Dynamics of the Scharffenbergbotnen blue ice area, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) surveys in Scharffenbergbotnen valley, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, complement earlier, relatively sparse data on the ice-flow dynamics and mass-balance distribution of the area. The negative net surface mass balance in the valley appears to be balanced by the inflow. The flow regime in Scharffenbergbotnen defines four separate mass-balance areas, and about 60 times more ice enters the valley from the northwestern entrance than via the narrow western gate. We formalize and compare three methods of determining both the surface age gradient of the blue ice and the dip angles of isochrones in the firn/blue-ice transition zone: observed and dated radar internal reflections, a geometrical model of isochrones, and output from a flowline model. The geometrical analysis provides generally applicable relationships between ice surface velocity and surface age gradient or isochrone dip angle.
Original languageEnglish
JournalAnnals of Glaciology
Volume39
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)417-422
Number of pages6
ISSN0260-3055
Publication statusPublished - 2004
Externally publishedYes

ID: 9832681