Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability

Richard B. Alley; Sridhar Anandakrishnan; Todd K. Dupont; Byron R. Parizek; David Pollard

doi:10.1126/science.1138396

Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability

Richard B. Alley, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Todd K. Dupont, Byron R. Parizek, David Pollard

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

172 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sedimentation filling space beneath ice shelves helps to stabilize ice sheets against grounding-line retreat in response to a rise in relative sea level of at least several meters. Recent Antarctic changes thus cannot be attributed to sea-level rise, strengthening earlier interpretations that warming has driven ice-sheet mass loss. Large sea-level rise, such as the ≈100-meter rise at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from sedimentation, but smaller sea-level changes are unlikely to have synchronized the behavior of ice sheets in the past.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	1838-1841
Number of pages	4
Journal	Science
Volume	315
Issue number	5820
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1138396
State	Published - Mar 30 2007

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

General

Access to Document

10.1126/science.1138396

Cite this

@article{e699c1e0e06e4fd8b6c4843889dca1cc,

title = "Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability",

abstract = "Sedimentation filling space beneath ice shelves helps to stabilize ice sheets against grounding-line retreat in response to a rise in relative sea level of at least several meters. Recent Antarctic changes thus cannot be attributed to sea-level rise, strengthening earlier interpretations that warming has driven ice-sheet mass loss. Large sea-level rise, such as the ≈100-meter rise at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from sedimentation, but smaller sea-level changes are unlikely to have synchronized the behavior of ice sheets in the past.",

author = "Alley, {Richard B.} and Sridhar Anandakrishnan and Dupont, {Todd K.} and Parizek, {Byron R.} and David Pollard",

year = "2007",

month = mar,

day = "30",

doi = "10.1126/science.1138396",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "315",

pages = "1838--1841",

journal = "Science",

issn = "0036-8075",

publisher = "American Association for the Advancement of Science",

number = "5820",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability

AU - Alley, Richard B.

AU - Anandakrishnan, Sridhar

AU - Dupont, Todd K.

AU - Parizek, Byron R.

AU - Pollard, David

PY - 2007/3/30

Y1 - 2007/3/30

N2 - Sedimentation filling space beneath ice shelves helps to stabilize ice sheets against grounding-line retreat in response to a rise in relative sea level of at least several meters. Recent Antarctic changes thus cannot be attributed to sea-level rise, strengthening earlier interpretations that warming has driven ice-sheet mass loss. Large sea-level rise, such as the ≈100-meter rise at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from sedimentation, but smaller sea-level changes are unlikely to have synchronized the behavior of ice sheets in the past.

AB - Sedimentation filling space beneath ice shelves helps to stabilize ice sheets against grounding-line retreat in response to a rise in relative sea level of at least several meters. Recent Antarctic changes thus cannot be attributed to sea-level rise, strengthening earlier interpretations that warming has driven ice-sheet mass loss. Large sea-level rise, such as the ≈100-meter rise at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from sedimentation, but smaller sea-level changes are unlikely to have synchronized the behavior of ice sheets in the past.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34147209031&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34147209031&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1126/science.1138396

DO - 10.1126/science.1138396

M3 - Article

C2 - 17332377

AN - SCOPUS:34147209031

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 315

SP - 1838

EP - 1841

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 5820

ER -

Effect of sedimentation on ice-sheet grounding-line stability

Abstract

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this