TY - JOUR
T1 - Drainage from water-filled crevasses along the margins of Jakobshavn Isbræ
T2 - A potential catalyst for catchment expansion
AU - Lampkin, D. J.
AU - Amador, N.
AU - Parizek, B. R.
AU - Farness, K.
AU - Jezek, K.
PY - 2013/6/1
Y1 - 2013/6/1
N2 - Saturated crevasses occur in local depressions within the shear margins of Jakobshavn Isbræ at inflections in the ice stream's flow direction. Spatio-temporal variability of seven distinctive saturated crevasse groups was examined during the 2007 melt season. The area of saturated crevasses reached its maximum extent, ~1.8 km2, in early July, and remained largely constant until early August. Filling rates are correlated with regional melt production, while drainage rates are highly correlated with areal extent. Estimates on potential drainage volume from the largest crevasse system are ~9.23 × 10-3 km3 ± 2.15 × 10 -8 km3 and ~ 4.92 × 10-2 km3 ± 3.58 × 10-8 km3, respectively, over a 16 day interval and are more than required for a distributed basal hydrologic system across this area to temporarily flood bedrock obstacles believed to control basal sliding. Future drainage events, likely extending farther inland with warming, could result in enhanced lateral mass discharge into the ice stream, with implications for the dynamic evolution of the entire basin.
AB - Saturated crevasses occur in local depressions within the shear margins of Jakobshavn Isbræ at inflections in the ice stream's flow direction. Spatio-temporal variability of seven distinctive saturated crevasse groups was examined during the 2007 melt season. The area of saturated crevasses reached its maximum extent, ~1.8 km2, in early July, and remained largely constant until early August. Filling rates are correlated with regional melt production, while drainage rates are highly correlated with areal extent. Estimates on potential drainage volume from the largest crevasse system are ~9.23 × 10-3 km3 ± 2.15 × 10 -8 km3 and ~ 4.92 × 10-2 km3 ± 3.58 × 10-8 km3, respectively, over a 16 day interval and are more than required for a distributed basal hydrologic system across this area to temporarily flood bedrock obstacles believed to control basal sliding. Future drainage events, likely extending farther inland with warming, could result in enhanced lateral mass discharge into the ice stream, with implications for the dynamic evolution of the entire basin.
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U2 - 10.1002/jgrf.20039
DO - 10.1002/jgrf.20039
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84880741447
SN - 2169-9003
VL - 118
SP - 795
EP - 813
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
IS - 2
ER -