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Fortnightly variations in the flow velocity of Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica

Nature volume 444, pages 1063–1064 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Most of the ice lost from the Antarctic ice sheet passes through a few fast-flowing and highly dynamic ice streams1. Quantifying temporal variations in flow in these ice streams, and understanding their causes, is a prerequisite for estimating the potential contribution of the Antarctic ice sheet to global sea-level change2,3. Here I show that surface velocities on a major West Antarctic Ice Stream, Rutford Ice Stream, vary periodically by about 20 per cent every two weeks as a result of tidal forcing. Tidally induced motion on ice streams has previously been thought to be limited to diurnal or even shorter-term variations4,5,6,7,8,9. The existence of strong fortnightly variations in flow demonstrates the potential pitfalls of using repeated velocity measurements over intervals of days to infer long-term change.

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Figure 1: Map of Rutford Ice Stream, West Antartica.
Figure 2: Surface speed and tidal amplitudes as a function of time.
Figure 3: Tidal components.

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Acknowledgements

I thank R. C. A. Hindmarsh for discussions and E. McGough for assistance with field work. This work was supported by a grant from the NERC GEF.

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  1. British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    G. Hilmar Gudmundsson

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Correspondence to G. Hilmar Gudmundsson.

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Gudmundsson, G. Fortnightly variations in the flow velocity of Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica. Nature 444, 1063–1064 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05430

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