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- Title
Antarctic Geothermal Heat Flow, Crustal Conductivity and Heat Production Inferred From Seismological Data.
- Authors
Hazzard, James A. N.; Richards, Fred D.
- Abstract
Geothermal heat flow is a key parameter in governing ice dynamics, via its influence on basal melt and sliding, englacial rheology, and erosion. It is expected to exhibit significant lateral variability across Antarctica. Despite this, surface heat flow derived from Earth's interior remains one of the most poorly constrained parameters controlling ice sheet evolution. To obtain a continent‐wide map of Antarctic heat supply at regional‐scale resolution, we estimate upper mantle thermomechanical structure directly from VS. Until now, direct inferences of Antarctic heat supply have assumed constant crustal composition. Here, we explore a range of crustal conductivity and radiogenic heat production values by fitting thermodynamically self‐consistent geotherms to their seismically inferred counterparts. Independent estimates of crustal conductivity derived from VP are integrated to break an observed trade‐off between crustal parameters, allowing us to infer Antarctic geothermal heat flow and its associated uncertainty. Plain Language Summary: The future evolution of the Antarctic Ice Sheet depends on its stability, which describes how sensitive it is to environmental change. A key factor influencing ice sheet stability is how much thermal energy is transferred into its base from Earth's interior: a parameter called geothermal heat flow. If the level of heat supply is high, melting at the base of the ice sheet is encouraged, resulting in enhanced sliding toward outlet glaciers at the continental perimeter. Consequently, ice loss is accelerated, and the likelihood of glacial collapse is increased. Therefore, an accurate map of Antarctic geothermal heat flow, including how this parameter varies from region to region, is needed to produce high quality projections of Antarctic ice mass loss and therefore global sea level change. In this study, we use models of how seismic wave speed varies within Earth to estimate its three‐dimensional temperature structure, as well as its thermal conductivity. These data are used to infer a collection of best‐fitting models of Earth's thermal state, and hence estimate Antarctic geothermal heat flow. Key Points: Demonstration of new methodology for inferring geothermal heat flow from seismological dataS‐ and P‐wave velocity used together to infer and fit geothermsIncorporation of laterally varying crustal conductivity and heat production
- Subjects
ANTARCTICA; THERMAL conductivity; INTERNAL structure of the Earth; SEISMIC wave velocity; ICE sheet thawing; ANTARCTIC ice; SEISMIC anisotropy; SEISMIC waves
- Publication
Geophysical Research Letters, 2024, Vol 51, Issue 7, p1
- ISSN
0094-8276
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1029/2023GL106274