An active subglacial water system in West Antarctica mapped from space

被引：337

作者：

Fricker, Helen Amanda ^{[1
]}

Scambos, Ted

Bindschadler, Robert

Padman, Laurie

机构：

[1] Univ Calif San Diego, Scripps Inst Oceanog, Inst Geophys & Planetary Phys, La Jolla, CA 92093 USA

[2] Univ Colorado, Natl Snow & Ice Data Ctr, Boulder, CO 80302 USA

[3] NASA, Goddard Space Flight Ctr, Greenbelt, MD 20771 USA

[4] Earth & Space Res, Corvallis, OR 97333 USA

来源：

SCIENCE | 2007年 / 315卷 / 5818期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1126/science.1136897

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

Satellite laser altimeter elevation profiles from 2003 to 2006 collected over the lower parts of Whillans and Mercer ice streams, West Antarctica, reveal 14 regions of temporally varying elevation, which we interpret as the surface expression of subglacial water movement. Vertical motion and spatial extent of two of the largest regions are confirmed by satellite image differencing. A major, previously unknown subglacial lake near the grounding line of Whillans Ice Stream is observed to drain 2.0 cubic kilometers of water into the ocean over similar to 3 years, while elsewhere a similar volume of water is being stored subglacially. These observations reveal a widespread, dynamic subglacial water system that may exert an important control on ice flow and mass balance.

引用

页码：1544 / 1548

页数：5