Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability

Valentin Roberta  Barletta; Michael Bevis; Benjamin E. Smith; Terry Wilson; Andrea Bordoni; Michael Willis; Marc Rovira Navarro; Ian Dalziel; Robert Smalley Jr; Richard C. Aster; Andy Nyblade; Douglas A. Wiens; null More Authors

Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability

Valentin Roberta Barletta, Michael Bevis, Benjamin E. Smith, Terry Wilson, Andrea Bordoni, Michael Willis, Marc Rovira Navarro, Ian Dalziel, Robert Smalley Jr, Richard C. Aster, Andy Nyblade, Douglas A. Wiens, More Authors

Astrodynamics & Space Missions

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Scientific › peer-review

141 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) accounts for one-fourth of the cryospheric contribution to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to catastrophic collapse. The bedrock response to ice mass loss, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years. We used new GPS measurements, which show a rapid (41 millimeters per year) uplift of the ASE, to estimate the viscosity of the mantle underneath. We found a much lower viscosity (4 × 1018 pascal-second) than global average, and this shortens the GIA response time scale to decades up to a century. Our finding requires an upward revision of ice mass loss from gravity data of 10% and increases the potential stability of the WAIS against catastrophic collapse.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1335-1339
Journal	Science
Volume	360
Issue number	6395
Publication status	Published - 2018

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title = "Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability",

abstract = "The marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) accounts for one-fourth of the cryospheric contribution to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to catastrophic collapse. The bedrock response to ice mass loss, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years. We used new GPS measurements, which show a rapid (41 millimeters per year) uplift of the ASE, to estimate the viscosity of the mantle underneath. We found a much lower viscosity (4 × 1018 pascal-second) than global average, and this shortens the GIA response time scale to decades up to a century. Our finding requires an upward revision of ice mass loss from gravity data of 10% and increases the potential stability of the WAIS against catastrophic collapse.",

author = "Barletta, {Valentin Roberta} and Michael Bevis and Smith, {Benjamin E.} and Terry Wilson and Andrea Bordoni and Michael Willis and {Rovira Navarro}, Marc and Ian Dalziel and {Smalley Jr}, Robert and Aster, {Richard C.} and Andy Nyblade and Wiens, {Douglas A.} and {More Authors}",

year = "2018",

language = "English",

volume = "360",

pages = "1335--1339",

journal = "Science",

issn = "0036-8075",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability

AU - Barletta, Valentin Roberta

AU - Bevis, Michael

AU - Smith, Benjamin E.

AU - Wilson, Terry

AU - Bordoni, Andrea

AU - Willis, Michael

AU - Rovira Navarro, Marc

AU - Dalziel, Ian

AU - Smalley Jr, Robert

AU - Aster, Richard C.

AU - Nyblade, Andy

AU - Wiens, Douglas A.

AU - More Authors, null

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - The marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) accounts for one-fourth of the cryospheric contribution to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to catastrophic collapse. The bedrock response to ice mass loss, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years. We used new GPS measurements, which show a rapid (41 millimeters per year) uplift of the ASE, to estimate the viscosity of the mantle underneath. We found a much lower viscosity (4 × 1018 pascal-second) than global average, and this shortens the GIA response time scale to decades up to a century. Our finding requires an upward revision of ice mass loss from gravity data of 10% and increases the potential stability of the WAIS against catastrophic collapse.

AB - The marine portion of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) in the Amundsen Sea Embayment (ASE) accounts for one-fourth of the cryospheric contribution to global sea-level rise and is vulnerable to catastrophic collapse. The bedrock response to ice mass loss, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA), was thought to occur on a time scale of 10,000 years. We used new GPS measurements, which show a rapid (41 millimeters per year) uplift of the ASE, to estimate the viscosity of the mantle underneath. We found a much lower viscosity (4 × 1018 pascal-second) than global average, and this shortens the GIA response time scale to decades up to a century. Our finding requires an upward revision of ice mass loss from gravity data of 10% and increases the potential stability of the WAIS against catastrophic collapse.

M3 - Article

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 360

SP - 1335

EP - 1339

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6395

ER -

Observed rapid bedrock uplift in Amundsen Sea Embayment promotes ice-sheet stability

Abstract

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