Gauging Rutford Ice Stream Transients

Hamish Pritchard, Alex M. Brisbourne, Edward C. King, G H. Gudmundsson, Andy M. Smith
2010
Gauging Rutford Ice Stream Transients
This is a Full Scientific Report resulting from NERC Geophysical Equipment Facility Loan 852, principal investigator Dr Hamish Pritchard.

Abstract

A field survey on the Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica, in austral summer 2008-9 has yielded substantial new GPS, passive seismic and radar datasets. Preliminary analysis reveals the extent of tidal modulation of flow on the ice stream, the distribution of bedforms associated with bed deformation and basal sliding down to the grounding line, and the spatial and temporal pattern of basal seismic events in relation both to these flow mechanisms and to the periodic tidal flow modulation. Further processing is planned in support of efforts to derive new ice stream flow laws.