Constraints on subglacial conditions from mechanical models of ice stream processes
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Motivated by the hazard associated with Antarctica's contribution to sea level rise, we examine localized regions of fast flowing ice called ice streams. We explore several recent observations from the Antarctic Ice Sheet with the goal of constraining subglacial conditions and improving our mechanical understanding of these systems. Our strategy generally consists of comparing the predictions of simplified mechanical models with geophysical data. We first examine seismic signals arising from the resonant vibrations of water-filled subglacial and englacial fractures, as well as fractures in other geological systems. We then shift attention to the Whillans Ice Plain (WIP) sector of the West Antarctica Ice Sheet (WAIS). The WIP experiences tidally-modulated, twice daily slip events. These slip events bear a striking similarity to subduction zone slow slip events. Slip events are accompanied by seismic tremor, which we additionally use to constrain subglacial conditions. We use the occurrence of ice stream slow slip events and tremor as an opportunity to validate rate- and-state friction as a glacier sliding law. For this reason, this thesis constitutes a step towards a more detailed description of the strength of the ice-bed interface.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2016 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Lipovsky, Bradley Paul |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Geophysics. |
| Primary advisor | Dunham, Eric |
| Thesis advisor | Dunham, Eric |
| Thesis advisor | Beroza, Gregory C. (Gregory Christian) |
| Thesis advisor | Segall, Paul, 1954- |
| Thesis advisor | Suckale, Jenny |
| Advisor | Beroza, Gregory C. (Gregory Christian) |
| Advisor | Segall, Paul, 1954- |
| Advisor | Suckale, Jenny |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Bradley Paul Lipovsky. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Geophysics. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2016. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2016 by Brad Lipovsky
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
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