119
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
P. S. Goel et al. (eds.), Climate Change and the White World,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21679-5_9
Glacier Stress Pattern as an Indicator
for Climate Change
Ashit Kumar Swain
Abstract Response of glaciers and Polar ice sheet to ongoing climate change is of
global concern as the ice mass in the region can impact the earth system adversely.
The crevasses formed as a response of the stress pattern to surface slope, bedrock
slope and ice mass thickness in the glaciers, indicate the trend of the climate change.
The stress patterns were studied on the Polar ice sheet near Schirmacher Oasis in
central Dronning Maud Land of East Antarctica. These studies were carried out by
estimating the bedrock slope and ice thickness using Ground Penetrating Radar
along with surface elevation, surface slope and bedrock elevation estimation. The
surface elevation and surface slope of the Polar ice sheet of Antarctica near the
Schirmacher Oasis show gradual increase towards southwest from northeast. The
study area to the south of the eastern Schirmacher Oasis shows a variation of stress
in the range of 25–100 kPa. The change in the stress pattern is not abrupt in the
Polar ice sheet. The variation of stress is less in the study area, with a large tract in
the central part showing less stress. There is an elongated zone of moderate stress
with a trend of ENE – WSW observed towards the northern part and close to the
Schirmacher Oasis – Polar ice sheet margin. The crevasse pattern in the study area
shows an intimate link with the glacial stress in the region, for which repeat observations are required frequently to understand the influence of climate change.
Keywords Glacier stress · Ice thickness · Surface slope · Bedrock slope · Crevasse
pattern · Polar ice sheet
1 Introduction
Climate change is a major concern for almost everybody living on the Earth, though
its response may vary from region to region. Climate change is not restricted to its
impacts on the cryosphere alone. The atmosphere surrounding us too is getting
A. K. Swain (*)
Geological Survey of India, Gangtok, India
e-mail: ashit.swain@gsi.gov.in
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
P. S. Goel et al. (eds.), Climate Change and the White World,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21679-5_9
Glacier Stress Pattern as an Indicator
for Climate Change
Ashit Kumar Swain
Abstract Response of glaciers and Polar ice sheet to ongoing climate change is of
global concern as the ice mass in the region can impact the earth system adversely.
The crevasses formed as a response of the stress pattern to surface slope, bedrock
slope and ice mass thickness in the glaciers, indicate the trend of the climate change.
The stress patterns were studied on the Polar ice sheet near Schirmacher Oasis in
central Dronning Maud Land of East Antarctica. These studies were carried out by
estimating the bedrock slope and ice thickness using Ground Penetrating Radar
along with surface elevation, surface slope and bedrock elevation estimation. The
surface elevation and surface slope of the Polar ice sheet of Antarctica near the
Schirmacher Oasis show gradual increase towards southwest from northeast. The
study area to the south of the eastern Schirmacher Oasis shows a variation of stress
in the range of 25–100 kPa. The change in the stress pattern is not abrupt in the
Polar ice sheet. The variation of stress is less in the study area, with a large tract in
the central part showing less stress. There is an elongated zone of moderate stress
with a trend of ENE – WSW observed towards the northern part and close to the
Schirmacher Oasis – Polar ice sheet margin. The crevasse pattern in the study area
shows an intimate link with the glacial stress in the region, for which repeat observations are required frequently to understand the influence of climate change.
Keywords Glacier stress · Ice thickness · Surface slope · Bedrock slope · Crevasse
pattern · Polar ice sheet
1 Introduction
Climate change is a major concern for almost everybody living on the Earth, though
its response may vary from region to region. Climate change is not restricted to its
impacts on the cryosphere alone. The atmosphere surrounding us too is getting
A. K. Swain (*)
Geological Survey of India, Gangtok, India
e-mail: ashit.swain@gsi.gov.in