Basal Crevasse Formation on Byrd Glacier, East Antarctica, as Proxy for Past Subglacial Flooding Events Geophysical Research Letters

Linear elastic fracture mechanics suggests that short-lived flow accelerations, such as the one initiated by a flooding event beneath Byrd Glacier in 2006, can form abnormally large basal crevasses at the grounding line. Airborne radar measurements acquired in 2011 reveal hundreds of basal crevasses ranging in height from ~40–335 m. Particle tracking results show that formation of the largest basal crevasse occurred at the grounding line during the 2006 flooding event. Very large basal crevasses form distinctive surface depressions directly overhead, which are observed along the Byrd Glacier flowline to the terminus of the Ross Ice Shelf. By using these surface depressions as proxies for abnormally large basal crevasses, we create a timeline of past subglacial flooding events on Byrd Glacier. Understanding the frequency of flooding events and their effect on glacier dynamics will help inform models of ice sheet stability and subglacial hydrology.