Thwaites Glacier
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Aeromagnetic data provides important constraints on the sub-surface geology of a region. This dataset contains aeromagnetic line data collected by the British Antarctic Survey during the second aerogeophysical survey carried out as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC). Data were collected using a caesium magnetometer system, and have been corrected to total field values following the approach laid out by the SCAR ADMAP working group (https://www.scar.org/science/admap/about/). In total 8688 km of data is presented, of this ~6052 km was collected in the main survey area, while other data was collected on input transit flights. The aircraft used was the BAS aerogeophysicaly equipped twin otter VP-FBL. Data are available as an ASCII table (.csv). The Thwaites 2019/20 aerogeophysical survey was carried out as part of the BAS National Capability contribution to the NERC/NSF International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) program. Data processing was supported by the BAS Geology and Geophysics team.
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As part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) ~9540 km of new airborne gravity data was acquired by the British Antarctic Survey, including ~6200 km over the Thwaites Glacier catchment. Data was collected using an iCORUS strap-down airborne gravimeter system mounted on the BAS aerogeophysical equipped survey aircraft VP-FBL. The survey operated from Lower Thwaites Glacier camp, and focused on collecting data between 70 and 180 km from the grounding line. Additional profiles from the coast to the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) divide and over the eastern shear margin were also flown. Navigation, aircraft attitude, sensor temperature, initial and levelled free air gravity anomalies are provided as an ASCI table. The Thwaites 2019/20 aerogeophysical survey was carried out as part of the BAS National Capability contribution to the NERC/NSF International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) program. Data processing was supported by the BAS Geology and Geophysics team.
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This is the output from high-resolution model simulations of ocean conditions and melting beneath the floating part of Thwaites Glacier. The model is designed to study how these conditions change as the geometry of Thwaites Glacier evolved from 2011-2022. There is one simulation using the geometry from each year during this period, derived from satellite observations. The simulations are repeated for different ocean model forcing conditions, as described in the associated paper. PH was supported by the NERC/NSF Thwaites-MELT project (NE/S006656/1). ITGC contribution number 099. *******PLEASE BE ADVISED TO USE VERSION 2.0 DATA******* (Version 1 had the seabed bathymetry and ice shelf topography files incorrectly oriented.)
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Aerogravity data has an important role to play in constraining sub-surface geology under grounded ice and bathymetry beneath floating ice shelves. This dataset contains aerogravity collected by the British Antarctic Survey as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC). Data were collected using both a traditional stabilised platform approach, and a more modern strapdown gravity system. Flights were flown at a constant altitude ~450 m above the ice surface where surface topography was flat. Gravity data is also recovered along draped sections by the strapdown system. In total 9872 km of data is presented, of this 6033 km was collected in the main survey area, while other data was collected on input and output transit flights. The aircraft used was the BAS twin otter VP-FBL equipped for aerogeophysical surveys. Data are available in ASCII file format (.xyz). Three databases are provided with aerogravity data: one with the Strapdown processing flow, a second with the LaCoste & Romberg processing flow, and a final simplified database with the optimal free air gravity anomalies from the strapdown system.
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This dataset consists of measurements of cosmogenic Be-10 and Al-26 in quartz for a set of cobbles collected from a moraine proximal to Mount Murphy, a nunatak located between Pope and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica. The cobbles were collected during the 2015-2016 Antarctic field season. The dataset includes cosmogenic nuclide (Be-10 and Al-26) surface exposure ages and all field (location, elevation, shielding, thickness) and analytical laboratory (quartz, beryllium and aluminium carrier masses, Be-10/Be-9 and Al-26/Al-27 ratios) data for field samples and procedural blanks required to calculate the ages. Funding source: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC: Grants NE/S006710/1 (JSJ), NE/K012088/1 (JSJ), NE/S006753/1 (DHR), NE/K011278/1 (DHR)). Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) Centre for Accelerator Science award AP12872 (DHR) through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
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As part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) ~4432 km of new radar depth sounding data was acquired over the Thwaites Glacier catchment by the British Antarctic Survey. Data was collected using the PASIN-2 polametric radar system, fitted on the BAS aerogeophysical equipped survey aircraft "VP-FBL". The survey operated from Lower Thwaites Glacier camp, and focused on collecting data in regions of ice >1.5 km thick between 70 and 180 km from the grounding line. Additional profiles from the coast to the Western Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) divide and over the eastern shear margin were also flown. Ice thicknesses between 418 and 3744 m were measured, with a minimum bed elevation of -2282 m imaged. Our Twin Otter aircraft was equipped with dual-frequency carrier-phase GPS for navigation, radar altimeter for surface mapping, wing-tip magnetometers, an iMAR strapdown gravity system, and a new ice-sounding radar system (PASIN-2). We present here the full radar dataset consisting of the deep-sounding chirp and shallow-sounding pulse-acquired data in their processed form, as well as the navigational information of each trace, the surface and bed elevation picks, ice thickness, and calculated absolute surface and bed elevations. This dataset comes primarily in the form of NetCDF and georeferenced SEGY files. To interactively engage with this newly-published dataset, we also created segmented quicklook PDF files of the radar data.
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This dataset is an estimate of sub ice shelf bathymetry beneath the Thwaites, Crosson and Dotson ice shelves. The output bathymetry is derived from a new compilation of gravity data collected up to the end of the 2018/19 field season. The input gravity dataset includes airborne data from Operation Ice Bridge (OIB) and the NERC/NSF International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC), and marine gravity from the R/V Nathaniel B. Palmer cruise NBP19-02. The recovered bathymetry was constrained by swath bathymetry and onshore airborne radio-echo depth sounding data in the surrounding area. Ice shelves mask the critical link between the ocean and cryosphere systems, and hence accurate sub ice shelf bathymetry is critical for generating reliable models of future ice sheet change. Included in the data release is the input free air gravity data, constraining bathymetry/sub-ice topography, and output gravity derived bathymetry. This work was funded by the British Antarctic Survey core program (Geology and Geophysics team), in support of the joint Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)/ National Science Foundation (NSF) International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC). Additional specific support came from NERC Grants: NE/S006664/1 and NE/S006419/1, and NSF Grants: NSF1842064, NSFPLR-NERC-1738942, NSFPLR-NERC-1738992 and NSFPLR-NERC-1739003.
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This dataset contains the position and depth of four spatially-extensive Internal Reflecting Horizons (or IRHs) traced on the British Antarctic Survey''s PASIN system and NASA Operation IceBridge''s MCoRDS2 system across the Pine Island Glacier catchment. Using the WAIS Divide ice-core chronology and a 1-D steady-state model, we assign ages to our four IRHs: (R1) 2.31-2.92 ka, (R2) 4.72 +/- 0.28 ka, (R3) 6.94 +/- 0.31 ka, and (R4) 16.50 +/- 0.79 ka. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002558/1
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Variability in temperature, salinity and velocity was observed approximately 1.5 m beneath the base of Thwaites Glacier in the grounding zone region of the Eastern Ice Shelf as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration MELT project. Using a borehole deployable turbulence instrument cluster, the average temperature, salinity and velocity was observed over a 15-minute period every 2 hours. Funding was provided by NSFPLR-NERC: Melting at Thwaites grounding zone and its control on sea level (THWAITES-MELT) NE/S006761/1.
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Profiles of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation and the rate of thermal variance dissipation were observed beneath Thwaites Glacier in the grounding zone region of the Eastern Ice Shelf as part of the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration MELT project. Using a Rockland Scientific VMP-250 turbulence profiler, five individual profiles were obtained in a 20-hour period between 10th-11th January 2020. Funding source: NSFPLR-NERC: Melting at Thwaites grounding zone and its control on sea level (THWAITES-MELT) NE/S006761/1