Abstract

Ice shelf elevation changes due to atmospheric pressure variations

Laurie Padman
Earth and Space Research, Seattle, WA 98102-3620

Matt King
Department of Geomatics, University of Newcastle, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England, NE1 7RU

Derek Goring
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, P. O. Box 8602, Christchurch, New Zealand

Hugh Corr
British Antarctic Survey, Natural Environment Research Council, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, United Kingdom

Richard Coleman
Antarctic CRC and School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, GP0 Box 252-80, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia. CSIRO Marine Research, GPO Box 1538, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia




The inverse barometer effect (IBE) is the isostatic response of ocean surface height (h) to changes in atmospheric pressure (Pair) at a rate of about 1 cm per hecto-Pascal. The IBE is also a significant contributor to short time scale variability of ice shelf surface elevation ( hice), as we demonstrate with simultaneous Global Positioning System measurements of hiceand local measurements of Pair on three Antarctic ice shelves, the Amery, Brunt, and Ross Ice Shelves. We find that an IBE correction is justified for ice shelves for frequencies ( w) covering the "weather-band", 0.05 < w < 0.5 cycles per day. The IBE correction reduces the standard deviation of the weather band signal of hice from ~9 cm to ~3 cm. With this correction, the largest remaining high-frequency error signal in hice is the inaccuracy of the present generation of Antarctic tide models, estimated at O(10) cm for most of Antarctica.




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