GHOST (Geophysical Habitats of Subglacial Thwaites)

Lead Research Organisation: Swansea University
Department Name: College of Science

Abstract

Costs of rapid sea level rise globally to infrastructure (houses, roads, and farms, etc.) is likely to be large. A possible source of water for sea level rise is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, and Thwaites Glacier in particular. Ice sheets and glaciers contain vast quantities of water (in the form of ice) that is continually shed to the ocean, and continually replenished by snowfall (from water that evaporates from the oceans). If the amount of ice that Thwaites Glacier loses to the ocean over the next decades is much greater than the amount it receives as snowfall, then sea level in all the world's oceans would rise, possibly as much as a meter (approximately 3 feet). In order to estimate how likely such a catastrophic scenario would be, we need to better understand the surface over which Thwaites Glacier slides. If we can better characterize that layer ("is to smooth? Is it rough? Is it soft? Is it hard?"), then computer models of Thwaites would be much improved and we can make better projections of the amount of ice that Thwaites Glacier would shed to the ocean.

Planned Impact

Better projections of the most important potential contributor to costs of sea-level rise will be of great
societal value in decision-making about mitigation and adaptation. The proposed work will also
contribute to education of students, advancement of a diverse group of junior faculty, and extension of a
vigorous program of education and outreach. Development of a novel interactive educational tool, the
Augmented Reality Sandbox, will advance glaciological education in museums and other venues.
International collaboration: We include a significant partnership with the Alfred Wegener Institute, who
have agreed to provide a Vibroseis truck, a PistenBully tractor, and personnel for the length of the
project, for no cost to NSF or NERC. We include a partnership with Victoria University in NZ who will
aid in field work, data analysis, and interpretation.
Further details in Case for Support, submitted via US NSF FastLane portal
 
Description Please see new collaboration section, with British Antartic Survey. We have constructed a new geological map of the crust beneath the Thwaites Glacier, which we anticipate will be used widely as a reference works by international researchers.
Exploitation Route Directly usable as a map, and all data are available in the NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre (https://doi.org/10.5285/189823ED-6A14-4EBA-87FB-38BA3E5E30FB)
Sectors Education

Environment

URL https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adf2639
 
Title Magnetotelluric geophysics 
Description Novel application of magnetotelluric imaging to ice sheet problems. 
Type Of Material Improvements to research infrastructure 
Year Produced 2019 
Provided To Others? Yes  
Impact Not yet applicable. 
 
Title Model output from Inverting ice surface elevation and velocity for bed topography and slipperiness beneath Thwaites Glacier 
Description This model output dataset accompanies the draft paper 'Inverting ice surface elevation and velocity for bed topography and slipperiness beneath Thwaites Glacier'. 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2021 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://zenodo.org/record/5105686
 
Title Thwaites Glacier geological map and associated geophysical information. 
Description The geology underlying Thwaites Glacier plays a critical role in mediating ice flow in this region yet is extremely poorly known. Using new compilations of airborne radar, magnetic and gravity data, supported by published geological evidence, we have interpreted the subglacial geology of the Thwaites Glacier region. Here we provide the new data compilations, results of 3D inversions and vector components defining the lithological units on our new geological sketch map. British Antarctic Survey (BAS) National Capability contribution to the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) (TJ), NERC Grant NE/S006621/1 (Geophysical Habitats of Subglacial Thwaites (Ghost)) (BK), Antarctic Science Collaboration Initiative program (Australian Government) (ST), European Space Agency (ESA) 4D Antarctica project (FF). 
Type Of Material Database/Collection of data 
Year Produced 2023 
Provided To Others? Yes  
URL https://data.bas.ac.uk/full-record.php?id=GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/01720
 
Description Thwaites subglacial geology 
Organisation British Antarctic Survey
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Intellectual input
Collaborator Contribution Lead geological template of Thwaites Glacier study
Impact Jordan, T., Thompson, S., Kulessa, B., & Ferraccioli, F. (2023). Geological sketch map and implications for ice flow of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica, from integrated aerogeophysical observations. Science Advances, 9(22) https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf2639, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa63536 http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adf2639
Start Year 2020
 
Title hockenden97/Inverting_ice_surface: Paper release 
Description This code accompanies the draft paper 'Inverting ice surface elevation and velocity for bed topography and slipperiness beneath Thwaites Glacier'. 
Type Of Technology Software 
Year Produced 2021 
URL https://zenodo.org/record/5494599