Temporal and Spatial Variability of Ice-Foot Morphology

ABSTRACT

Two data sets concerning ice-foot features are presented. A three-week time series of ice-foot morphology from Point Lay, Alaska, shows the rapid change in ice-foot “type” which can occur at a single site. A set of ice-foot profiles measured near Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, at the end of winter indicates the diversity of ice-foot forms that can be expected within a small geographic area. The variability seen in both data is explained in terms of a simple qualitative model using energy, underlying topography, and thermal history as input parameters.