Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
A. P. McCarron, G. R. Bigg, H. Brooks, M. J. Leng, J. D. Marshall, V Ponomareva, M. Portnyagin, P. J. Reimer, M. Rogerson
Summary: The study reveals the presence of substantial glacial ice on the Northeast Siberian coast during the late Quaternary, but the scale and timing of glaciation and de-glaciation remain controversial. Icebergs from Northeast Siberia were found to spread to subtropical waters during the last two glacial periods, with occasional times of enhanced ice flux from the Kamchatka-Koryak coast. In contrast, ice-rafted-debris was absent during much of the penultimate glacial period, suggesting different Northeast Siberian ice coverage between the last two glacial periods.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Luke O'Reilly, Aaron Lim, Juergen Titschack, Niamh Moore, O. J. O'Connor, John Appah, Robin Fentimen, Felix Butschek, Kimberley Harris, Torsten Vennemann, Andrew J. Wheeler
Summary: Extensive research has been conducted to understand the glacial history of the British Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) in the NE Atlantic. This study focuses on the analysis of seafloor sediments near the maximum extent of the BIIS to gain insights into its behavior during glacial events. The research findings reveal the occurrence of iceberg calving and its impact on the hydrodynamic conditions in the study area. The results contribute to the existing literature on the BIIS and provide valuable information for studying the presence of marine life in the region.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michaela Fendrock, Alan Condron, David McGee
Summary: This study investigates the factors affecting iceberg drift and melt rates during Heinrich Events using the Laurentide iceberg model and the MIT Global Circulation Model numerical circulation model. The results show that the size of icebergs and their seasonal locations significantly influence the spatial patterns of ice-rafted debris deposition. Additionally, the study demonstrates the importance of iceberg meltwater in contributing to global climate change during the last glacial period.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sergey A. Gorbarenko, Xuefa Shi, Yanguang Liu, Yuriy P. Vasilenko, Elena A. Yanchenko, Aleksandr N. Derkachev, Aleksandr A. Bosin, Tatyana A. Velivetskaya, Galina Yu Malakhova, Jianjun Zou, Ivan S. Kirichenko, Antonina Artemova, Olga Yu Psheneva
Summary: Evidence of meltwater and ice rafted debris from the Tenji and Detroit seamounts in the northwestern corner of the North Pacific provides insights into ice sheet dynamics across the Kamchatka Region. The study reveals five iceberg discharge events (IDEs) in the northwest Pacific and its marginal seas over the past 190,000 years, with IDEs 2 and 5 being the most significant and prolonged. IDEs 4-1 occurred under low Earth obliquity and a weak Aleutian Low, resulting in increased snowfall precipitation and glacier formation in Kamchatka.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Ian Bailey, Sidney Hemming, Brendan T. Reilly, Gavyn Rollinson, Trevor Williams, Michael E. Weber, Maureen E. Raymo, Victoria L. Peck, Thomas A. Ronge, Stefanie Brachfeld, Suzanne O'Connell, Lisa Tauxe, Jonathan P. Warnock, Linda Armbrecht, Fabricio G. Cardillo, Zhiheng Du, Gerson Fauth, Marga Garcia, Anna Glueder, Michelle Guitard, Marcus Gutjahr, Ivan Hernandez-Almeida, Frida S. Hoem, Ji-Hwan Hwang, Mutsumi Iizuka, Yuji Kato, Bridget Kenlee, Yasmina M. Martos, Lara F. Perez, Osamu Seki, Shubham Tripathi, Xufeng Zheng
Summary: Ice loss in West Antarctica has been the most severe in the past 30 years. Geologists have examined marine sedimentary records to find evidence of past episodes of instability in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Sediments in the Scotia Sea receive debris from West Antarctica and can provide valuable information. Analysis of sediment layers from this sea confirms their ice-rafted origin and suggests they were deposited during a warm period. The provenance of the debris indicates that it likely came from the Weddell Sea and/or Amundsen Sea, and their high concentrations in these layers can be attributed to dirty icebergs calved from the retreating ice sheet.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
David J. Wilton, Grant R. Bigg, James D. Scourse, Jeremy C. Ely, Chris D. Clark
Summary: The study found significant regional differences in the changes of the British and Irish Ice Sheet during the Late Quaternary, and validated the changes in offshore ice-rafted debris through simulation and observation. The modeling results suggest that during Heinrich events, North American ice-rafted debris may flow into the southern European margin.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Juan Pedro Rodriguez-Lopez, Brigitte Van Vliet-Lanoe, Jeronimo Lopez-Martinez, Rebeca Martin-Garcia
Summary: The Chaibasa Formation in eastern India contains the oldest known record of ploughmarks formed by rafted ice. This formation represents sedimentation in an ice-contact proglacial lagoon affected by iceberg calving and lake-ice rafting. The evidence provided in this paper suggests the occurrence of glacial conditions around 1.86-2.1 Ga ago, after the supposed ending of the Huronian glaciation, and highlights the importance of re-evaluating soft-sediment deformations in Precambrian depositional systems.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Liming Ye, Xiaoguo Yu, Dong Xu, Weiguo Wang, Yeping Bian, Juan Xu, Linsen Dong, Rong Wang, Weiyan Zhang, Yanguang Liu, Lu Jin, Ying Yang
Summary: This study investigates the source, amount, and trajectory of icebergs in the western Arctic Ocean and their impact on Arctic ice sheet development and the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The findings provide insights into the origins of icebergs in the North Atlantic Ocean and the mechanisms of AMOC instability, suggesting that the expansion of the East Siberian ice sheet may play a more significant role in triggering iceberg outbursts than the discharge of icebergs from the Laurentide ice sheet.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Li Wu, David J. Wilson, Rujian Wang, Sandra Passchier, Wout Krijgsman, Xun Yu, Tingyu Wen, Wenshen Xiao, Zhifei Liu
Summary: The study explored the dynamics of the Lambert Glacier-Amery Ice Shelf system over the past approximately 520 thousand years using high-resolution sedimentary records. It was found that the system's response was sensitive to oceanic forcing and local summer insolation, with potential additional modulation by subglacial bed topography. The records indicate that the system advanced more extensively during previous late Quaternary glacial periods than during Marine Isotope Stages 2 and 4, and retreated more significantly during Marine Isotope Stage 13.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jan Magne Cederstrom, Willem G. M. Van der Bilt, Eivind W. N. Storen, Sunniva Rutledal
Summary: This study demonstrates the potential of using computed tomography (CT) for ultra-high resolution IRD counting, with results showing that semi-automated CT counting can reproduce trends observed in manual counting. The differences between manual and CT-counted data are attributed to image processing artifacts, offsets in sampling resolution, and bioturbation. By utilizing basic image processing tools, this work advances and broadens the applicability of CT for deepening our understanding of ice sheet-climate interactions on human-relevant timescales.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sunghan Kim, Min Kyung Lee, Ji Young Shin, Kyu-Cheul Yoo, Jae Il Lee, Myung-Il Kang, Heung Soo Moon, Joseph G. Prebble
Summary: This study investigates the sedimentary processes and environmental factors that control magnetic susceptibility in sedimentary cores from the Bellingshausen Sea continental rise. The results show that the input of terrigenous material increased during Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 2 and 4, and the variation in magnetic susceptibility values is associated with changes in grain size.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alex Huth, Alistair Adcroft, Olga Sergienko, Nuzhat Khan
Summary: The research shows that the breakup of giant iceberg A68a may have been triggered by ocean-current shear, a new breakup mechanism. Current climate models do not adequately represent giant icebergs, and the introduction of new methods will help improve the accuracy of global climate simulations.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anqi Wang, Zhengquan Yao, Xuefa Shi, Kunshan Wang, Jianjun Zou, Yanguang Liu, Yonghua Wu, Sergey A. Gorbarenko
Summary: The study revealed that sea ice in the Okhotsk Sea experienced multiple expansion events over the past 110,000 years, primarily influenced by decreased autumn insolation on an orbital timescale. In addition, millennial-scale cold stadials also led to sea ice variations, likely controlled by both the Arctic oscillation and the East Asian summer monsoon.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Guogang Li, Ruyuan Bu, Liang Yi, Bangqi Hu, Yunhai Li, Youjun Ji, Yixin Li, Liang Wang
Summary: This study focuses on the paleoceanographic research in the Ross Sea region of Antarctica. By analyzing a sediment sample, the sedimentation rate based on Th-230 isotopes is determined, and a large amount of ice-rafted debris is found in the sediments, suggesting an enhancement of these features in a warm climate. Additionally, this study observes the dominant role of biogenic processes in the ice sheet changes and establishes the correlation between regional paleoenvironmental processes and the temperature of the East Antarctic ice sheet.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. Niwano, J. E. Box, A. Wehrle, B. Vandecrux, W. T. Colgan, J. Cappelen
Summary: Research shows that rainfall on the Greenland ice sheet is expected to increase as the climate warms, with the northwest part of the ice sheet experiencing a fourfold increase in annual rainfall over the past 40 years. In September, both the amount and intensity of ice sheet-wide rainfall have also significantly increased.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ann Rowan, David L. Egholm, Chris D. Clark
Summary: Glacial landscapes serve as valuable archives of terrestrial paleoclimate change, with moraines playing a significant role in recording these changes. However, the complex dynamics of glaciers, including response time and mountainous topography, make moraines a less straightforward indicator of glacier change in response to climate change. By using a glacial landscape evolution model, researchers found that the rate of climate change relative to glacier response time determines the geometry, number, and position of moraines.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2022)
Article
Geography
Nico Dewald, Stephen J. Livingstone, Chris D. Clark
Summary: This study maps the integrated networks of subglacial meltwater routes on an ice-sheet scale in Fennoscandia using high-resolution digital elevation models. The results provide a foundation for future research on the long-term evolution of subglacial drainage networks and their impact on ice dynamics in the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet.
Article
Geography, Physical
David Stevens, Jeremy C. Ely, Stephen J. Livingstone, Chris D. Clark, Frances E. G. Butcher, Ian Hewitt
Summary: This study utilizes a mathematical model to investigate the impact of basal topography and ice surface slope on sediment transport and deposition within a water-filled subglacial channel. The study identifies three distinct zones with different behaviors, including upstream deposition, downstream transport, and high-rate deposition near the ice margin. The thickness and steepness of the ice sheet have significant effects on the deposition rates.
JOURNAL OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Chris D. Clark, Jeremy C. Ely, Richard C. A. Hindmarsh, Sarah Bradley, Adam Igneczi, Derek Fabel, Colm O. Cofaigh, Richard C. Chiverrell, James Scourse, Sara Benetti, Tom Bradwell, David J. A. Evans, David H. Roberts, Matt Burke, S. Louise Callard, Alicia Medialdea, Margot Saher, David Small, Rachel K. Smedley, Edward Gasson, Lauren Gregoire, Niall Gandy, Anna L. C. Hughes, Colin Ballantyne, Mark D. Bateman, Grant R. Bigg, Jenny Doole, Dayton Dove, Geoff A. T. Duller, Geraint T. H. Jenkins, Stephen L. Livingstone, Stephen McCarron, Steve Moreton, David Pollard, Daniel Praeg, Hans Petter Sejrup, Katrien J. J. Van Landeghem, Peter Wilson
Summary: The BRITICE-CHRONO consortium conducted a dating program to determine the timing of the British-Irish Ice Sheet's advance, maximum extent, and retreat between 31,000 and 15,000 years ago. The study involved extensive field investigations, marine geophysical data collection, and analysis of sediments and stratigraphy. The findings provide valuable insights into the ice sheet's behavior and are crucial for improving ice sheet modeling.
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Savana Z. Woodley, Frances E. G. Butcher, Peter Fawdon, Chris D. Clark, Felix S. L. Ng, Joel M. Davis, Colman Gallagher
Summary: In the last 1 Gyr, precipitation in Mars' mid-latitudes formed VFFs, which are similar to debris-covered glaciers on Earth. It was previously believed that the Amazonian environment on Mars did not support basal melting of VFFs, however, recent discoveries of eskers in Phlegra Montes and Tempe Terra suggest localized basal melting has occurred. The identification of two additional eskers in Tempe Terra indicates a more complex late Amazonian thermal environment and contributes to a better understanding of the recent glacial history of the region.
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Evan J. Gowan, Xu Zhang, Sara Khosravi, Alessio Rovere, Paolo Stocchi, Anna L. C. Hughes, Richard Gyllencreutz, Jan Mangerud, John-Inge Svendsen, Gerrit Lohmann
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jeremy C. Ely, David Stevens, Chris D. Clark, Frances E. G. Butcher
Summary: The formation of subglacial bedforms has been a scientific inquiry for over a century and is now important for understanding ice-sheet dynamics. Using a numerical model, researchers have found that instabilities at the ice-bed interface result in subglacial ribbed moraines and drumlins. They also discovered a behavioral trajectory in which subglacial ribs can develop into either organized drumlin fields or misaligned structures. The model provides an explanation for subglacial bedform initiation and their evolutionary trajectories.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Christopher T. Lloyd, Chris D. Clark, Darrel A. Swift
Summary: Overdeepenings are erosional landforms formed by glaciers that cut into bedrock in basins and valleys. The process of overdeepening is important as it can affect how ice masses respond to climate changes. Through analyzing digital elevation models, we found that overdeepenings are primarily located at confluences of glacial valleys, where ice flow speeds up due to changes in valley cross-sectional area. The depth of overdeepenings is correlated with the magnitude of ice flow speed-up, particularly in areas near geological fault-zones. Our findings support the hypothesis that overdeepening is initiated by an increase in ice velocity and highlight the importance of fractured bedrock in the process. These findings have implications for landscape evolution modeling and can be used in model testing.
GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A-PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Sarah L. L. Bradley, Jeremy C. C. Ely, Chris D. D. Clark, Robin J. J. Edwards, Ian Shennan
Summary: By utilizing new data from the BRITICE-CHRONO project, we have improved the reconstruction of the palaeo-sea level of Britain and Ireland and compared it to the relative sea level record. We have tested different ice thickness scenarios and demonstrated the potential of regional sea level data to distinguish between glaciation scenarios. Our method also impacts predictions of contemporary vertical land motion.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Frances E. G. Butcher, Neil S. Arnold, Matthew R. Balme, Susan J. Conway, Christopher D. Clark, Colman Gallagher, Axel Hagermann, Stephen R. Lewis, Alicia M. Rutledge, Robert D. Storrar, Savana Z. Woodley
Summary: Until recently, it was believed that the influence of basal liquid water on the evolution of buried glaciers in Mars' mid latitudes was negligible. However, the recent discovery of landforms interpreted as eskers associated with these glaciers challenges this assumption. These findings indicate a more complex mid-to-late Amazonian environment on Mars than previously thought, raising questions about their abundance, distribution, melting dynamics, and the fate of meltwater. Opportunities for collaboration between Mars and Earth cryosphere research communities arise from these questions.
ANNALS OF GLACIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
R. E. Archer, J. C. Ely, T. J. Heaton, F. E. G. Butcher, A. L. C. Hughes, C. D. Clark
Summary: Palaeo-ice sheets leave behind subglacial lineations, which contain valuable information about the direction of ice flow. The information provided by these lineations is currently underutilised due to the lack of rigorous model-data comparison techniques. This study presents the LALA tool, which allows for a quantitative assessment of ice sheet simulations by comparing simulated and observed lineations. The application of LALA to simulations of the British-Irish Ice Sheet demonstrates its usefulness in identifying the best-fit simulations.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Jean Verite, Stephen J. Livingstone, Edouard Ravier, Isabelle Mcmartin, Janet Campbell, Emma L. M. Lewington, Nico Dewald, Chris D. Clark, Andrew J. Sole, Robert D. Storrar
Summary: This article reviews the subglacial meltwater landforms in northern Canada and Fennoscandia, summarizes their characteristics, formation processes, and spatial distributions, and establishes a conceptual model to explain the evolution of subglacial drainage systems. Additionally, the article proposes future research directions to improve understanding of subglacial hydrology and bedform diversity.
EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Camilla M. Rootes, Christopher D. Clark
Summary: This study applies a new classification scheme for glacial trimlines to a case study location in Svalbard, Norway, exploring the factors that influence their distribution and expression. The findings suggest that glacier type and geology, particularly bedrock erodibility, can influence the location and expression of trimlines. This research highlights the potential for trimlines to be used as diagnostic landsystems for specific types of glacier and offers new insights into paleo-ice masses.
E&G QUATERNARY SCIENCE JOURNAL
(2022)