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Rapid erosion, drumlin formation, and changing hydrology beneath an Antarctic ice stream

A.M. Smith¹, T. Murray², K.W. Nicholls³, K. Makinson³, G. Aalgeirsdóttir⁴, A.E. Behar⁵ and D.G. Vaughan⁶

¹ British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
² University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
³ British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK
⁴ University of Wales Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
⁵ Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91109-8099, USA
⁶ British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK

What happens beneath a glacier affects the way it flows and the landforms left behind when it retreats. Direct observations from beneath glaciers are, however, rare and the subglacial environment remains poorly understood. We present new, repeat observations from West Antarctica that show active processes beneath a modern glacier which can normally only be postulated from the geological record. We interpret erosion at a rate of 1 m a^–1 beneath a fast-flowing ice stream, followed by cessation of erosion and the formation of a drumlin from mobilized sediment. We also interpret both mobilization and increased compaction of basal sediment with associated hydrological changes within the glacier bed. All these changes occurred on time scales of a few years or less. This variability suggests that an ice stream can reorganize its bed rapidly, and that present models of ice dynamics may not simulate all the relevant subglacial processes.

Key Words: subglacial environment • ice streams • drumlins • erosion

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