Anisotropic Ice Flow Leading to the Onset of Ice Stream D, West Antarctica: Numerical Modelling Based on the Observations from Byrd Station Borehole

Authors

Weili WangFollow
H. Jay Zwally
Christina L. Hulbe, Portland State UniversityFollow
Martin J. Siegert
Ian R. JoughinFollow

Sponsor

This research was supported by the NASA ICESat project and U.S. National Science Foundation grant OPP-0105308.

Published In

Annals of Glaciology

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2003

Subjects

Ice sheets -- Antarctica, Glacial landforms -- Antarctica, Glaciers -- Antarctica -- West Antarctica

Abstract

An ice-sheet flowline model is used to simulate the flow of ice along two particle paths toward the onset to Ice Stream D,West Antarctica. One path is near the centre line of the main tributary to the ice stream, while the second passes by the Byrd Station borehole site. In this paper, we analyze the flow of the moderately fast-flowing tributaries in terms of ice-fabric anisotropy and estimate the steady-state ice-flow regions with the compatible developed crystal orientation fabrics along two particle paths. Comparison between modelled isochrones and internal layers detected from radio-echo sounding surveys in the area is used to suggest that flow upstream of the onset to Ice Stream D appears to have been stable since at least the Last Glacial Maximum.

Description

Originally appeared in Annals of Glaciology, published by the International Glaciological Society. Article can be found at http://www.igsoc.org/annals/

DOI

10.3189/172756403781815591

Persistent Identifier

http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/8436

Citation Details

W.L. Wang, H.J. Zwally, C.L. Hulbe, M.J. Siegert, and I. Joughin, 2003, Anisotropic ice flow leading to the onset of ice stream D, West Antarctica- numerical modelling based on the observations from Byrd Station borehole, Annals of Glaciology, 37,397-404.