Diachronous behavior of the Antarctic ice sheets: Weddell Sea, Antarctica

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dc.contributor.advisorAnderson, John B.en_US
dc.creatorStolldorf, Travisen_US
dc.date.accessioned2013-03-08T00:39:14Zen_US
dc.date.available2013-03-08T00:39:14Zen_US
dc.date.issued2012en_US
dc.description.abstractInaccessibility due to harsh weather conditions and perennial sea ice has left the Weddell Sea embayment (WSE) vastly under-studied in comparison to other regions of Antarctica. Yet understanding its deglacial history since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is vital for understanding the dynamics and stability of the Antarctic ice sheet. Additionally, the debate continues as to the magnitude and timing of West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet (APIS) and East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) advance during the LGM. Here we present geologic and geophysical evidence from the southern and eastern continental shelves of the WSE that show diachronous retreat by the WAIS and EMS. Detailed analysis of sediment cores display a retreat stratigraphy in the WSE with distal glacimarine sediments overlying proximal glacimarine deposits and till. These results, in combination with AMS radiocarbon ages, demonstrate that the grounding line of the EAIS was very near that of present day as early as 30,476 cal yr BP and indicate little, if any, advance of the EMS during the LGM. In contrast, multibeam swath bathymetry data show mega-scale glacial lineations, indicative of grounded, flowing ice in two troughs on the southern continental shelf, which drain ice from the WAIS. Although there are no radiocarbon ages to absolutely constrain the timing of this grounding event on the southern continental shelf, we interpret the lineations as LGM age based on their pristine nature. Further, there are similar geomorphic features on the western continental margin where the LGM timing of APIS advance has been demonstrated. Thus, during the LGM, the Antarctic ice sheets behaved independently in the WSE.en_US
dc.format.extent47 p.en_US
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.callnoTHESIS GEOL. 2012 STOLLDORFen_US
dc.identifier.citationStolldorf, Travis. "Diachronous behavior of the Antarctic ice sheets: Weddell Sea, Antarctica." (2012) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. <a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70453">https://hdl.handle.net/1911/70453</a>.en_US
dc.identifier.digitalStolldorfTen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1911/70453en_US
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.rightsCopyright is held by the author, unless otherwise indicated. Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce the work beyond the bounds of fair use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder.en_US
dc.subjectEarth sciencesen_US
dc.subjectGeologyen_US
dc.subjectMarine geologyen_US
dc.subjectSedimentary geologyen_US
dc.subjectPaleoclimate Scienceen_US
dc.titleDiachronous behavior of the Antarctic ice sheets: Weddell Sea, Antarcticaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.type.materialTexten_US
thesis.degree.departmentEarth Scienceen_US
thesis.degree.disciplineNatural Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.grantorRice Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelMastersen_US
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Scienceen_US
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