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    Ice thickness estimates of Lemon Creek Glacier, Alaska, from active-source seismic imaging

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    Author
    Veitch, Stephen A.
    Karplus, Marianne
    Kaip, Galen
    Gonzalez, Lucia F.
    Amundson, Jason M.
    Bartholomaus, Timothy C.
    Keyword
    Glacier geophysics
    glaciological instruments and methods
    ice thickness measurements
    mountain glaciers
    seismology
    Lemon Creek Glacier
    temperate valley glacier
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    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/11122/12850
    Abstract
    Lemon Creek Glacier, a temperate valley glacier in the Juneau Icefield of Southeast Alaska, is the site of long running (>60 years) glaciological studies. However, the most recent published estimates of its thickness and subglacial topography come from two ∼50 years old sources that are not in agreement and do not account for the effects of years of negative mass balance. We collected a 1-km long active-source seismic line on the upper section of the glacier parallel and near to the centerline of the glacier, roughly straddling the equilibrium-line altitude. We used these data to perform joint reflection-refraction velocity modeling and reflection imaging of the glacier bed. We find that this upper section of Lemon Creek Glacier is as much as 150 m (∼65%) thicker than previously suggested with a large overdeepening in an area previously believed to have a uniform thickness. Our results lead us to reinterpret the impact of basal motion on ice flow and have a significant impact on expectations of subglacial hydrology. We suggest that further efforts to develop a whole-glacier model of subglacial topography are necessary to support studies that require accurate models of ice thickness and subglacial topography.
    Date
    2021-03-26
    Publisher
    Cambridge University Press
    Type
    Article
    Peer-Reviewed
    Yes
    Citation
    Veitch SA, Karplus M, Kaip G, Gonzalez LF, Amundson JM, Bartholomaus TC (2021). Ice thickness estimates of Lemon Creek Glacier, Alaska, from active-source seismic imaging. Journal of Glaciology 67(265), 824–832. https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2021.32
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    Amundson, Jason M.

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