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Interplay of grounding-line dynamics and sub-shelf melting during retreat of the Bjørnøyrenna Ice Stream

Journal Article (2018)
Author(s)

Michele Petrini (TU Delft - Physical and Space Geodesy, Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale)

Florence Colleoni (Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici)

Nina Kirchner (Stockholm University)

Anna L.C. Hughes (University of Bergen and Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research)

Angelo Camerlenghi (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale)

Michele Rebesco (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale)

Renata G. Lucchi (Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e Geofisica Sperimentale)

Emanuele Forte (University of Trieste)

Renato R. Colucci (Istituto di Scienze Marine, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)

Riko Noormets (The University Centre in Svalbard)

Research Group
Physical and Space Geodesy
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25664-6
More Info
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Publication Year
2018
Language
English
Research Group
Physical and Space Geodesy
Journal title
Scientific Reports
Issue number
1
Volume number
8
Article number
7196
Downloads counter
309
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Institutional Repository
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Abstract

The Barents Sea Ice Sheet was a marine-based ice sheet, i.e., it rested on the Barents Sea floor during the Last Glacial Maximum (21 ky BP). The Bjørnøyrenna Ice Stream was the largest ice stream draining the Barents Sea Ice Sheet and is regarded as an analogue for contemporary ice streams in West Antarctica. Here, the retreat of the Bjørnøyrenna Ice Stream is simulated by means of two numerical ice sheet models and results assessed against geological data. We investigate the sensitivity of the ice stream to changes in ocean temperature and the impact of grounding-line physics on ice stream retreat. Our results suggest that the role played by sub-shelf melting depends on how the grounding-line physics is represented in the models. When an analytic constraint on the ice flux across the grounding line is applied, the retreat of Bjørnøyrenna Ice Stream is primarily driven by internal ice dynamics rather than by oceanic forcing. This suggests that implementations of grounding-line physics need to be carefully assessed when evaluating and predicting the response of contemporary marine-based ice sheets and individual ice streams to ongoing and future ocean warming.