice shelves buttress the grounded ice sheet, restraining its flow into the ocean. Mass loss from these ice shelves occurs primarily through ocean-induced basal melting, with the highest melt rates occurring in regions that host basal channels – elongated, kilometre-wide zones of relatively thin ice. While some models suggest that basal channels could mitigate overall ice shelf melt rates, channels have also been linked to basal and surface crevassing, leaving their cumulative impact on ice-shelf stability uncertain. Due to their relatively small spatial scale and the limitations of previous satellite datasets, our understanding of how channelised melting evolves over time remains limited. In this study, we present a novel approach that uses CryoSat-2 radar altimetry data to calculate ice shelf basal melt rates, demonstrated here as a case study over Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf. Our method generates monthly Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and melt maps with a 250 m spatial resolution. The data show that near the grounding line, basal melting preferentially melts a channel’s western flank 50% more than its eastern flank. Additionally, we find that the main channelised geometries on PIG are inherited upstream of the grounding line and play a role in forming ice shelf pinning points. These observations highlight the importance of channels under ice shelves, emphasising the need to investigate them further and consider their impacts on observations and models that do not resolve them.

Speaker: Katie Lowry, British Antarctic Survey
Wednesday 12 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
Venue: BAS Seminar Room 2.
Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Birgit Rogalla.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Conservation at Cambridge - Mon, 24/02/2025 - 09:59

Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Ice shelves buttress the grounded ice sheet, restraining its flow into the ocean. Mass loss from these ice shelves occurs primarily through ocean-induced basal melting, with the highest melt rates occurring in regions that host basal channels – elongated, kilometre-wide zones of relatively thin ice. While some models suggest that basal channels could mitigate overall ice shelf melt rates, channels have also been linked to basal and surface crevassing, leaving their cumulative impact on ice-shelf stability uncertain. Due to their relatively small spatial scale and the limitations of previous satellite datasets, our understanding of how channelised melting evolves over time remains limited. In this study, we present a novel approach that uses CryoSat-2 radar altimetry data to calculate ice shelf basal melt rates, demonstrated here as a case study over Pine Island Glacier (PIG) ice shelf. Our method generates monthly Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) and melt maps with a 250 m spatial resolution. The data show that near the grounding line, basal melting preferentially melts a channel’s western flank 50% more than its eastern flank. Additionally, we find that the main channelised geometries on PIG are inherited upstream of the grounding line and play a role in forming ice shelf pinning points. These observations highlight the importance of channels under ice shelves, emphasising the need to investigate them further and consider their impacts on observations and models that do not resolve them.

Speaker: Katie Lowry, British Antarctic Survey
Wednesday 12 March 2025, 14:00-15:00
Venue: BAS Seminar Room 2.
Series: British Antarctic Survey - Polar Oceans seminar series; organiser: Dr Birgit Rogalla.

Add to your calendar or Include in your list

Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Wed 25 Mar 14:00: External Seminar Bénédicte Charrier TBC

Wed 25 Mar 14:00: External Seminar Bénédicte Charrier TBC

Wed 25 Mar 14:00: External Seminar Bénédicte Charrier TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 29 Oct 14:00: External Seminar Christian Fankhauser TBC

Wed 29 Oct 14:00: External Seminar Christian Fankhauser TBC

Wed 29 Oct 14:00: External Seminar Christian Fankhauser TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 30 Apr 14:00: External Seminar - Monica Garcia Gomez TBC

Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Wed 19 Mar 14:00: Cell edges: from polarity to growth control Please contact the events team at Events@slcu.cam.ac.uk for the online Zoom link.

Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

Wed 12 Mar 14:00: Spatio-temporal Melt and Basal Channel Evolution on Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf from CryoSat-2

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