Connectivity Between Primary and Secondary Subglacial Drainage Subsystems Beneath a Land‐Terminating Outlet Glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet

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ING, R, BAGSHAW, E, HAWKINS, J, PEACEY, M, DOYLE, S, LIVINGSTONE, S, PRIOR‐JONES, M, THORPE, S, MOFFATT, A, SOLE, A, BIANCHI, G, BOOTH, A, BUZZARD, S, CHUDLEY, T, CLASON, C, CRAW, L, EDWARDS, L, GIMBERT, F, HEPBURN, A, JONES, A, LE BRIS, T, MANN, S, MICHEL, A, ROSS, N, STORRAR, Robert, VENESS, Remy and YOUNG, T (2026). Connectivity Between Primary and Secondary Subglacial Drainage Subsystems Beneath a Land‐Terminating Outlet Glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet. AGU Advances, 7 (5): e2026AV002. [Article]

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Abstract
The evolution and connectivity of subglacial drainage systems control basal sliding and therefore modulate ice motion, yet direct observations of these systems remain limited. Here, we investigate hydraulic connectivity and its influence on ice motion at Isunnguata Sermia, a large land‐terminating outlet glacier of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We use “Cryoegg” wireless sensors to obtain moulin water pressure and electrical conductivity, in conjunction with passive seismics to measure glacio‐hydraulic tremor and GNSS‐derived measurements of ice motion. We identify rapid switching (<24 hr) of subglacial hydraulic connectivity between distinct subsystems: a large, primary drainage axis located in a deep trough, and secondary subglacial channels. When surface melt inputs are high, the secondary subsystem fed by the instrumented moulins connects with the efficient primary drainage axis and exhibits smoothed diurnal variability and synchronization with regional ice motion and seismic tremor. When surface melt decreases, hydraulic connectivity is reduced, and the secondary subsystem becomes disconnected and responds sensitively to variations in local melt inputs, increasing local meltwater residence time. Regional ice motion is controlled by the characteristics of the primary drainage axis and is insensitive to local inputs into the secondary subsystem.
More Information
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1029/2026av002403
Open Access URL:
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/1...
Open Access Version:
Published version
Uncontrolled Keywords:
subglacial hydrology; ice sheets; dynamics; glaciers; 3702 Climate change science; 3705 Geology; 3709 Physical geography and environmental geoscience

Identifiers

Identification Number:
10.1029/2026av002403
ORCID for R Ing: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9767-3209
ORCID for E Bagshaw: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8392-1750
ORCID for M Peacey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8554-2797
ORCID for S Doyle: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0853-431X
ORCID for S Livingstone: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7240-5037
ORCID for M Prior‐Jones: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0980-4027
ORCID for S Thorpe: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0003-2034-2606
ORCID for A Sole: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5290-8967
ORCID for G Bianchi: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0009-6377-6184
ORCID for A Booth: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8166-9608
ORCID for S Buzzard: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-0722-2549
ORCID for T Chudley: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8547-1132
ORCID for C Clason: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8236-2555
ORCID for L Craw: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-6809-3587
ORCID for L Edwards: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9936-6966
ORCID for F Gimbert: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-7350-3563
ORCID for A Jones: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8662-4049
ORCID for T Le Bris: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0009-7424-8686
ORCID for A Michel: ORCID iD orcid.org/0009-0000-8542-1290
ORCID for N Ross: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8338-4905
ORCID for Robert Storrar: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-4738-0082
ORCID for Remy Veness: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-2884-3267
ORCID for T Young: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-5865-3459

Library

Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Item Type:
Article
SWORD Depositor:
Symplectic Elements
Depositing User:
Symplectic Elements
Date record made live:
03 Sep 2026 14:22
Last Modified:
03 Sep 2026 14:30
Date of first compliant deposit:
2 September 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:
3 September 2026
Version of first compliant deposit:
Version of Record
ISSN:
2576-604X
Volume:
7
URI:
https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/37920
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