The variation in basal channels and basal melt rates of Pine Island Ice Shelf

Mingliang Liu; Zemin Wang; Baojun Zhang; Xiangyu Song; Jiachun An

doi:10.1007/s13131-023-2271-x

Volume 43 Issue 1

Jan. 2024

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Mingliang Liu, Zemin Wang, Baojun Zhang, Xiangyu Song, Jiachun An. The variation in basal channels and basal melt rates of Pine Island Ice Shelf[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2024, 43(1): 22-34. doi: 10.1007/s13131-023-2271-x

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Mingliang Liu, Zemin Wang, Baojun Zhang, Xiangyu Song, Jiachun An. The variation in basal channels and basal melt rates of Pine Island Ice Shelf[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2024, 43(1): 22-34. doi: 10.1007/s13131-023-2271-x

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The variation in basal channels and basal melt rates of Pine Island Ice Shelf

doi: 10.1007/s13131-023-2271-x

Mingliang Liu^{1, 2},
Zemin Wang^{1, 2},
Baojun Zhang^{1, 2
,
,},
Xiangyu Song^{3, 4},
Jiachun An^{1, 2}

1.
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
2.
Key Laboratory of Polar Environment Monitoring and Public Governance (Wuhan University), Ministry of Education, Wuhan 430079, China
3.
School of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, China
4.
Key Laboratory of Roads and Railway Engineering Safety Control (Shijiazhuang Tiedao University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang 050043, China

Funds: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41941010 and 42006184; the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities under contract No. 2042022kf1068.

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: bjzhang@whu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2023-08-11
Accepted Date: 2023-10-20

Available Online: 2024-02-23

Publish Date: 2024-01-01

Abstract

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a significant acceleration in the thinning, calving and retreat of the Pine Island Ice Shelf (PIIS). The basal channels, results of enhanced basal melting, have the potential to significantly impact the stability of the PIIS. In this study, we used a variety of remote sensing data, including Landsat, REMA DEM, ICESat-1 and ICESat-2 satellite altimetry observations, and IceBridge airborne measurements, to study the spatiotemporal changes in the basal channels from 2003 to 2020 and basal melt rate from 2010 to 2017 of the PIIS under the Eulerian framework. We found that the basal channels are highly developed in the PIIS, with a total length exceeding 450 km. Most of the basal channels are ocean-sourced or groundingline-sourced basal channels, caused by the rapid melting under the ice shelf or near the groundingline. A raised seabed prevented warm water intrusion into the eastern branch of the PIIS, resulting in a lower basal melt rate in that area. In contrast, a deep-sea trough facilitates warm seawater into the mainstream and the western branch of the PIIS, resulting in a higher basal melt rate in the main-stream, and the surface elevation changes above the basal channels of the mainstream and western branch are more significant. The El Niño event in 2015–2016 possibly slowed down the basal melting of the PIIS by modulating wind field, surface sea temperature and depth seawater temperature. Ocean and atmospheric changes were driven by El Niño, which can further explain and confirm the changes in the basal melting of the PIIS.
- Pine Island Ice Shelf,
- basal channel,
- basal melt rate,
- digital elevation models (DEMs),
- satellite altimetry

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