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.


Search for: All records

Creators/Authors contains: "Aschwanden, Andrew"

Note: When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval).
What is a DOI Number?

Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from this site.

  1. Inward-sloping marine basins in polar environments are susceptible to an effect known as the marine ice-sheet instability (MISI): run-away ice stream drainage caused by warm ocean water eroding the ice shelf from below. The magnitude and timing of the MISI response strongly depend on the physical conditions along the ice-bed interface, which are controlled by the tectonic evolution of the basin. Solid Earth parameters, such as topography, geothermal heat flux, and mantle viscosity, play critical roles in ice-sheet stability. However, in most cases, these solid-Earth parameters for regions susceptible to the MISI are largely unknown. The Wilkes Subglacial Basin (WSB) is a critical region in East Antarctica that may be susceptible to the MISI, which may have led to significant sea-level contributions in the past and which could play an important role in the future. During the mid-Pliocene warm period, the WSB may have contributed 3-4 m to the estimated 20 m increase in sea-level compared to present day. However, recent work has suggested that the WSB may have undergone significant bedrock uplift since the Pliocene; therefore, geological inferences of instability during the Pliocene may not serve as a simple analogue for future warming scenarios. Further constraints are required to assess the geodynamic origin of WSB topography and the influence of geologic parameters on past, current, and future ice-sheet behavior. To this end, we have proposed an integrated investigation of the WSB, combining geophysical analyses with both mantle flow and ice-sheet modeling. Using seismic and magnetotelluric observations from a new field deployment (WIDGET), in conjunction with existing geophysical and geological data, we will develop an improved tectonic model for the region and will estimate the thermal, density, and viscosity structure of the crust and upper mantle beneath the WSB. These solid Earth constraints will be used to simulate mantle flow and to assess paleotopography, which will allow us to model both past and future ice-sheet stability, thereby creating scientifically and societally relevant estimates of sea-level change. 
    more » « less