Ocean coupling controls rupture velocity of fastest observed ice shelf
rift propagation event
Abstract
The Antarctic ice sheet is buttressed by floating ice shelves that calve
icebergs along large fractures called rifts. We report the first-ever
seismic recording of a multiple-kilometer rift propagation event located
in Pine Island Glacier Ice Shelf. The rift grew 10.5 km at a speed of
34.8 m/s, the fastest known ice fracture at this scale. We simulate
ocean-coupled rift propagation and find that hydrodynamics control
rupture velocities. During rift propagation, ocean water flows into the
rift at a rate of at least 2300 m3/s and causes mixing in the subshelf
cavity. Our observations support the hypotheses that large ice shelf
rift propagation events are brittle, hydrodynamically limited, and
exhibit sensitive coupling with the surrounding ocean.