Ocean Stratification and Low Melt Rates at the Ross Ice Shelf Grounding Zone. Issue 10 (22nd October 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Begeman, Carolyn Branecky; Tulaczyk, Slawek M.; Marsh, Oliver J.; Mikucki, Jill A.; Stanton, Timothy P.; Hodson, Timothy O.; Siegfried, Matthew R.; Powell, Ross D.; Christianson, Knut; King, Matt A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 123:Issue 10(2018)
• Page Start: 7438
• Page End: 7452
• Publication Date: 2018-10-22
• Subjects: ice shelf -- Antarctica -- double diffusion -- grounding zone -- ocean mixing -- Ross Ice Shelf; Oceanography -- Periodicals; 551.4605
• DOI: 10.1029/2018JC013987
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-9275

Abstract

Abstract: Ocean‐driven melting of ice shelves is a primary mechanism for ice loss from Antarctica. However, due to the difficulty in accessing the sub‐ice shelf ocean cavity, the relationship between ice shelf melting and ocean conditions is poorly understood, particularly near the grounding zone, where the ice transitions from grounded to floating. We present the first borehole oceanographic observations from the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica's largest ice shelf by area. Contrary to predictions that tidal currents near grounding zones mix the water column, we found that Ross Ice Shelf waters were vertically stratified. Current velocities at middepth in the ocean cavity did not change significantly over measurement periods at two different parts of the tidal cycle. The observed stratification resulted in low melt rates near this portion of the grounding zone, inferred from phase‐sensitive radar observations. These melt rates were generally <10 cm/year, which is lower than average for the Ross Ice Shelf (~20 cm/year). Melt rates may be higher at portions of the grounding zone that experience higher subglacial discharge or stronger tidal mixing. Stratification in the cavity at the borehole site was prone to diffusive convection as a result of ice shelf melting. Since diffusive convection influences vertical heat and salt fluxes differently than shear‐driven turbulence, this process may affect ice shelf melting and merits further consideration in ocean models of sub‐ice shelf circulation. Plain Language Summary: Ice shelf melting is an important player in ice loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet, affecting sea level rise. Ice shelf melting is controlled by ocean properties and processes, but sparse observations of the sub‐ice shelf ocean cavity limit our understanding of these controls and thus limit our ability to predict sea level rise. This study presents rare ocean observations deep below the largest ice shelf by area, the Ross Ice Shelf, far from the open ocean. The observed ocean setting is surprisingly quiescent, and waters are cold, around −2 °C. This study also presents new, highly localized ice shelf melting measurements at the site that show that these ocean conditions lead to slow ice shelf melting of only centimeters per year. These observations reveal the ways in which the Ross Ice Shelf contrasts with rapidly melting ice shelves affected by warmer seawater elsewhere in West Antarctica. Thus, they adds nuance to our scientific understanding of ice‐ocean interactions around the Antarctic continent. Key Points: The ocean cavity near the grounding zone of the Ross Ice Shelf is vertically stratified with a boundary layer freshened by ice melting A tidally mixed zone and tidal currents are absent from this 10‐m‐thick ocean cavity in the flexure zone The observed stratification and low current velocities result in low melt rates (7 cm/year)