Abstract
Subglacial hydrology can exert an important control on ice flow by
affecting drag at the ice-bedrock interface. Here, we report on a series
of subglacial drainage events (outbursts) along the Northeast Greenland
Ice Stream (NEGIS), initiating as far inland as ~500 km
from the margin of Zachariae Isstrøm. The drainage events are associated
with local transient uplift, followed by prolonged subsidence, measured
by satellite synthetic aperture radar interferometry (DInSAR). In
downstream regions, drainage events are associated with a local speed-up
in ice flow. The high spatiotemporal resolution of the DInSAR
measurements allows for a detailed mapping of the drainage propagation
pathway. We show that multiple drainage cascades have occurred along the
same identified pathway over the years 2020-2022. Finally, the
propagation speed of subglacial water flow is found to vary greatly
along NEGIS, suggesting that fundamental differences may exist in the
subglacial environment.