Articles | Volume 11, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-663-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-663-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Modeling the spatially distributed nature of subglacial sediment transport and erosion
Institut des dynamiques de la surface terrestre (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Leif Anderson
Institut des dynamiques de la surface terrestre (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Frederick Albert Sutton Building, 115 S 1460 E, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0102, USA
Frédéric Herman
Institut des dynamiques de la surface terrestre (IDYST), Université de Lausanne, Bâtiment Géopolis, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
Related authors
Ian Delaney, Andrew J. Tedstone, Mauro A. Werder, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 19, 2779–2795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2779-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2779-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment transport capacity depends on water velocity and channel width. In rivers, water discharge changes affect flow depth, width, and velocity. Yet, under glaciers, discharge variations alter velocity more than channel shape. Due to these differences, this study shows that sediment transport capacity under glaciers varies widely and peaks before water flow, creating a complex relationship. Understanding these dynamics helps interpret sediment discharge from glaciers in different climates.
Alan Robert Alexander Aitken, Ian Delaney, Guillaume Pirot, and Mauro A. Werder
The Cryosphere, 18, 4111–4136, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how glaciers generate sediment and transport it to the ocean is important for understanding ocean ecosystems and developing knowledge of the past cryosphere from marine sediments. This paper presents a new way to simulate sediment transport in rivers below ice sheets and glaciers and quantify volumes and characteristics of sediment that can be used to reveal the hidden record of the subglacial environment for both past and present glacial conditions.
Flavien Beaud, Saif Aati, Ian Delaney, Surendra Adhikari, and Jean-Philippe Avouac
The Cryosphere, 16, 3123–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding sliding at the bed of glaciers is essential to understand the future of sea-level rise and glacier-related hazards. Yet there is currently no universal law to describe this mechanism. We propose a universal glacier sliding law and a method to qualitatively constrain it. We use satellite remote sensing to create velocity maps over 6 years at Shisper Glacier, Pakistan, including its recent surge, and show that the observations corroborate the generalized theory.
Julien Seguinot and Ian Delaney
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 923–935, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ancient Alpine glaciers have carved a fascinating landscape of piedmont lakes, glacial valleys, and mountain cirques. Using a previous supercomputer simulation of glacier flow, we show that glacier erosion has constantly evolved and moved to different parts of the Alps. Interestingly, larger glaciers do not always cause more rapid erosion. Instead, glacier erosion is modelled to slow down during glacier advance and peak during phases of retreat, such as the one the Earth is currently undergoing.
Francesca Pellicciotti, Adrià Fontrodona-Bach, David R. Rounce, Catriona L. Fyffe, Leif S. Anderson, Álvaro Ayala, Ben W. Brock, Pascal Buri, Stefan Fugger, Koji Fujita, Prateek Gantayat, Alexander R. Groos, Walter Immerzeel, Marin Kneib, Christoph Mayer, Shelley MacDonell, Michael McCarthy, James McPhee, Evan Miles, Heather Purdie, Ekaterina Rets, Akiko Sakai, Thomas E. Shaw, Jakob Steiner, Patrick Wagnon, and Alex Winter-Billington
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3837, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-3837, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
Short summary
Short summary
Rock debris covers many of the world glaciers, modifying the transfer of atmospheric energy to the debris and into the ice. Models of different complexity simulate this process, and we compare 14 models at 9 sites to show that the most complex models at the debris-atmosphere interface have the highest performance. However, we lack debris properties and their derivation from measurements is ambiguous, hindering global modelling and calling for both model development and data collection.
Ian Delaney, Andrew J. Tedstone, Mauro A. Werder, and Daniel Farinotti
The Cryosphere, 19, 2779–2795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2779-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-2779-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Sediment transport capacity depends on water velocity and channel width. In rivers, water discharge changes affect flow depth, width, and velocity. Yet, under glaciers, discharge variations alter velocity more than channel shape. Due to these differences, this study shows that sediment transport capacity under glaciers varies widely and peaks before water flow, creating a complex relationship. Understanding these dynamics helps interpret sediment discharge from glaciers in different climates.
Alan Robert Alexander Aitken, Ian Delaney, Guillaume Pirot, and Mauro A. Werder
The Cryosphere, 18, 4111–4136, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-4111-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how glaciers generate sediment and transport it to the ocean is important for understanding ocean ecosystems and developing knowledge of the past cryosphere from marine sediments. This paper presents a new way to simulate sediment transport in rivers below ice sheets and glaciers and quantify volumes and characteristics of sediment that can be used to reveal the hidden record of the subglacial environment for both past and present glacial conditions.
Matthew C. Morriss, Benjamin Lehmann, Benjamin Campforts, George Brencher, Brianna Rick, Leif S. Anderson, Alexander L. Handwerger, Irina Overeem, and Jeffrey Moore
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1251–1274, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper, we investigate the 28 June 2022 collapse of the Chaos Canyon landslide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. We find that the landslide was moving prior to its collapse and took place at peak spring snowmelt; temperature modeling indicates the potential presence of permafrost. We hypothesize that this landslide could be part of the broader landscape evolution changes to alpine terrain caused by a warming climate, leading to thawing alpine permafrost.
Ugo Nanni, Dirk Scherler, Francois Ayoub, Romain Millan, Frederic Herman, and Jean-Philippe Avouac
The Cryosphere, 17, 1567–1583, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1567-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1567-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Surface melt is a major factor driving glacier movement. Using satellite images, we have tracked the movements of 38 glaciers in the Pamirs over 7 years, capturing their responses to rapid meteorological changes with unprecedented resolution. We show that in spring, glacier accelerations propagate upglacier, while in autumn, they propagate downglacier – all resulting from changes in meltwater input. This provides critical insights into the interplay between surface melt and glacier movement.
Deniz Tobias Gök, Dirk Scherler, and Leif Stefan Anderson
The Cryosphere, 17, 1165–1184, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1165-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1165-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We performed high-resolution debris-thickness mapping using land surface temperature (LST) measured from an unpiloted aerial vehicle (UAV) at various times of the day. LSTs from UAVs require calibration that varies in time. We test two approaches to quantify supraglacial debris cover, and we find that the non-linearity of the relationship between LST and debris thickness increases with LST. Choosing the best model to predict debris thickness depends on the time of the day and the terrain aspect.
Joanne Elkadi, Benjamin Lehmann, Georgina E. King, Olivia Steinemann, Susan Ivy-Ochs, Marcus Christl, and Frédéric Herman
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 909–928, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-909-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-909-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial and non-glacial processes have left a strong imprint on the landscape of the European Alps, but further research is needed to better understand their long-term effects. We apply a new technique combining two methods for bedrock surface dating to calculate post-glacier erosion rates next to a Swiss glacier. Interestingly, the results suggest non-glacial erosion rates are higher than previously thought, but glacial erosion remains the most influential on landscape evolution.
Flavien Beaud, Saif Aati, Ian Delaney, Surendra Adhikari, and Jean-Philippe Avouac
The Cryosphere, 16, 3123–3148, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3123-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding sliding at the bed of glaciers is essential to understand the future of sea-level rise and glacier-related hazards. Yet there is currently no universal law to describe this mechanism. We propose a universal glacier sliding law and a method to qualitatively constrain it. We use satellite remote sensing to create velocity maps over 6 years at Shisper Glacier, Pakistan, including its recent surge, and show that the observations corroborate the generalized theory.
Sean D. Willett, Frédéric Herman, Matthew Fox, Nadja Stalder, Todd A. Ehlers, Ruohong Jiao, and Rong Yang
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1153–1221, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1153-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1153-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The cooling climate of the last few million years leading into the ice ages has been linked to increasing erosion rates by glaciers. One of the ways to measure this is through mineral cooling ages. In this paper, we investigate potential bias in these data and the methods used to analyse them. We find that the data are not themselves biased but that appropriate methods must be used. Past studies have used appropriate methods and are sound in methodology.
Julien Seguinot and Ian Delaney
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 923–935, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ancient Alpine glaciers have carved a fascinating landscape of piedmont lakes, glacial valleys, and mountain cirques. Using a previous supercomputer simulation of glacier flow, we show that glacier erosion has constantly evolved and moved to different parts of the Alps. Interestingly, larger glaciers do not always cause more rapid erosion. Instead, glacier erosion is modelled to slow down during glacier advance and peak during phases of retreat, such as the one the Earth is currently undergoing.
Leif S. Anderson, William H. Armstrong, Robert S. Anderson, and Pascal Buri
The Cryosphere, 15, 265–282, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-265-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-265-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Many glaciers are thinning rapidly beneath debris cover (loose rock) that reduces melt, including Kennicott Glacier in Alaska. This contradiction has been explained by melt hotspots, such as ice cliffs, scattered within the debris cover. However, at Kennicott Glacier declining ice flow explains the rapid thinning. Through this study, Kennicott Glacier is now the first glacier in Alaska, and the largest glacier globally, where melt across its debris-covered tongue has been rigorously quantified.
Rabiul H. Biswas, Frédéric Herman, Georgina E. King, Benjamin Lehmann, and Ashok K. Singhvi
Clim. Past, 16, 2075–2093, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2075-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2075-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
A new approach to reconstruct the temporal variation of rock surface temperature using the thermoluminescence (TL) of feldspar is introduced. Multiple TL signals or thermometers in the range of 210 to 250 °C are sensitive to typical surface temperature fluctuations and can be used to constrain thermal histories of rocks over ~50 kyr. We show that it is possible to recover thermal histories of rocks using inverse modeling and with δ18O anomalies as a priori information.
Cited articles
Alley, R. B., Cuffey, K. M., Evenson, E. B., Strasser, J. C., Lawson, D. E.,
and Larson, G. J.: How glaciers entrain and transport basal sediment:
physical constraints, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 16, 1017–1038,
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-3791(97)00034-6, 1997. a, b, c
Alley, R. B., Lawson, D. E., Larson, G. J., Evenson, E. B., and Baker, G. S.:
Stabilizing feedbacks in glacier-bed erosion, Nature, 424, 758–760,
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature01839, 2003. a, b
Andersen, J. L., Egholm, D. L., Knudsen, M. F., Jansen, J. D., and Nielsen,
S. B.: The periglacial engine of mountain erosion – Part 1: Rates of frost cracking and frost creep, Earth Surf. Dynam., 3, 447–462,
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-3-447-2015, 2015. a
Bacchi, V., Recking, A., Eckert, N., Frey, P., Piton, G., and Naaim, M.: The
effects of kinetic sorting on sediment mobility on steep slopes, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 39, 1075–1086, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3564, 2014. a
Beaud, F., Flowers, G., and Venditti, J. G.: Modeling sediment transport in
ice-walled subglacial channels and its implications for esker formation and
pro-glacial sediment yields, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 1–56, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JF004779, 2018a. a, b
Beaud, F., Venditti, J., Flowers, G., and Koppes, M.: Excavation of subglacial bedrock channels by seasonal meltwater flow, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 43, 1960–1972, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4367, 2018b. a
Bhatia, M. P., Kujawinski, E. B., Das, S. B., Breier, C. F., Henderson, P. B., and Charette, M. A.: Greenland meltwater as a significant and potentially bioavailable source of iron to the ocean, Nat. Geosci., 6, 274–278, 2013. a
Bovy, B., Braun, J., and Demoulin, A.: A new numerical framework for simulating the control of weather and climate on the evolution of soil-mantled hillslopes, Geomorphology, 263, 99–112, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.03.016, 2016. a
Brinkerhoff, D., Truffer, M., and Aschwanden, A.: Sediment transport drives
tidewater glacier periodicity, Nature Commun., 8, 90,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-00095-5, 2017. a, b, c, d
Brinkerhoff, D. J., Meyer, C. R., Bueler, E., Truffer, M., and Bartholomaus,
T. C.: Inversion of a glacier hydrology model, Ann. Glaciol., 57, 84–95, 2016. a
Chen, Y., Liu, X., Gulley, J. D., and Mankoff, K. D.: Subglacial Conduit
Roughness: Insights From Computational Fluid Dynamics Models,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 11206–11218, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL079590, 2018. a
Church, M. and Ryder, J. M.: Paraglacial sedimentation: a consideration of
fluvial processes conditioned by glaciation, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 83, 3059–3072, 1972. a
Cook, S., Swift, D., Kirkbride, M., Knight, P., and Waller, R.: The empirical
basis for modelling glacial erosion rates, Nat. Commun., 11, 1–7,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14583-8, 2020. a
Covington, M. D., Gulley, J. D., Trunz, C., Mejia, J., and Gadd, W.: Moulin
Volumes Regulate Subglacial Water Pressure on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2020GL088901, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL088901, 2020. a
Creyts, T. T., Clarke, G. K. C., and Church, M.: Evolution of subglacial
overdeepenings in response to sediment redistribution and glaciohydraulic
supercooling, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 423–446, 2013. a
Cuffey, K. M. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The Physics of Glaciers, in: 4th Edn.,
Butterworth-Heinemann, Burlington, MA, USA, ISBN 9780123694614, ISBN 0123694612, 2010. a
Damsgaard, A., Goren, L., and Suckale, J.: Water pressure fluctuations control variability in sediment flux and slip dynamics beneath glaciers and ice streams, Commun. Earth Environ., 1, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-00074-7, 2020. a
Delaney, I. and Adhikari, S.: Increased subglacial sediment discharge during
century scale glacier retreat: consideration of ice dynamics, glacial erosion
and fluvial sediment transport, Geophys. Res. Lett., 47, e2019GL085672, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL085672, 2020. a, b, c
Delaney, I. and Anderson, L. S.: Debris Cover Limits Subglacial Erosion and
Promotes Till Accumulation, Geophys. Res. Lett., 49, e2022GL099049, https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099049, 2022. a
Delaney, I., Bauder, A., Werder, M. A., and Farinotti, D.: Regional and annual variability in subglacial sediment transport by water for two glaciers in the Swiss Alps, Front. Earth Sci., 6, 175, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2018.00175, 2018b. a, b, c, d
Delaney, I., Anderson, L., and Herman, F.: Code and video outputs for “Modeling the spatially distributed nature of subglacial sediment transport and erosion”, Zendo [code and video supplement], https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7975219, 2023. a, b
Egholm, D., Nielsen, S., Pedersen, V., and Lesemann, J.-E.: Glacial effects
limiting mountain height, Nature, 460, 884–887, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08263,
2009. a
Egholm, D. L., Pedersen, V. K., Knudsen, M. F., and Larsen, N. K.: Coupling the flow of ice, water, and sediment in a glacial landscape evolution model,
Geomorphology, 141, 47–66, 2012. a
Exner, F. M.: Über die Wechselwirkung zwischen Wasser und Geschiebe
in flüssen, Abhandlungen der Akadamie der Wissenschaften, Wien, 134, 165–204, 1920a. a
Exner, F. M.: Zur Physik der Dünen, Abhandlungen der Akadamie der
Wissenschaften, Wien, 129, 929–952, 1920b. a
Felix, D., Albayrak, I., Abgottspon, A., and Boes, R. M.: Suspended sediment
measurements and calculation of the particle load at HPP Fieschertal, IOP
Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci., 49, 122007, https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/49/12/122007, 2016. a
Fischer, U. H., Braun, A., Bauder, A., and Flowers, G. E.: Changes in geometry and subglacial drainage derived from digital elevation models:
Unteraargletscher, Switzerland, 1927–97, Ann. Glaciol., 40, 20–24, https://doi.org/10.3189/172756405781813528, 2005. a
Gimbert, F., Tsai, V. C., Amundson, J. M., Bartholomaus, T. C., and Walter,
J. I.: Subseasonal changes observed in subglacial channel pressure, size, and
sediment transport, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 3786–3794, 2016. a
Hairer, E., Nørsett, S. P., and Wanner, G.: Solving ordinary differential
equations I: nonstiff problems, vol. 1, Springer Science & Business,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-78862-1, 1992. a
Hallet, B., Hunter, L., and Bogen, J.: Rates of erosion and sediment evacuation by glaciers: A review of field data and their implications, Global Planet. Change, 12, 213–235, https://doi.org/10.1016/0921-8181(95)00021-6, 1996. a, b
Harbor, J., Hallet, B., and Raymond, C.: A numerical model of landform
development by glacial erosion, Nature, 333, 347–349, 1988. a
Hawkings, J., Wadham, J., Tranter, M., Raiswell, R., Benning, L., Statham, P., Tedstone, A., Nienow, P., Lee, K., and Telling, J.: Ice sheets as a
significant source of highly reactive nanoparticulate iron to the oceans,
Nat. Commun., 5, 1–8, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms4929, 2014. a
Herman, F., Beaud, F., Champagnac, J., Lemieux, J. M., and Sternai, P.: Glacial hydrology and erosion patterns: a mechanism for carving glacial valleys, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 310, 498–508, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.08.022, 2011. a, b
Herman, F., Beyssac, O., Brughelli, M., Lane, S. N., Leprince, S., Adatte, T., Lin, J. Y. Y., Avouac, J. P., and Cox, S. C.: Erosion by an alpine glacier, Science, 350, 193–195, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aab2386, 2015. a, b, c, d
Herman, F., Braun, J., Deal, E., and Prasicek, G.: The Response Time of Glacial Erosion, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 801–817,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JF004586, 2018. a, b
Herman, F., De Doncker, F., Delaney, I., Prasicek, G., and Koppes, M.: The
impact of glaciers on mountain erosion, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 2, 422–435, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-021-00165-9, 2021. a, b
Hewitt, I. and Creyts, T.: A model for the formation of eskers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 46, 6673–6680, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082304, 2019. a, b
Hooke, R. L., Laumann, T., and Kohler, J.: Subglacial Water Pressures and the
Shape of Subglacial Conduits, J. Glaciol., 36, 67–71,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000005566, 1990. a
Iverson, N. R.: Laboratory simulations of glacial abrasion: comparison with
theory, J. Glaciol., 36, 304–314, https://doi.org/10.3189/002214390793701264, 1990. a
Iverson, N. R.: A theory of glacial quarrying for landscape evolution models,
Geology, 40, 679–682, https://doi.org/10.1130/G33079.1, 2012. a
Kasmalkar, I., Mantelli, E., and Suckale, J.: Spatial heterogeneity in
subglacial drainage driven by till erosion, P. Roy. Soc. A, 475, 20190259,
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.2019.0259, 2019. a
Koppes, M., Hallet, B., Rignot, E., Mouginot, J., Wellner, J. S., and Boldt,
K.: Observed latitudinal variations in erosion as a function of glacier
dynamics, Nature, 526, 100–103, 2015. a
Lane, S. N., Bakker, M., Gabbud, C., Micheletti, N., and Saugy, J.: Sediment
export, transient landscape response and catchment-scale connectivity
following rapid climate warming and alpine glacier recession, Geomorphology,
277, 210–227, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.02.015, 2017. a, b
Li, D., Lu, X., Overeem, I., Walling, D. E., Syvitski, J., Kettner, A. J.,
Bookhagen, B., Zhou, Y., and Zhang, T.: Exceptional increases in fluvial
sediment fluxes in a warmer and wetter High Mountain Asia, Science, 374,
599–603, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abi9649, 2021. a, b
Li, D., Lu, X., Walling, D., Zhang, T., Steiner, J., Wasson, R., Harrison, S., Nepal, S., Nie, Y., Immerzeel, W., et al.: High Mountain Asia hydropower systems threatened by climate-driven landscape instability, Nat.
Geosci., 15, 520–530, 2022. a
Mao, L., Dell'Agnese, A., Huincache, C., Penna, D., Engel, M., Niedrist, G.,
and Comiti, F.: Bedload hysteresis in a glacier-fed mountain river, Earth
Surf. Proc. Land., 39, 964–976, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.3563, 2014. a
Meyer-Peter, E. and Müller, R.: Formulas for bedload transport, in:
Hydraulic Engineering Reports, International Association for
Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research, https://repository.tudelft.nl/islandora/object/uuid:4fda9b61-be28-4703-ab06-43cdc2a21bd7
(last access: 12 July 2023), 1948. a, b
Milner, A. M., Khamis, K., Battin, T. J., Brittain, J. E., Barrand, N. E., Füreder, L., Cauvy-Fraunié, S., Gíslason, G. M., Jacobsen, D., Hannah, D. M., Hodson, A. J., Hood, E., Lencioni, V., ólafsson, J. S., Robinson, C. T., Tranter, M., and Brown, L. E.: Glacier shrinkage driving global changes in downstream systems, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 114, 9770–9778, 2017. a, b
Nanni, U., Gimbert, F., Vincent, C., Gräff, D., Walter, F., Piard, L., and Moreau, L.: Quantification of seasonal and diurnal dynamics of subglacial
channels using seismic observations on an Alpine glacier, The Cryosphere, 14, 1475–1496, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1475-2020, 2020. a
Paola, C. and Voller, V. R.: A generalized Exner equation for sediment mass
balance, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 110, F04014, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JF000274,2005. a, b
Perolo, P., Bakker, M., Gabbud, C., Moradi, G., Rennie, C., and Lane, S. N.:
Subglacial sediment production and snout marginal ice uplift during the late
ablation season of a temperate valley glacier, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 0, 1–68, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.4562, 2018. a, b, c
Pohle, A., Werder, M. A., Gräff, D., and Farinotti, D.: Characterising
englacial R-channels using artificial moulins, J. Glaciol., 68, 1–12, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2022.4, 2022. a, b
Prasicek, G., Herman, F., Robl, J., and Braun, J.: Glacial Steady State
Topography Controlled by the Coupled Influence of Tectonics and Climate, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 1344–1362, https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004559, 2018. a
Prasicek, G., Hergarten, S., Deal, E., Herman, F., and Robl, J.: A glacial
buzzsaw effect generated by efficient erosion of temperate glaciers in a
steady state model, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 543, 116350,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2020.116350, 2020. a
Quinn, P., Beven, K., Chevallier, P., and Planchon, O.: The prediction of
hillslope flow paths for distributed hydrological modelling using digital
terrain models, Hydrol. Process., 5, 59–79, 1991. a
Rackauckas, C. and Nie, Q.: DifferentialEquations.jl – A Performant and Feature-Rich Ecosystem for Solving Differential Equations in
Julia, J. Open Res. Softw., 5, 15, https://doi.org/10.5334/jors.151, 2017. a
Radhakrishnan, K. and Hindmarsh, A. C.: Description and use of LSODE, the
Livermore solver for ordinary differential equations, Reference Publication 1327, NASA, https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19940030753
(last acces: 12 July 2023), 1993. a
Riihimaki, C. A., MacGregor, K. R., Anderson, R. ., Anderson, S. P., and Loso, M. G.: Sediment evacuation and glacial erosion rates at a small alpine
glacier, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 110, F03003, https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JF000189, 2005. a
Seguinot, J. and Delaney, I.: Last-glacial-cycle glacier erosion potential in the Alps, Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 923–935, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-923-2021, 2021. a
Swift, D. A., Nienow, P. W., and Hoey, T. B.: Basal sediment evacuation by
subglacial meltwater: suspended sediment transport from Haut Glacier
d'Arolla, Switzerland, Earth Surf. Proc. Land., 30, 867–883, https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.1197, 2005. a, b
Thapa, B., Shrestha, R., Dhakal, P., and Thapa, B. S.: Problems of Nepalese
hydropower projects due to suspended sediments, Aquat. Ecosyst. Health Manage., 8, 251–257, https://doi.org/10.1080/14634980500218241, 2005. a
Truffer, M., Harrison, W. D., and Echelmeyer, K. A.: Glacier motion dominated
by processes deep in underlying till, J. Glaciol., 46, 213–221, 2000. a
Wadham, J., Hawkings, J., Tarasov, L., Gregoire, L., Spencer, R., Gutjahr, M., Ridgwell, A., and Kohfeld, K.: Ice sheets matter for the global carbon cycle, Nat. Commun., 10, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-11394-4, 2019. a
Walder, J. S. and Fowler, A.: Channelized subglacial drainage over a deformable bed, J. Glaciol., 40, 3–15, https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000003750, 1994. a, b, c, d
Weertman, J.: On the sliding of glaciers, J. Glaciol., 3, 33–38, 1957. a
Werder, M. A., Hewitt, I. J., Schoof, C. G., and Flowers, G. E.: Modeling
channelized and distributed subglacial drainage in two dimensions, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 118, 2140–2158, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20146, 2013. a, b
Zechmann, J., Truffer, M., Motyka, R., Amundson, J., and Larsen, C.: Sediment
redistribution beneath the terminus of an advancing glacier, Taku Glacier
(T'aakú Kwáan Sít'i), Alaska, J. Glaciol., 67, 204–218, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2020.101, 2021. a, b
Short summary
This paper presents a two-dimensional subglacial sediment transport model that evolves a sediment layer in response to subglacial sediment transport conditions. The model captures sediment transport in supply- and transport-limited regimes across a glacier's bed and considers both the creation and transport of sediment. Model outputs show how the spatial distribution of sediment and water below a glacier can impact the glacier's discharge of sediment and erosion of bedrock.
This paper presents a two-dimensional subglacial sediment transport model that evolves a...