Do blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range show the West Antarctic ice sheet survived the last interglacial?

Christopher J. Fogwill, Andrew S. Hein, Michael J. Bentley, David E. Sugden*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We present a hypothesis that best explains cosmogenic isotope data on blue-ice moraines in the Heritage Range, West Antarctica. The age of the moraines implies that they, and the related ice-sheet surface with which they are associated, have persisted on the flanks of nunataks throughout at least the last interglacial/glacial cycle. The implication is that although the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may have fluctuated in thickness during glacial cycles, the central dome has remained intact for at least 200. kyr and possibly even for 400. kyr. Such a finding, if substantiated, would contribute to our understanding of the sensitivity of the WAIS to climate change. Further it would be a powerful geomorphic constraint on models of the past behaviour of the ice sheet during glacial cycles and thus those predicting the future of the ice sheet in a warming world.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)61-70
Number of pages10
JournalPalaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology
Volume335-336
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2012
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oceanography
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Earth-Surface Processes
  • Paleontology

Keywords

  • Blue-ice moraine
  • Geomorphology
  • Last Glacial cycle
  • West Antarctic Ice Sheet

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