Tracking the Cracking: a Holistic Analysis of Rapid Ice Shelf Fracture
Using Seismology, Geodesy, and Satellite Imagery on the Pine Island
Glacier Ice Shelf, West Antarctica
Abstract
Ice shelves regulate the stability of marine ice sheets. We track
fractures on Pine Island Glacier (PIG) –a quickly accelerating glacier
in West Antarctica that contributes more to sea level rise than any
other glacier. TerraSAR-X imagery from 2012-2014 shows the formation of
wing cracks, new rift formation, opening along a large rift, small
calving events, and one large tabular calving event. Using a temporary
on-ice seismic network, we catalog icequakes that dominantly consist of
flexural gravity waves. The icequakes occur in three spatial groups:
near the rift tip, where the rift reaches the margin, and the transition
between intact and damaged margin. Rift tip icequakes correlate with ice
speed and therefore link glaciological stresses and fracture. Using a
simple flexural gravity wave model, we deconvolve wave propagation
effects to estimate icequake source durations $O[10$ s$]$ and
transient loads $O[$kPa$]$ corresponding to $ O[$m$]$ of
crevasse growth per icequake.