Journal
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
Volume 43, Issue 5, Pages 2019-2026Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2015GL066476
Keywords
climate record; Blue Ice Area; ground-penetrating radar; katabatic winds; Antarctica; unconformities
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Funding
- NERC [NE/I027576/1, NE/I025840/1, NE/I024194/1, NE/I025263/1, NE/G013071/1]
- Australian Research Council [FL100100195, FT120100004, LP120300724]
- NERC [NE/I027576/1, NE/I025840/1, NE/I024194/1, NE/I025263/1, NE/G013071/1] Funding Source: UKRI
- Natural Environment Research Council [NE/I024194/1, NE/I025840/1, NE/G013071/1, NE/I025263/1, NE/I027576/1] Funding Source: researchfish
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We use high-resolution ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to assess the continuity of the Blue Ice Area (BIA) horizontal climate record at Patriot Hills, Horseshoe Valley, West Antarctica. The sequence contains three pronounced changes in deuterium isotopic values at similar to 18calka, similar to 12calka, and similar to 8calka. GPR surveys along the climate sequence reveal continuous, conformable dipping isochrones, separated by two unconformities in the isochrone layers, which correlate with the two older deuterium shifts. We interpret these unconformities as discontinuities in the sequence, rather than direct measures of climate change. Ice sheet models and Internal Layer Continuity Index plots suggest that the unconformities represent periods of erosion occurring, as the former ice surface was scoured by katabatic winds in front of mountains at the head of Horseshoe Valley. This study demonstrates the importance of high-resolution GPR surveys for investigating both paleoflow dynamics and interpreting BIA climate records.
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