Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

'Sticky Spots' And Subglacial Lakes Under Ice Streams Of The Siple Coast, Antarctica, Olga V. Sergienko, Christina L. Hulbe

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Locations of subglacial lakes discovered under fast-moving West Antarctic ice streams tend to be associated with topographic features of the subglacial bed or with areas that have strong variations in basal conditions. Inversion of ice-stream surface velocity indicates that basal conditions under ice streams can be highly variable and that there can be widespread regions where basal traction is high. To seek an explanation for why lakes appear to be sited near areas with high basal traction, we use numerical models to simulate ice-stream dynamics, thermodynamics and subglacial water flow. We demonstrate that the ice flow over high basal traction …