Research at Antarctic ice shelves
Research overview
Collaborating on the MIDAS (2014 - 17) and RiPIce (2022 - 25) projects with Stephen Cornford, Bernd Kulessa and Adrian Luckman (Swansea University), we logged and instrumented several sets of boreholes drilled into Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula.
For MIDAS, the team investigated the influence of seasonal surface meltwater ponds on the mass balance and internal properties and structure of the ice shelf. Boreholes were drilled at five sites in the northern sector of the ice shelf, allowing spatial variations in the shelf's internal properties to be reconstructed. These borehole data were supplemented by surface meteorological and mass balance measurements, surface geophysics (mainly GPR) and remote sensing.
For (ongoing) RiPIce, the team is investigating the properties and structure of flowbands of 'suture' ice, the presence of which effectively serves to hold the ice shelf together by temporarily or permanently arresting the propagation of brittle fractures or rifts.
Funding:
Natural Environment Research Council: MIDAS, 2016 - 19
Natural Environment Research Council: RiPIce, 2022 - 25
King Baudouin Ice Shelf
Collaborating with Jean-Louis Tison and Frank Pattyn on IceCON and Mass2Ant projects, we both cored and melted boreholes on King Baudouin Ice Shelf, comparing the internal properties of the ice shelf proper with (i) material forming the base of a substantial rift and (ii) the firn and ice of a major ice rise.
These studies allowed us to sample and characterise the material forming the base of an ice shelf rift (to our knowledge, the only study to achieve this), draw conclusions relating to the mass balance history of the ice shelf over the past few centuries, and also to reconstruct density variations within the ice shelf directly from borehole OPTV images without the need for ice cores.
Funding:
Belgian Science Policy Office: IceCON, 2016 - 2019
Belgian Science Policy Office: Mass2Ant, 2018 - 2021
Publications
Larsen C
Ashmore, D.W., B. Hubbard, A. Luckman, B. Kulessa, S. Bevan, A. Booth, P. Kuipers Munneke, M. O'Leary, H. Sevestre and P.R. Holland 2017. Ice and firn heterogeneity within Larsen C Ice Shelf from borehole optical televiewing. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 122(5): 1139-1153.
Bevan, S.L., A. Luckman, B. Hubbard, B. Kulessa, D. Ashmore, P. Kuipers Munneke, M. O'Leary, A. Booth, H. Sevestre and D. McGrath 2017. Centuries of intense surface melt on Larsen C Ice Shelf. The Cryosphere, 11(6): 2743-2753.
Bevan, S.L., A.J. Luckman, P. Kuipers Munneke, B. Hubbard, B. Kulessa and D.W. Ashmore 2018. Decline in Surface Melt Duration on Larsen C Ice Shelf Revealed by The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT). Earth and Space Science, 5(10): 578-591.
Brisbourne, A., B. Kulessa, T. Hudson, L. Harrison, P. Holland, A. Luckman, S. Bevan, D. Ashmore, B. Hubbard, E. Pearce, J. White, A. Booth, K. Nicholls and A. Smith 2020. An updated seabed bathymetry beneath Larsen C Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula. Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12(2): 887-896.
Hubbard, B., A. Luckman, D.W. Ashmore, S. Bevan, B. Kulessa, P. Kuipers Munneke, M. Philippe, D. Jansen, A. Booth, H. Sevestre, J.-L. Tison, M. O’Leary and I. Rutt 2016. Massive subsurface ice formed by refreezing of ice-shelf melt ponds. Nature Communications, 7: 11897.
Jansen, D., A.J. Luckman, A. Cook, S. Bevan, B. Kulessa, B. Hubbard and P.R. Holland 2015. Newly developing rift in Larsen C Ice Shelf presents significant risk to stability. The Cryosphere, 9(3): 1223-1227.
Kuipers Munneke, P., A.J. Luckman, S.L. Bevan, C.J.P.P. Smeets, E. Gilbert, M.R. van den Broeke, W. Wang, C. Zender, B. Hubbard, D. Ashmore, A. Orr, J.C. King and B. Kulessa 2018. Intense Winter Surface Melt on an Antarctic Ice Shelf. Geophysical Research Letters, 45.
Kuipers Munneke, P., D. McGrath, B. Medley, A. Luckman, S. Bevan, B. Kulessa, D. Jansen, A. Booth, P. Smeets, B. Hubbard, D. Ashmore, M. Van den Broeke, H. Sevestre, K. Steffen, A. Shepherd and N. Gourmelen 2017. Observationally constrained surface mass balance of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 11(6): 2411-2426.
King Baudouin
Hubbard, B., M. Philippe, F. Pattyn, R. Drews, T.J. Young, C. Bruyninx, N. Bergeot, K. Fjøsne and J.-L. Tison 2020. High-resolution distributed vertical strain and velocity from repeat borehole logging by optical televiewer: Derwael Ice Rise, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 66(258): 523-529.
Hubbard, B., J.-L. Tison, F. Pattyn, M. Dierckx, T. Boereboom and D. Samyn 2012. Optical-televiewer-based identification and characterization of material facies associated with an Antarctic ice-shelf rift. Annals of Glaciology, 53(60): 137-146.
Hubbard, B., J.-L. Tison, M. Philippe, B. Heene, F. Pattyn, T. Malone and J. Freitag 2013. Ice-shelf density reconstructed from optical-televiewer borehole logging. Geophysical Research Letters: 2013GL058023.
Pattyn, F., K. Matsuoka, D. Callens, H. Conway, M. Depoorter, D. Docquier, B. Hubbard, D. Samyn and J.-L. Tison 2012. Melting and refreezing beneath Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf (East Antarctica) inferred from radar, GPS, and ice-core data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 117(F04008).
Philippe, M., J.-L. Tison, K. Fjøsne, B. Hubbard, H.A. Kjær, J.T.M. Lenaerts, R. Drews, S.G. Sheldon, K. De Bondt, P. Claeys and F. Pattyn 2016. Ice core evidence for a 20th century increase in surface mass balance in coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 10(5): 2501-2516.
Jansen, D., A.J. Luckman, A. Cook, S. Bevan, B. Kulessa, B. Hubbard and P.R. Holland 2015. Newly developing rift in Larsen C Ice Shelf presents significant risk to stability. The Cryosphere, 9(3): 1223-1227.
Kuipers Munneke, P., A.J. Luckman, S.L. Bevan, C.J.P.P. Smeets, E. Gilbert, M.R. van den Broeke, W. Wang, C. Zender, B. Hubbard, D. Ashmore, A. Orr, J.C. King and B. Kulessa 2018. Intense Winter Surface Melt on an Antarctic Ice Shelf. Geophysical Research Letters, 45.
Kuipers Munneke, P., D. McGrath, B. Medley, A. Luckman, S. Bevan, B. Kulessa, D. Jansen, A. Booth, P. Smeets, B. Hubbard, D. Ashmore, M. Van den Broeke, H. Sevestre, K. Steffen, A. Shepherd and N. Gourmelen 2017. Observationally constrained surface mass balance of Larsen C ice shelf, Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 11(6): 2411-2426.
King Baudouin
Hubbard, B., M. Philippe, F. Pattyn, R. Drews, T.J. Young, C. Bruyninx, N. Bergeot, K. Fjøsne and J.-L. Tison 2020. High-resolution distributed vertical strain and velocity from repeat borehole logging by optical televiewer: Derwael Ice Rise, Antarctica. Journal of Glaciology, 66(258): 523-529.
Hubbard, B., J.-L. Tison, F. Pattyn, M. Dierckx, T. Boereboom and D. Samyn 2012. Optical-televiewer-based identification and characterization of material facies associated with an Antarctic ice-shelf rift. Annals of Glaciology, 53(60): 137-146.
Hubbard, B., J.-L. Tison, M. Philippe, B. Heene, F. Pattyn, T. Malone and J. Freitag 2013. Ice-shelf density reconstructed from optical-televiewer borehole logging. Geophysical Research Letters: 2013GL058023.
Pattyn, F., K. Matsuoka, D. Callens, H. Conway, M. Depoorter, D. Docquier, B. Hubbard, D. Samyn and J.-L. Tison 2012. Melting and refreezing beneath Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf (East Antarctica) inferred from radar, GPS, and ice-core data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 117(F04008).
Philippe, M., J.-L. Tison, K. Fjøsne, B. Hubbard, H.A. Kjær, J.T.M. Lenaerts, R. Drews, S.G. Sheldon, K. De Bondt, P. Claeys and F. Pattyn 2016. Ice core evidence for a 20th century increase in surface mass balance in coastal Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The Cryosphere, 10(5): 2501-2516.
