skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Antarctic Subglacial Trace Metal Mobility Linked to Climate Change Across Termination III
Abstract. Antarctic meltwater is a significant source of iron that fertilizes present-day Southern Ocean ecosystems and may enhance marine carbon burial on geologic timescales. However, it remains uncertain how this nutrient flux changes through time, particularly in response to climate, due to an absence of geologic records detailing trace metal mobilization beneath ice sheets. In this study, we present a 25 kyr record of aqueous trace metal cycling beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet measured in a subglacial chemical precipitate that formed across glacial termination III (TIII). The deposition rate and texture of this sample describe a shift in basal meltwater flow following the termination. Alternating layers of opal and calcite deposited in the 10 kyr prior to TIII record centennial-scale subglacial flushing events, whereas reduced basal flushing resulted in slower deposition of a trace metal-rich (Fe, Mn, Mo, Cu) calcite in the 15 kyr after TIII. This sharp increase in calcite metal concentrations following TIII indicates that diminished subglacial meltwater flow restricted the influx of oxygen from basal ice melt to precipitate-forming waters, causing dissolution of redox-sensitive trace metals from the bedrock substrate. These results are consistent with a possible feedback between orbital climate cycles and Antarctic subglacial iron discharge to the Southern Ocean, whereby heightened basal meltwater flow during terminations supplies oxygen to subglacial waters along the ice sheet periphery, which reduces the solubility of redox sensitive elements. As the climate cools, thinner ice and slower ice flow reduce basal meltwater production rates, limiting oxygen delivery and promoting more efficient mobilization of subglacial trace metals. Using a simple model to calculate the concentration of Fe in Antarctic basal water through time, we show that the rate of Antarctic iron discharge to the Southern Ocean is highly sensitive to this heightened mobility, and may therefore, increase significantly during cold climate periods.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2042495 2137467
PAR ID:
10586030
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
Cryosphere
Date Published:
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; (, The Cryosphere)
    Abstract. Antarctic meltwater is a significant source of iron that fertilizes present-day Southern Ocean ecosystems and may enhance marine carbon burial on geologic timescales. However, it remains uncertain how the nutrient flux from the subglacial system changes through time, particularly in response to climate, due to an absence of geologic records detailing element mobilization beneath ice sheets. In this study, we present a 25 kyr record of aqueous trace metal cycling in subglacial water beneath the David Glacier catchment measured in a subglacial chemical precipitate that formed across glacial termination III (TIII), from 259.5 to 225 ka. The deposition rate and texture of this sample describe a shift in subglacial meltwater flow following the termination. Alternating layers of opal and calcite deposited in the 10 kyr prior to TIII record centennial-scale subglacial flushing events, whereas reduced basal flushing resulted in slower deposition of a trace-metal-rich (Fe, Mn, Mo, Cu) calcite in the 15 kyr after TIII. This sharp increase in calcite metal concentrations following TIII indicates that restricted influx of oxygen from basal ice melt to precipitate-forming waters caused dissolution of redox-sensitive elements from the bedrock substrate. The link between metal concentrations and climate change in this single location across TIII suggests that ice motion may play an important role in subglacial metal mobilization and discharge, whereby heightened basal meltwater flow during terminations supplies oxygen to subglacial waters along the ice sheet periphery, reducing the solubility of redox-sensitive elements. As the climate cools, thinner ice and slower ice flow decrease subglacial meltwater production rates, limiting oxygen delivery and promoting more efficient mobilization of subglacial trace metals. Using a simple model to calculate the concentration of Fe in Antarctic basal water through time, we show that the rate of Antarctic iron discharge to the Southern Ocean is sensitive to this heightened mobility and may therefore increase significantly during cold climate periods. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; et al (, Nature Communications)
    Abstract Ice cores and offshore sedimentary records demonstrate enhanced ice loss along Antarctic coastal margins during millennial-scale warm intervals within the last glacial termination. However, the distal location and short temporal coverage of these records leads to uncertainty in both the spatial footprint of ice loss, and whether millennial-scale ice response occurs outside of glacial terminations. Here we present a >100kyr archive of periodic transitions in subglacial precipitate mineralogy that are synchronous with Late Pleistocene millennial-scale climate cycles. Geochemical and geochronologic data provide evidence for opal formation during cold periods via cryoconcentration of subglacial brine, and calcite formation during warm periods through the addition of subglacial meltwater originating from the ice sheet interior. These freeze-flush cycles represent cyclic changes in subglacial hydrologic-connectivity driven by ice sheet velocity fluctuations. Our findings imply that oscillating Southern Ocean temperatures drive a dynamic response in the Antarctic ice sheet on millennial timescales, regardless of the background climate state. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; ; ; (, Geophysical Research Letters)
    Abstract Subglacial calcite precipitation is thought to occur in East Antarctica during periods when warm Southern Ocean waters access the ice sheet margin. Here we present an expanded precipitate archive that includes a continent‐wide compilation of 38 new and previously reported calcite234U‐230Th ages with isotopic compositional data. These data are interpreted to record periods when interior meltwaters are exported to the ice sheet margins as a result of ice acceleration and thinning. An assessment of coincidence between234U‐230Th dates, ranging from 16 to 256 ka, and peaks in Southern Ocean temperature yields a statistically significant correlation. Additional comparison of precipitate dates and climate data finds that calcite formation and ice acceleration cluster within periods of enhanced millennial scale climate variability as well as high global ice volume. This sensitivity to background climate is consistent with the hypothesis that these factors exert some control on ice sheet response to changes in climate. 
    more » « less
  4. ; ; ; ; (, Quaternary Geochronology)
    A sequential chemical extraction procedure was developed and tested to investigate the utility of meteoric 10Be as a tracer for authigenic mineral formation beneath the East Antarctic Ice Sheet. Subglacial meltwater is widely available under the Antarctic Ice Sheet and dissolved gases within it have the potential to drive chemical weathering processes in the subglacial environment. Meteoric 10Be is a cosmogenic nuclide with a half-life of 1.39⋅10^6 years that is incorporated into glacier ice, therefore its abundance in the subglacial environment in Antarctica is meltwater dependent. It is known to adsorb to fine-grained particles in aqueous solution, precipitate with amorphous oxides/hydroxides, and/or be incorporated into authigenic clay minerals during chemical weathering. The presence of 10Be in chemical weathering products derived from beneath the ice therefore indicates chemical weathering processes in the subglacial environment. Freshly emerging subglacial sediments from the Mt. Achernar blue ice moraine were subject to chemical extractions where these weathering phases were isolated and 10Be concentrations therein quantified. Optimization of the phase isolation was developed by examining the effects of each extraction on the sample mineralogy and chemical composition. Experiments on 10Be desorption revealed that pH 3.2–3.5 was optimal for the extraction of adsorbed 10Be. Vigorous disaggregation of the samples before grain size separations and acid extractions is crucial due to the incorporation of the nuclide in clay minerals and its preferential absorption to clay-sized particles. 10Be concentrations of 2–22⋅10^7 atoms⋅g^ -1 measured in oxides and clay minerals in freshly emerging sediments strongly indicate subglacial chemical weathering in the catchment of the Mt. Achernar moraine. Based on total 10Be sample concentrations, local basal melt rates, and 10Be ice concentrations, sediment-meltwater contact in the subglacial environment is on the order of thousands of years per gram of underlying fine sediment. Strong correlation (R = 0.97) between 10Be and smectite abundance in the sediments supports authigenic clay formation in the subglacial environment. This suggests meteoric 10Be is a useful tool to characterize subglacial geochemical weathering processes under the Antarctic Ice Sheet. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Hydrology)
    The Southern Ocean receives limited liquid surface water input from the Antarctic continent. It has been speculated, however, that significant liquid water may flow from beneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and that this subglacial flow carries that water along with dissolved nutrients to the coast. The delivery of solutes, particularly limiting nutrients like bioavailable iron, to the Southern Ocean may contribute to ecosystem processes including primary productivity. Using a helicopter-borne time domain electromagnetic survey along the coastal margins of the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, we detected subsurface connections between inland lakes, aquifers, and subglacial waters. These waters, which appear as electrically conductive anomalies, are saline and may contain high concentrations of biologically important ions, including iron and silica. Local hydraulic gradients may drive these waters to the coast, where we postulate they emerge as submarine groundwater discharge. This high latitude groundwater system, imaged regionally in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, may be representative of a broader system of Antarctic submarine groundwater discharge that fertilizes the Southern Ocean. In total, it has the potential to deliver tens of gigagrams of bioavailable Fe and Si to the coastal zone. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email