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Combination of hydrological and GRACE gravity data to study the response of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Patagonia, South America

LI Mengyu1,2, SUN Pengchao1,2, GUO Changsheng3, WANG Changyu1,2, WEI Dongping1,2   

  1. 1 College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    2 Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    3 School of Civil Engineering, Sanming University, Sanming 365004, Fujian, China
  • Received:2023-10-07 Revised:2024-02-26

Abstract: The Patagonia Plateau in South America is located in a complex tectonic area where the large ice sheets in the temperate zone are melting rapidly and the oceanic plate is subducting into the continental plate. The signal of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and the mechanism of surface uplift in this area need to be further clarified. Based on the time-variable gravity data of gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE), this paper analyzes the characteristics of mass trend in the plateau from 2003 to 2016. Relevant hydrological models and remote sensing satellite data are used to improve the combined hydrological model of this region and extract the spatial variation characteristics of its hydrological information. The current GIA signals are obtained by deducting hydrologic signal from the integrated GRACE signals. The contribution of GIA effect to land surface uplift is analyzed through global positioning system (GPS) data. The results show mass loss in and around Patagonia Icefield (PIF) and mass increase in the south and north of the Patagonia Plateau. The hydrologic mass loss forms a spatial distribution with PIF as the center and the negative signal gradually weakening. The GIA response causes the plateau uplift and is most significant in the southern part of PIF, reaching a maximum of 1.97 ± 0.35 cm/a. The GIA signal is similar to the GIA model. The GIA signals can interpret about 69.25% and 82.70% of GPS vertical speed signals in Northern Patagonia Icefield (NPI) and Southern Patagonia Icefield (SPI), respectively.

Key words: GIA, GRACE, PIF, Patagonia, hydrological model

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