Hydraulics and sediment deformation beneath an ice stream: A multi-component geophysical AVO investigation

Abstract

A set of geophysical experiments on Rutford Ice Stream in the 2009-10 austral summer produced new data addressing the physical conditions and flow controls at the ice stream bed. NERC GEF seismic and GPS equipment were used to support active seismic and ice-penetrating radar surveys. Data analyses are at an early stage. So far, GPS monitoring of ice flow confirms a known periodic variability and surface elevation grids have been used to process seismic and radar data. Future work will analyse the seismic data (reflection and AVO) to determine the physical nature of the bed material, allowing modelling of groundwater flow beneath the ice stream. An inability to recover the majority of the passive seismic data means they are of little value to the project.