Welcome to Journal of University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Today is
Research Articles

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

  • LI Mengyu ,
  • SUN Pengchao ,
  • GUO Changsheng ,
  • WANG Changyu ,
  • WEI Dongping
Expand
  • 1. CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Geodynamics, College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    2. Architectural Engineering Institute, Sanming University, Sanming 365004, Fujian, China

Received date: 2023-10-07

  Revised date: 2024-02-26

  Online published: 2024-04-03

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.

Cite this article

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 . DOI: 10.7523/j.ucas.2024.005

References

[1] 汪汉胜, WU Patrick, 许厚泽. 冰川均衡调整(GIA)的研究[J]. 地球物理学进展, 2009, 24(6): 1958-1967. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-2903.2009.06.005.
[2] Chao B F, Dehant V, Gross R S, et al. Space geodesy monitors mass transports in global geophysical fluids[J]. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 2000, 81(22): 247-250. DOI: 10.1029/00eo00172.
[3] Lidberg M, Johansson J M, Scherneck H G, et al. An improved and extended GPS-derived 3D velocity field of the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Fennoscandia[J]. Journal of Geodesy, 2007, 81(3): 213-230. DOI: 10.1007/s00190-006-0102-4.
[4] Wolf D, Klemann V, Wünsch J, et al. A reanalysis and reinterpretation of geodetic and geological evidence of glacial-isostatic adjustment in the Churchill region, Hudson Bay[J]. Surveys in Geophysics, 2006, 27(1): 19-61. DOI: 10.1007/s10712-005-0641-x.
[5] Khan S A, Wahr J, Leuliette E, et al. Geodetic measurements of postglacial adjustments in Greenland[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2008, 113(B2): B02402. DOI: 10.1029/2007jb004956.
[6] Jiang Y, Dixon T H, Wdowinski S. Accelerating uplift in the North Atlantic region as an indicator of ice loss[J]. Nature Geoscience, 2010, 3: 404-407. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo845.
[7] Khan S A, Wahr J, Bevis M, et al. Spread of ice mass loss into northwest Greenland observed by GRACE and GPS[J]. Geophysical Research Letters, 2010, 37(6): L06501. DOI: 10.1029/2010gl042460.
[8] Wu X P, Heflin M B, Schotman H, et al. Simultaneous estimation of global present-day water transport and glacial isostatic adjustment[J]. Nature Geoscience, 2010, 3: 642-646. DOI: 10.1038/ngeo938.
[9] Thomas I D, King M A, Bentley M J, et al. Widespread low rates of Antarctic glacial isostatic adjustment revealed by GPS observations[J]. Geophysical Research Letters, 2011, 38(22): L22302. DOI: 10.1029/2011gl049277.
[10] Sasgen I, Klemann V, Martinec Z. Towards the inversion of GRACE gravity fields for present-day ice-mass changes and glacial-isostatic adjustment in North America and Greenland[J]. Journal of Geodynamics, 2012, 59/60: 49-63. DOI: 10.1016/j.jog.2012.03.004.
[11] Gunter B C, Didova O, Riva R E M, et al. Empirical estimation of present-day Antarctic glacial isostatic adjustment and ice mass change[J]. The Cryosphere, 2014, 8(2): 743-760. DOI: 10.5194/tc-8-743-2014.
[12] Wake L M, Lecavalier B S, Bevis M. Glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in Greenland: a review[J]. Current Climate Change Reports, 2016, 2(3): 101-111. DOI: 10.1007/s40641-016-0040-z.
[13] Argus D F, Peltier W R, Blewitt G, et al. The viscosity of the top third of the lower mantle estimated using GPS, GRACE, and relative sea level measurements of glacial isostatic adjustment[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research (Solid Earth), 2021, 126(5): e2020JB021537. DOI: 10.1029/2020JB021537.
[14] Jiang Y, Wu X P, van den Broeke M R, et al. Assessing global present day surface mass transport and glacial isostatic adjustment from inversion of geodetic observations[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research (Solid Earth), 2021, 126(5): e2020JB020713. DOI: 10.1029/2020JB020713.
[15] Vishwakarma B D, Horwath M, Groh A, et al. Accounting for GIA signal in GRACE products[J]. Geophysical Journal International, 2021, 228(3): 2056-2060. DOI: 10.1093/gji/ggab464.
[16] Steffen H, Denker H, Müller J. Glacial isostatic adjustment in Fennoscandia from GRACE data and comparison with geodynamical models[J]. Journal of Geodynamics, 2008, 46(3/4/5): 155-164. DOI: 10.1016/j.jog.2008.03.002.
[17] Tamisiea M E, Mitrovica J X, Davis J L. GRACE gravity data constrain ancient ice geometries and continental dynamics over Laurentia[J]. Science, 2007, 316(5826): 881-883. DOI: 10.1126/science.1137157.
[18] van der Wal W, Wu P, Sideris M G, et al. Use of GRACE determined secular gravity rates for glacial isostatic adjustment studies in North-America[J]. Journal of Geodynamics, 2008, 46(3/4/5): 144-154. DOI: 10.1016/j.jog.2008.03.007.
[19] 高春春, 陆洋, 史红岭,等. 联合GRACE和ICESat数据分离南极冰川均衡调整(GIA)信号[J]. 地球物理学报, 2016, 59(11):4007-4021. DOI: 10.6038/cjg20161107.
[20] 张腾宇, 金双根. 利用GRACE、InSAR和GPS观测估计青藏高原冰后回弹[C]//中国地球物理学会. 中国地球物理学会第二十八届年会论文集. 北京: 2012: 655.
[21] Chen J L, Wilson C R, Tapley B D, et al. Patagonia Icefield melting observed by gravity recovery and climate experiment (GRACE)[J]. Geophysical Research Letters, 2007, 34(22): L22501. DOI: 10.1029/2007gl031871.
[22] Foresta L, Gourmelen N, Weissgerber F, et al. Heterogeneous and rapid ice loss over the Patagonian Ice Fields revealed by CryoSat-2 swath radar altimetry[J]. Remote Sensing of Environment, 2018, 211: 441-455. DOI: 10.1016/j.rse.2018.03.041.
[23] Braun M H, Malz P, Sommer C, et al. Constraining glacier elevation and mass changes in South America[J]. Nature Climate Change, 2019, 9: 130-136. DOI: 10.1038/s41558-018-0375-7.
[24] Jiao J S, Zhang Y Z, Yin P, et al. Changing Moho beneath the Tibetan Plateau revealed by GRACE observations[J]. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 2019, 124(6): 5907-5923. DOI: 10.1029/2018jb016334.
[25] Shen Y, Wang Q Y, Rao W L, et al. Spatial distribution characteristics and mechanism of nonhydrological time-variable gravity in China continent[J]. Earth and Planetary Physics, 2022, 6(1): 96-107. DOI: 10.26464/epp2022009.
[26] Sun P C, Guo C S, Wei D P. GRACE data explore Moho change characteristics beneath the South America continent near the Chile triple junction[J]. Remote Sensing, 2022, 14(4): 924. DOI: 10.3390/rs14040924.
[27] Richter A, Groh A, Horwath M, et al. The rapid and steady mass loss of the Patagonian icefields throughout the GRACE era: 2002-2017[J]. Remote Sensing, 2019, 11(8): 909. DOI: 10.3390/rs11080909.
[28] Georgieva V, Melnick D, Schildgen T F, et al. Tectonic control on rock uplift, exhumation, and topography above an oceanic ridge collision: Southern Patagonian Andes (47°S), Chile[J]. Tectonics, 2016, 35(6): 1317-1341. DOI: 10.1002/2016tc004120.
[29] Russo R M, Luo H P, Wang K L, et al. Lateral variation in slab window viscosity inferred from global navigation satellite system (GNSS): observed uplift due to recent mass loss at Patagonia ice fields[J]. Geology, 2022, 50(1): 111-115. DOI: 10.1130/g49388.1.
[30] Bourgois J, Frutos J, Cisternas M E. The internal versus external dynamics in building the Andes (46°30'-47°30'S) at the Patagonia slab window, with special references to the lower Miocene morphotectonic frontline: a review[J]. Earth-Science Reviews, 2021, 223: 103822. DOI: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103822.
[31] Chen J L, Wilson C R, Tapley B D, et al. GRACE detects coseismic and postseismic deformation from the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake[J]. Geophysical Research Letters, 2007, 34(13): L13302. DOI: 10.1029/2007gl030356.
[32] Chen J L, Wilson C R, Li J, et al. Reducing leakage error in GRACE-observed long-term ice mass change: a case study in West Antarctica[J]. Journal of Geodesy, 2015, 89(9): 925-940. DOI: 10.1007/s00190-015-0824-2.
[33] Lange H, Casassa G, Ivins E R, et al. Observed crustal uplift near the Southern Patagonian Icefield constrains improved viscoelastic Earth models[J]. Geophysical Research Letters, 2014, 41(3): 805-812. DOI: 10.1002/2013gl058419.
[34] Blewitt G, Hammond W, Kreemer C. Harnessing the GPS data explosion for interdisciplinary science[J]. Eos, 2018, 99. DOI: 10.1029/2018eo104623.
[35] Ndehedehe C E, Ferreira V G. Assessing land water storage dynamics over South America[J]. Journal of Hydrology, 2020, 580: 124339. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhydrol.2019.124339.
[36] 孙文科, 长谷川崇, 张新林, 等. 高斯滤波在处理GRACE数据中的模拟研究:西藏拉萨的重力变化率[J]. 中国科学:地球科学, 2011, 41(9): 1327-1333. DOI: 10.1360/zd-2011-41-9-1327.
[37] Lenaerts J T M, van den Broeke M R, van Wessem J M, et al. Extreme precipitation and climate gradients in Patagonia revealed by high-resolution regional atmospheric climate modeling[J]. Journal of Climate, 2014, 27(12): 4607-4621. DOI: 10.1175/jcli-d-13-00579.1.
[38] Hu J S, Liu L J, Gurnis M. Southward expanding plate coupling due to variation in sediment subduction as a cause of Andean growth[J]. Nature Communications, 2021, 12: 7271. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27518-8.
[39] Klemann V, Martinec Z, Ivins E R. Glacial isostasy and plate motion[J]. Journal of Geodynamics, 2008, 46(3/4/5): 95-103. DOI: 10.1016/j.jog.2008.04.005.
[40] Thomson S N, Brandon M T, Tomkin J H, et al. Glaciation as a destructive and constructive control on mountain building[J]. Nature, 2010, 467: 313-317. DOI: 10.1038/nature09365.
Outlines

/