Water flow beneath past ice sheets

Basal hydrology is a critical factor controlling the dynamic behaviour of ice sheets and their contribution to sea level change. Geophysical data from formerly glaciated continental shelves reveal seabed channels that indicate past subglacial water flow. The student will examine geomorphological, geophysical and geological evidence of past subglacial water flow around West Antarctica, including multibeam swath bathymetry, sub bottom profiles, seismic data and results from analyses of sediment cores collected over the past two decades.