The Cryosphere

Subglacial topography and geothermal heat flux: Potential interactions with drainage of the Greenland ice sheet

  1. C. J. van der Veen1,2,
  2. T. Leftwich3,
  3. R. von Frese3,
  4. B. M. Csatho4,
  5. J. Li2

Article first published online: 21 JUN 2007

DOI: 10.1029/2007GL030046

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Additional Information

How to Cite

van der Veen, C. J., T. Leftwich, R. von Frese, B. M. Csatho, and J. Li (2007), Subglacial topography and geothermal heat flux: Potential interactions with drainage of the Greenland ice sheet, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L12501, doi:10.1029/2007GL030046.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Geography, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

  2. 2

    Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

  3. 3

    School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Geology, State University of New York at Buffalo, New York, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 21 JUN 2007
  2. Article first published online: 21 JUN 2007
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 23 MAY 2007
  4. Manuscript Revised: 4 MAY 2007
  5. Manuscript Received: 15 MAR 2007

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Keywords:

  • geothermal heat;
  • glaciers;
  • topography

[1] Many of the outlet glaciers in Greenland overlie deep and narrow trenches cut into the bedrock. It is well known that pronounced topography intensifies the geothermal heat flux in deep valleys and attenuates this flux on mountains. Here we investigate the magnitude of this effect for two subglacial trenches in Greenland. Heat flux variations are estimated for idealized geometries using solutions for plane slopes derived by Lachenbruch (1968). It is found that for channels such as the one under Jakobshavn Isbræ, topographic effects may increase the local geothermal heat flux by as much as 100%.

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