Dry-Based Ice-Cliff Dynamics: Taylor Glacier, Antarctica

This project is a comprehensive study of land-based polar ice cliffs. Through field measurements, modeling, and remote sensing, the physics underlying the formation of ice cliffs at the margin of Taylor Glacier in the McMurdo Dry Valleys has been investigated. At two sites, measurements of ice deformation and temperature fields near the cliff face are combined with existing energy balance data to quantify ice-cliff evolution over one full seasonal cycle. In addition, a small seismic network monitored local "ice quakes" associated with calving events. Numerical modeling, validated by the field data, enables determination of the sensitivity of ice cliff evolution to environmental variables. There are both local and global motivations for studying the ice cliffs of Taylor Glacier. On a global scale, this work will provide insight into the fundamental processes of calving and glacier terminus A better grasp of ice cliff processes will also improve boundary conditions required for predicting glaciers' response to climate change. Locally, the Taylor Glacier is an important component of the McMurdo Dry Valleys landscape and the results of this study will aid in defining ecologically-important sources of glacial meltwater and will lead to a better understanding of moraine formation at polar ice cliffs.