[M-IS15] Global Antarctic Science: connecting the chain of changing huge ice sheets and global environments

[MIS15-P09] High-resolution basal melting estimation beneath the floating tongue of Shirase Glacier East Antarctica

*Masahiro Minowa¹, Jun Saito ¹ (1.Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University)

Oceanic basal melting of ice shelves is considered to be a major driver of the recent and future mass loss of the Antarctic Ice Sheet. Antarctic-wide basal melt rate estimates are available based on the mass-conservation equation of ice. However, there are several limitations in the estimates, including input topography, surface mass balance and ice speed resolutions, calculation of ice thickness from hydrostatic equilibrium and firn thickness. These limitations are particularly critical near the grounding zone, where the basal melting is expected to be high and play crucial roles in outlet glacier dynamics. It also prevents estimating the basal melting of small but numerous ice shelves and ice tongues around Antarctica. In the presentation, we show our preliminary effort to estimate a high-resolution basal melt rate in Shirase Glacier in East Antarctica. The concept of calculation and potential sources of uncertainties will be discussed.