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Abstract

Ocean circulation under ice shelves and associated rates of melting and freezing are strongly
influenced by the shape of the sub-ice-shelf cavity. We have refined an existing method and used
additional in situ measurements to estimate the cavity shape under the Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica.
A finite-element hydrodynamic ocean-tide model was used to simulate the major tidal constituents for
a range of different sub-Amery Ice Shelf cavity water-column thicknesses. The data are adjusted in the
largely unsurveyed southern region of the ice-shelf cavity by comparing the complex error between
simulated tides and in situ tides, derived from GPS observations. We show a significant improvement in
the simulated tides, with a combined complex error of 1.8 cm, in comparison with past studies which
show a complex error of ∼5.3 cm. Our bathymetry incorporates ice-draft data at the grounding line and
seismic surveys, which have provided a considerable amount of new data. This technique has particular
application when the water column beneath ice shelves is inaccessible and in situ GPS data are available.

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Galton-Fenzi, BK and Maraldi, C and Coleman, R and Hunter, J
Keywords:	Amery Ice Shelf, East Antarctica, physical oceanography,sub-ice-shelf cavity, ocean circulation
Journal or Publication Title:	Journal of Glaciology
ISSN:	0022-1430
Additional Information:	© IGS 2008
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