Accelerated thermokarst formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
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Material Information

Title:
Accelerated thermokarst formation in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica
Series Title:
Scientific Reports Volume 3 Issue 2269
Creator:
Levy, Joseph S.
Fountain, Andrew G.
Dickson, James L.
Head, James W.
Okal, Marianne
Marchant, David R.
Watters, Jaclyn
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Thermokarst ( lcsh )
Antarctica ( lcsh )
Sediments (Geology) ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
Thermokarst is a land surface lowered and disrupted by melting ground ice. Thermokarst is a major driver of landscape change in the Arctic, but has been considered to be a minor process in Antarctica. Here, we use ground-based and airborne LiDAR coupled with timelapse imaging and meteorological data to show that 1) thermokarst formation has accelerated in Garwood Valley, Antarctica; 2) the rate of thermokarst erosion is presently,10 times the average Holocene rate; and 3) the increased rate of thermokarst formation is driven most strongly by increasing insolation and sediment/albedo feedbacks. This suggests that sediment enhancement of insolation-driven melting may act similarly to expected increases in Antarctic air temperature (presently occurring along the Antarctic Peninsula), and may serve as a leading indicator of imminent landscape change in Antarctica that will generate thermokarst landforms similar to those in Arctic periglacial terrains. ( English )

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Florida International University
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