Marine Science Faculty Publications
Subglacial Bedforms Reveal Complex Basal Regime in a Zone of Paleo–ice Stream Convergence, Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2009
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1130/G25505A.1
Abstract
The flow of ice streams, which account for most discharge from large ice sheets, is controlled by processes operating at the ice stream bed. Data from modern ice stream beds are difficult to obtain, but where ice advanced onto continental shelves during glacial periods, extensive areas of the former bed can be imaged using modern swath sonar tools. We present new multibeam swath bathymetry data analyzed alongside sparse preexisting data from the Amundsen Sea embayment. The compilation is the most extensive, continuous area of multi-beam data coverage yet obtained on the inner continental shelf of Antarctica. The data reveal streamlined subglacial bedforms that define a zone of paleo–ice stream convergence, but, in contrast to previous models, do not show a simple downflow progression of bedform types along paleo–ice stream troughs. We interpret high spatial variability of bedforms as indicating a complex mechanical and hydrodynamic regime at the former ice stream beds, consistent with observations from some modern ice streams. We conclude that care must be taken when using bedforms to infer paleo–ice stream velocities.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
No
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Geology, v. 37, issue 5, p. 411-414
Scholar Commons Citation
Larter, Robert D.; Graham, Alastair G. C.; Gohl, Karsten; Kuhn, Gerhard; Hillenbrand, Claus-Dieter; Smith, James A.; Deen, Tara J.; Livermore, Roy A.; and Schenke, Hans-Werner, "Subglacial Bedforms Reveal Complex Basal Regime in a Zone of Paleo–ice Stream Convergence, Amundsen Sea Embayment, West Antarctica" (2009). Marine Science Faculty Publications. 1533.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/msc_facpub/1533
