Radar derived Subglacial Properties and Landforms beneath Rutford Ice Stream, West Antarctica

Abstract

Such fast flow is facilitated by the active deformation of water-saturated sediment and by sliding over consolidated beds or crystalline bedrock (Cuffey & Paterson, 2010). Subglacial water has a major impact on the dynamics of West Antarctic ice streams by facilitating till deformation as well as reducing basal friction and therefore enhancing sliding (Blankenship et al., 2001;Siegert et al., 2018). Typical models of subglacial water systems include water storage at the lee side of bedrock features (Kamb, 2001), in subglacial channels, water films or canals (Cuffey & Paterson, 2010).Subglacial landforms such as mega-scale glacial lineations (MSGLs) and drumlins are generated by processes at the ice-bed interface and are a key component of the subglacial environment. Several models describe the theoretical formation of these landforms, but consensus has yet to be achieved. Possible models explaining