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Snow megadunes in Antarctica: Sedimentary structure and genesis
Author(s)
Language
English
Obiettivo Specifico
3.8. Geofisica per l'ambiente
Status
Published
JCR Journal
JCR Journal
Peer review journal
Yes
Title of the book
Issue/vol(year)
D18 / 107 (2002)
Publisher
AGU
Pages (printed)
4344
Issued date
2002
Abstract
Megadune fields occupy large areas in the interior of the East Antarctic ice sheet and
are the result of unusual snow accumulation and redistribution processes. They therefore
are important to surface mass balance and ice core interpretation. Field observations (GPS,
GPR, and surface measurements) have provided a detailed description of megadune sedimentation and morphology over a 70 km2 area, located 200 km east of Dome C. A
combination of remote sensing analysis (using Landsat and satellite radar altimetry) and
field measurements indicate that slope in the prevailing wind direction (SPWD) and climatic conditions play a crucial role in megadune genesis. The megadune areas tend to be characterized by slightly steeper regional slope and the presence of highly persistent
katabatic winds. The megadunes represent 2 to 4 m amplitude waves of 2 to 5 km wavelength formed by variable net accumulation, ranging between 25% (leeward faces) to 120% (windward faces) of the accumulation in adjacent nonmegadune areas. Leeward faces are characterized by glazed, sastrugi-free surfaces and extensive depth hoar formation. Windward faces are covered by large rough sastrugi up to 1.5 m in height.
are the result of unusual snow accumulation and redistribution processes. They therefore
are important to surface mass balance and ice core interpretation. Field observations (GPS,
GPR, and surface measurements) have provided a detailed description of megadune sedimentation and morphology over a 70 km2 area, located 200 km east of Dome C. A
combination of remote sensing analysis (using Landsat and satellite radar altimetry) and
field measurements indicate that slope in the prevailing wind direction (SPWD) and climatic conditions play a crucial role in megadune genesis. The megadune areas tend to be characterized by slightly steeper regional slope and the presence of highly persistent
katabatic winds. The megadunes represent 2 to 4 m amplitude waves of 2 to 5 km wavelength formed by variable net accumulation, ranging between 25% (leeward faces) to 120% (windward faces) of the accumulation in adjacent nonmegadune areas. Leeward faces are characterized by glazed, sastrugi-free surfaces and extensive depth hoar formation. Windward faces are covered by large rough sastrugi up to 1.5 m in height.
References
Alley, R. B., Concerning the deposition and diagenesis of strata in polar
firn, J. Glaciol., 34(118), 283– 290, 1988.
Ball, F. K., Winds on the ice slopes of Antarctica, in Antarctic Meteorology,
pp. 9– 16, Pergamon, New York, 1960.
Bintanja, R., On the glaciological, meteorological, and climatological significance
of Antarctic blue ice areas, Rev. Geophys., 37(3), 337–359, 1999.
Black, H. P., and W. Budd, Accumulation in the region of Wilkes, Wilkes
Land, Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 5(37), 3 –15, 1964.
Bromwich, D. H., T. R. Parish, and C. A. Zorman, The confluence zone of
the intense katabatic winds at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, as derived
from airborne sastrugi surveys, and mesoscale numerical modeling,
J. Geophys. Res., 95, 5495–5509, 1990.
Capra, A., R. Cefalo, S. Gandolfi, G. Manzoni, I. E. Tabacco, and L.
Vittuari, Surface topography of Dome Concordia (Antarctica) from kinematic
interferential GPS and bedrock topography, Ann. Glaciol., 30, 42–
46, 2000.
Fahnestock, M. A., T. A. Scambos, C. Shuman, R. J. Arthern, D. P. Winebrenner,
and R. Kwok, Snow megadune fields on the East Antarctic
Plateau: Extreme atmosphere-ice interaction, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
27(20), 3719– 3722, 2000.
Flood, R. D., A lee wave model for deep-sea mudwave activity, Deep Sea
Res., 35(6), 973– 983, 1988.
Frezzotti, M., Surface wind field of Victoria Land (Antarctica) from surveys
of aeolian morphologic features, Terra Antarct. Rep., 1, 43– 45, 1997.
Frezzotti, M., S. Gandolfi, F. La Marca, and S. Urbini, Snow dunes and
glazed surface in Antarctica: New field and remote sensing data, Ann.
Glaciol., 34, 81–88, 2002.
Fujii, Y., and K. Kusunoki, The role of sublimation and condensation in the
formation of ice sheet surface at Mizuho Station, Antarctica, J. Geophys.
Res., 87, 4293–4300, 1982.
Fujiwara, K., and Y. Endo, Preliminary report of glaciological studies, in
Report of the Japanese Traverse, Syowa-South Pole 1968– 69, pp. 71–
104, edited by M. Murayama, Polar Res. Cent., Natl. Sci. Mus., Tokyo,
Japan, 1971.
Gay, M., M. Fily, C. Genthon, M. Frezzotti, H. Oerter, and J. G. Winther,
Snow grain size measurements in Antarctica, J. Glaciol., in press, 2002.
Glover, J. M., and H. V. Rees, Digital enhancement of ground probing radar
data, in Ground Penetration Radar, Geol. Surv. Can., 90(4), 187–192,
1992.
Goodwin, I. D., Snow accumulation and surface topography in the katabatic
zone of Eastern Wilkes Land, Antarctica, Antarct. Sci., 2(3), 235–242,
1990.
Goodwin, I. D., M. Higham, I. Allison, and R. Jaiwen, Accumulation
variation in eastern Kemp Land, Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 20, 202–
206, 1994.
Gow, A. J., On the accumulation and seasonal stratification of snow at the
South Pole, J. Glaciol., 5, 467– 477, 1965.
Houbolt, J. J., Recent sediments in the southern bight of the North Sea,
Geol. Mijbouw, 47(4), 245– 273, 1968.
King, J. C., and J. Turner, Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology, Atmos.
Space Sci. Ser., 408 pp., Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1997.
Kovacs, A., A. J. Gow, and R. M. Moorey, The in-situ dielectric constant of
polar firn revisited, U.S. Army Cold Reg. Res. Eng. Lab., 23, 245–256,
1995.
Jezek, K. C, Glaciological properties of the Antarctic ice sheet from RADARSAT-
1 synthetic aperture radar imagery, Ann. Glaciol., 29, 286–
290, 1999.
Legrand, M., and R. J. Delmas, A 220-year continuous record of volcanic
H2SO4 in the Antarctic ice sheet, Nature, 327, 671– 676, 1987.
Liston, G. E., J. G. Winther, O. Bruland, H. Elvehoy, K. Sand, and L.
Karlof, Snow and blue-ice distribution patterns on the coastal Antarctic
Ice Sheet, Antarct. Sci., 12(1), 69– 79, 2000.
Long, D. G., and M. R. Drinkwater, Cryospheric applications of NSCAT
data, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 37(3), 1671– 1684, 1999.
Mather, K. B., Further observations on sastrugi, snow dunes and the pattern
of surface winds in Antarctica, Polar Rec., 11(7), 158–171, 1962.
Mayewski, P. A., and I. D. Goodwin, Antarctic’s role pursued in global
climate change, Eos Trans. AGU, 80, 398–400, 1999.
Ma¨zler, C., Applications of the interaction of microwaves with the natural
snow cover, Remote Sens. Rev., 2, 259–392, 1987.
Narita, H., Controlling factor of drifting snow, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res.,
7, 81– 92, 1978.
Normark, W. R., G. R. Hess, D. A. V. Stow, and A. J. Bowen, Sediment
waves on the Monterey fan levee: A preliminary physical interpretation,
J. Sediment. Res., 1(70), 84– 93, 1980.
Okuhira, F., and H. Narita, Glaciological studies in Mizuho Plateau, east
Antarctica, 1969 – 1975, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res., 7, 140 – 153,
1978.
Orheim, O., and B. K. Lucchitta, Snow and ice studies by thematic mapper
and multispectral scanner Landsat images, Ann. Glaciol., 9, 109–118,
1987.
Parish, T. R., and D. H. Bromwich, Continental scale of the Antarctic
katabatic wind regime, J. Clim., 4(2), 135–146, 1991.
Petit, J. R., et al., Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years
from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica, Nature, 399, 429– 436, 1999.
Pettre, P., J. F. Pinglot, M. Pourchet, and L. Reynaud, Accumulation in
Terre Ade´lie, Antarctica: Effect of meteorological parameters, J. Glaciol.,
32, 486– 500, 1986.
Phillpot, H. R., and J. W. Zillman, The surface temperature inversion over
the Antarctic continent, J. Geophys. Res., 75, 4161– 4169, 1970.
Proposito, M., S. Becagli, E. Castellano, O. Flora, R. Gragnani, B. Stenni,
R. Traversi, R. Udisti, and M. Frezzotti, Chemical and isotopic snow
variability along the 1998 ITASE traverse from Terra Nova Bay to Dome
C (East-Antarctica), Ann. Glaciol., in press, 2002.
Remy, F., P. Shaeffer, and B. Legresy, Ice flow processes derived from the
ERS-1 high resolution map of the Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets,
Geophys. J. Int., 139, 645– 656, 1999.
Richardson, C., and P. Holmlund, Regional and local variability in shallow
snow-layer depth from a 500 km continuous radar traverse on the polar
plateau, central Dronning Maud Land, east Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 29,
10– 16, 1999.
Richardson, C., E. Aarholt, S. E. Hamran, P. Holmlund, and E. Isaksson,
Spatial snow distribution mapped by radar, J. Geophys. Res, 102(B9),
20,343– 20,353, 1997.
Seko, K., T. Furukawa, and O. Watanabe, The surface condition on the
Antarctic Ice Sheet, in Proceedings of the Symposium on Polar Regions
and Climate Change, edited by G. Weller, C. L. Wilson, and B. A. B.
Severin, vol. 1, pp. 238– 242, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1992.
Sihvola, A., E. Nyfors, and M. Tiuri, Mixing formulae and experimental
results for the dielectric constant of snow, J. Glaciol., 31(108), 163– 170,
1985.
Swithinbank, C., Antarctica, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 1386-B, 1988.
Udisti, R., S. Becagli, E. Castellano, R. Mulvaney, J. Schwander, S. Torcini,
and E. Wolff, Holocene electrical and chemical measurements from the
EPICA-Dome C ice core, Ann. Glaciol., 30, 20– 26, 2000.
Urbini, S., S. Gandolfi, and L. Vittuari, GPR and GPS data integration:
Examples of application in Antarctica, Ann. Geofis., 44(4), 687 – 702,
2001.
Van den Broeke, M. R., and R. Bintanja, The interaction of katabatic winds
and the formation of blue-ice areas in East Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 41(38),
395– 407, 1995.
Van der Veen, C. J., E. Mosley-Thompson, A. J. Gow, and B. G. Mark,
Accumulation at South Pole: Comparison of two 900-year records,
J. Geophys. Res., 104, 31,067– 31,076, 1999.
Vaughan, D. G., J. L. Bamber, M. Giovinetto, J. Russell, and P. R. Cooper,
Reassessment of net surface mass balance in Antarctica, J. Clim., 12,
933– 946, 1999a.
Vaughan, D. G., H. J. F. Corr, C. S. M. Doake, and E. D. Waddington,
Distortion of isochronous layers in ice revealed by ground-penetrating
radar, Nature, 398(6725), 323– 326, 1999b.
Warren, S. G., Optical properties of snow, Rev. Geophys., 20, 67– 89, 1982.
Watanabe, O., Distribution of surface features of snow cover in Mizuho
Plateau, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res., 7, 154– 181, 1978.
Weller, G., The heat and mass balance of snow dunes on the central Antarctic
plateau, J. Glaciol., 8, 277– 284, 1969.
Wendler, G., and J. Kelley, On the albedo of snow in Antarctica: Contribution
to I.A.G.O., J. Glaciol., 34, 19–25, 1988.
Whillans, I. M., Effect of inversion winds on topographic detail and mass
balance on inland ice sheets, J. Glaciol., 14(70), 85– 90, 1975.
firn, J. Glaciol., 34(118), 283– 290, 1988.
Ball, F. K., Winds on the ice slopes of Antarctica, in Antarctic Meteorology,
pp. 9– 16, Pergamon, New York, 1960.
Bintanja, R., On the glaciological, meteorological, and climatological significance
of Antarctic blue ice areas, Rev. Geophys., 37(3), 337–359, 1999.
Black, H. P., and W. Budd, Accumulation in the region of Wilkes, Wilkes
Land, Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 5(37), 3 –15, 1964.
Bromwich, D. H., T. R. Parish, and C. A. Zorman, The confluence zone of
the intense katabatic winds at Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica, as derived
from airborne sastrugi surveys, and mesoscale numerical modeling,
J. Geophys. Res., 95, 5495–5509, 1990.
Capra, A., R. Cefalo, S. Gandolfi, G. Manzoni, I. E. Tabacco, and L.
Vittuari, Surface topography of Dome Concordia (Antarctica) from kinematic
interferential GPS and bedrock topography, Ann. Glaciol., 30, 42–
46, 2000.
Fahnestock, M. A., T. A. Scambos, C. Shuman, R. J. Arthern, D. P. Winebrenner,
and R. Kwok, Snow megadune fields on the East Antarctic
Plateau: Extreme atmosphere-ice interaction, Geophys. Res. Lett.,
27(20), 3719– 3722, 2000.
Flood, R. D., A lee wave model for deep-sea mudwave activity, Deep Sea
Res., 35(6), 973– 983, 1988.
Frezzotti, M., Surface wind field of Victoria Land (Antarctica) from surveys
of aeolian morphologic features, Terra Antarct. Rep., 1, 43– 45, 1997.
Frezzotti, M., S. Gandolfi, F. La Marca, and S. Urbini, Snow dunes and
glazed surface in Antarctica: New field and remote sensing data, Ann.
Glaciol., 34, 81–88, 2002.
Fujii, Y., and K. Kusunoki, The role of sublimation and condensation in the
formation of ice sheet surface at Mizuho Station, Antarctica, J. Geophys.
Res., 87, 4293–4300, 1982.
Fujiwara, K., and Y. Endo, Preliminary report of glaciological studies, in
Report of the Japanese Traverse, Syowa-South Pole 1968– 69, pp. 71–
104, edited by M. Murayama, Polar Res. Cent., Natl. Sci. Mus., Tokyo,
Japan, 1971.
Gay, M., M. Fily, C. Genthon, M. Frezzotti, H. Oerter, and J. G. Winther,
Snow grain size measurements in Antarctica, J. Glaciol., in press, 2002.
Glover, J. M., and H. V. Rees, Digital enhancement of ground probing radar
data, in Ground Penetration Radar, Geol. Surv. Can., 90(4), 187–192,
1992.
Goodwin, I. D., Snow accumulation and surface topography in the katabatic
zone of Eastern Wilkes Land, Antarctica, Antarct. Sci., 2(3), 235–242,
1990.
Goodwin, I. D., M. Higham, I. Allison, and R. Jaiwen, Accumulation
variation in eastern Kemp Land, Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 20, 202–
206, 1994.
Gow, A. J., On the accumulation and seasonal stratification of snow at the
South Pole, J. Glaciol., 5, 467– 477, 1965.
Houbolt, J. J., Recent sediments in the southern bight of the North Sea,
Geol. Mijbouw, 47(4), 245– 273, 1968.
King, J. C., and J. Turner, Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology, Atmos.
Space Sci. Ser., 408 pp., Cambridge Univ. Press, New York, 1997.
Kovacs, A., A. J. Gow, and R. M. Moorey, The in-situ dielectric constant of
polar firn revisited, U.S. Army Cold Reg. Res. Eng. Lab., 23, 245–256,
1995.
Jezek, K. C, Glaciological properties of the Antarctic ice sheet from RADARSAT-
1 synthetic aperture radar imagery, Ann. Glaciol., 29, 286–
290, 1999.
Legrand, M., and R. J. Delmas, A 220-year continuous record of volcanic
H2SO4 in the Antarctic ice sheet, Nature, 327, 671– 676, 1987.
Liston, G. E., J. G. Winther, O. Bruland, H. Elvehoy, K. Sand, and L.
Karlof, Snow and blue-ice distribution patterns on the coastal Antarctic
Ice Sheet, Antarct. Sci., 12(1), 69– 79, 2000.
Long, D. G., and M. R. Drinkwater, Cryospheric applications of NSCAT
data, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote Sens., 37(3), 1671– 1684, 1999.
Mather, K. B., Further observations on sastrugi, snow dunes and the pattern
of surface winds in Antarctica, Polar Rec., 11(7), 158–171, 1962.
Mayewski, P. A., and I. D. Goodwin, Antarctic’s role pursued in global
climate change, Eos Trans. AGU, 80, 398–400, 1999.
Ma¨zler, C., Applications of the interaction of microwaves with the natural
snow cover, Remote Sens. Rev., 2, 259–392, 1987.
Narita, H., Controlling factor of drifting snow, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res.,
7, 81– 92, 1978.
Normark, W. R., G. R. Hess, D. A. V. Stow, and A. J. Bowen, Sediment
waves on the Monterey fan levee: A preliminary physical interpretation,
J. Sediment. Res., 1(70), 84– 93, 1980.
Okuhira, F., and H. Narita, Glaciological studies in Mizuho Plateau, east
Antarctica, 1969 – 1975, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res., 7, 140 – 153,
1978.
Orheim, O., and B. K. Lucchitta, Snow and ice studies by thematic mapper
and multispectral scanner Landsat images, Ann. Glaciol., 9, 109–118,
1987.
Parish, T. R., and D. H. Bromwich, Continental scale of the Antarctic
katabatic wind regime, J. Clim., 4(2), 135–146, 1991.
Petit, J. R., et al., Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years
from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica, Nature, 399, 429– 436, 1999.
Pettre, P., J. F. Pinglot, M. Pourchet, and L. Reynaud, Accumulation in
Terre Ade´lie, Antarctica: Effect of meteorological parameters, J. Glaciol.,
32, 486– 500, 1986.
Phillpot, H. R., and J. W. Zillman, The surface temperature inversion over
the Antarctic continent, J. Geophys. Res., 75, 4161– 4169, 1970.
Proposito, M., S. Becagli, E. Castellano, O. Flora, R. Gragnani, B. Stenni,
R. Traversi, R. Udisti, and M. Frezzotti, Chemical and isotopic snow
variability along the 1998 ITASE traverse from Terra Nova Bay to Dome
C (East-Antarctica), Ann. Glaciol., in press, 2002.
Remy, F., P. Shaeffer, and B. Legresy, Ice flow processes derived from the
ERS-1 high resolution map of the Antarctica and Greenland ice sheets,
Geophys. J. Int., 139, 645– 656, 1999.
Richardson, C., and P. Holmlund, Regional and local variability in shallow
snow-layer depth from a 500 km continuous radar traverse on the polar
plateau, central Dronning Maud Land, east Antarctica, Ann. Glaciol., 29,
10– 16, 1999.
Richardson, C., E. Aarholt, S. E. Hamran, P. Holmlund, and E. Isaksson,
Spatial snow distribution mapped by radar, J. Geophys. Res, 102(B9),
20,343– 20,353, 1997.
Seko, K., T. Furukawa, and O. Watanabe, The surface condition on the
Antarctic Ice Sheet, in Proceedings of the Symposium on Polar Regions
and Climate Change, edited by G. Weller, C. L. Wilson, and B. A. B.
Severin, vol. 1, pp. 238– 242, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1992.
Sihvola, A., E. Nyfors, and M. Tiuri, Mixing formulae and experimental
results for the dielectric constant of snow, J. Glaciol., 31(108), 163– 170,
1985.
Swithinbank, C., Antarctica, U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap., 1386-B, 1988.
Udisti, R., S. Becagli, E. Castellano, R. Mulvaney, J. Schwander, S. Torcini,
and E. Wolff, Holocene electrical and chemical measurements from the
EPICA-Dome C ice core, Ann. Glaciol., 30, 20– 26, 2000.
Urbini, S., S. Gandolfi, and L. Vittuari, GPR and GPS data integration:
Examples of application in Antarctica, Ann. Geofis., 44(4), 687 – 702,
2001.
Van den Broeke, M. R., and R. Bintanja, The interaction of katabatic winds
and the formation of blue-ice areas in East Antarctica, J. Glaciol., 41(38),
395– 407, 1995.
Van der Veen, C. J., E. Mosley-Thompson, A. J. Gow, and B. G. Mark,
Accumulation at South Pole: Comparison of two 900-year records,
J. Geophys. Res., 104, 31,067– 31,076, 1999.
Vaughan, D. G., J. L. Bamber, M. Giovinetto, J. Russell, and P. R. Cooper,
Reassessment of net surface mass balance in Antarctica, J. Clim., 12,
933– 946, 1999a.
Vaughan, D. G., H. J. F. Corr, C. S. M. Doake, and E. D. Waddington,
Distortion of isochronous layers in ice revealed by ground-penetrating
radar, Nature, 398(6725), 323– 326, 1999b.
Warren, S. G., Optical properties of snow, Rev. Geophys., 20, 67– 89, 1982.
Watanabe, O., Distribution of surface features of snow cover in Mizuho
Plateau, Mem. Natl. Inst. Polar Res., 7, 154– 181, 1978.
Weller, G., The heat and mass balance of snow dunes on the central Antarctic
plateau, J. Glaciol., 8, 277– 284, 1969.
Wendler, G., and J. Kelley, On the albedo of snow in Antarctica: Contribution
to I.A.G.O., J. Glaciol., 34, 19–25, 1988.
Whillans, I. M., Effect of inversion winds on topographic detail and mass
balance on inland ice sheets, J. Glaciol., 14(70), 85– 90, 1975.
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