Response of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Patagonia, South America based on hydrological and GRACE gravity data

doi:10.7523/j.ucas.2024.005

Abstract

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 investigated. Based on the time-variable gravity data of gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE), this paper analyzes the characteristics of mass trends 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 signals from the integrated GRACE signals. The contribution of GIA effect to land surface uplift is analyzed using 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

CLC Number:

P223+.3

LI Mengyu, SUN Pengchao, GUO Changsheng, WANG Changyu, WEI Dongping. Response of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Patagonia, South America based on hydrological and GRACE gravity data[J]. Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2025, 42(1): 74-85.

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