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Progress in radioglaciology

Cloudy With a Chance of Shaking: Can Weather Radars Predict Earthquakes?

Undergraduate thesis in geophysics. Subject is the possible use of NEXRAD weather radars to detect pre-earthquake electromagnetic anomalies.

Basal hydrology under Totten Glacier after the GlaDS model and a Potential Transition Zone

The Aurora Subglacial Basin (ASB) in East Antarctica contains at least 3.5 meters of eustatic sea level potential in ice grounded below sea level, primarily draining through Totten Glacier into the Sabrina Coast. Totten’s coastal grounded ice has been thinning faster than any other glacier system in East Antarctica since the beginning of the satellite altimetry record and its grounding line has been retreating since at least 1996. Recent work has shown that a vast subglacial hydrological system underlies the Totten Glacier Catchment, likely providing important controls on ice dynamics. Ice-flow acceleration is directly linked to the distribution of subglacial hydrology; for example, a channelized or otherwise centralized hydrological system streamlines water loss without increasing basal lubrication, while distributed systems can increase lubrication and therefore ice flow. To predict the future behavior of this sensitive area, we must improve our understanding of the characteristics of the subglacial flow. Recent work applying the Glacier Drainage System (GlaDS) model applied to the ASB revealed a varied hydrological system beneath the Totten Glacier Catchment with channelization occurring within 200 km of the Totten grounding line. While the model provides a compelling picture of the glacier, the ice-penetrating radar survey coverage available at the time was not optimized for testing for the presence or absence of water in the modeled locations. Using newly-acquired aerogeophysical data, we provide a systematic comparison of inferred basal character and the modeled hydrological setting to test for a transition from a distributed to concentrated water system upstream of Totten’s grounding line. With these new data, we provide an updated picture of the subglacial system beneath Totten Glacier.