Abstract
Compacted snow dunes were described for the first time as long stripes by pilots flying over eastern Antarctica. With the availability of satellite imagery, the interest has increased manifolds. Later Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data provided nearly three-dimensional, enhanced relief pictures, of these dune complexes. Divergent views regarding their formation have been presented earlier. One group believed that they are erosional features imprinted on ice sheets due to strong katabatic winds, while the other one suggested that they have formed due to the accumulation of snow. Our interpretation of SAR and optical images over an area of 1,000,000 sq. km, suggests that they are a type of “fore-dunes”, characterized by gentle wind-ward and steeper lee-ward sides. Deposited and compacted during intense climatic conditions. We believe that alternating wet and arid conditions prevailed during their formation and compaction. Wet periods were dominated by moisture-laden, low amplitude and long wavelength winds. This was accompanied by very heavy snowfall and accumulation as linear ridges perpendicular to the wind direction. Arid periods were marked by dry winds, compaction and development of wide-spread glazed surfaces on the lee-ward sides. Similarly, during the following period, with slightly less intense climatic conditions, snow sheets were deposited. Pile-ups along the high-rise regions later consolidated as ridges (sastrugi). These prominent climatic variations of continental proportions are mapped and seem to correspond with glacial and interglacial periods of the Quaternary Era. Prevailing as well as paleo-wind directions coincide with each other this indicates that there has been no marked change ever since they have formed. Furthermore, abrupt termination and shifting of compacted dunes, and formation of elongated valleys, filled by consolidated snow along parallel set of lineaments, are mapped in all the studied regions. This suggests that the lineaments are of basement origin and have propagated upward through the cover of ice and snow. We believe that the compacted snow dunes complexes and lineaments are unique markers and can serve as new parameters, to understand climatic changes and basement configuration of Antarctic continent.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Arcone SA, Jacobel RW (2009) Large scale metamorphism in East Antarctica: Radar evidence within firn and englacial profiles. American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract id. C52A-05
Comiso JC (1994) Surface temperatures in the polar regions from Nimbus 7 temperature humidity infrared radiometer. J Geophys Res 99(C3):5181–5200. https://doi.org/10.1029/93JC03450
Dadic R, Mott R, Horgan HJ, Lehning M (2013) Observations, theory, and modeling of the differential accumulation of Antarctic mega dunes. J Geophys Res Earth 118(4):2343–2353. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JF002844
Ekaykin A, Eberlein L, Lipenkov V, Popov S, Scheinert M, Schroder L, Turkeev A (2016) Non-climatic signal in ice core records: lessons from Antarctic mega dunes. Cryosphere 10(3):1217–1227. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1217-2016
Fahnestock MA, Scambos TA, Shuman CA, Arthern RJ, Winebrenner DP, Kwok R (2000) Snow mega dune fields on the East Antarctic Plateau: extreme atmosphere-ice interaction. Geophys Res Lett 27(22):3719–3722. https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GL011248
Giovinetto M (1963) Glaciological studies on the McMurdo-South Pole traverse, 1960–1961. Ohio State Univ Inst Polar Stud Rep 7(7):1960–1961. Available at http://kb.osu.edu/dspace/handle/1811/38737
Jezek KC (2008). The RADARSAT-1 Antarctic mapping project
Misra A, Dobhal DP (2015) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data in mapping and study of compacted snow dune complexes and active lineament tectonics in Antarctica. In XII International Symposium on Antarctic Earth Sciences (ISAES), NCAOR, Goa 504, S22–411, Abstract
Misra KS, Misra A (2013) Hydrocarbon exploration in sub-basalt basins around peninsular India. Search Discovery 50804:16–19
Misra KS, Slaney VR, Graham D, Harris J (1991) Mapping of basement and other tectonic features using SEASAT and thematic mapper in hydrocarbon-producing areas of the Western Sedimentary Basin of Canada. Can J Remote Sens 17(2):137–151
Parish TR, Bromwich DH (1991) Continental-scale simulation of the Antarctic katabatic wind regime. J Clim 4(2):135–146. https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0442(1991)004<0135:cssota>2.0.co;2
Scarchilli C, Frezzotti M, Grigioni P, De Silvestri L, Agnoletto L, Dolci S (2010) Extraordinary blowing snow transport events in East Antarctica. Clim Dyn 34(7):1195–1206. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-009-0601-0
Shuman CA, Scambos TA, Fahnestock MA, Suchdeo VP (2011) Antarctic megadunes-assessment of topographic form and windward progradation from ICESat Altimetry, 2003–2009. In American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, Abstract Id. C32B-07
Shurr GW (1982) Geometric hierarchy of sandstone bodies in the Shannon sandstone member near the northern Black Hills, Montana and South Dakota
Slack PB (1981) Paleotectonics and hydrocarbon accumulation, Powder River basin, Wyoming. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 65(4):730–743. https://doi.org/10.1306/2f9199bd-16ce-11d7-8645000102c1865d
Swithinbank C (1988) Antarctica. US Government Printing Office
Wise DU, Cianfarra P, Salvini F (2007) Megadunes and geologic maps of snow/firn of East Antarctica: implications for major climatic change, accumulation rates, ice flowage, and bedrock structures. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts C51A-0073
Acknowledgements
We wish to profusely thank Dr. Satish Tripathi, Formerly Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India; Honorary Editor, Earth Science India and General Secretary, The Society of Earth Scientists; for inviting us to contribute this paper to forthcoming volume on Climate Change. Detailed discussions with Dr Rasik Ravindra, a veteran Antarctic Geologist; Panikkar Chair Professor, Ministry of Earth Sciences; Former Deputy Director General, Geological Survey of India and Director, National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), were of great help in understanding the field characteristics of compacted dune complexes and associated climatic conditions. Canadian Government Laboratory Visiting Fellowship, provided to (KSM) to work in Radatsat project is thankfully acknowledged. We are also grateful to AMM-1 and MAMM for providing the SAR data for this study. Comments provided by the referee were helpful to improve the manuscript. Director, Wadia Institute Himalayan Geology, Dehradun and Head of the Geology Department, Kumaun University, Nainital, have very kindly provided all available facilities to carry out this work, is thankfully acknowledged.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Misra, A., Misra, K.S., Dobhal, D.P. (2022). Compacted Snow Dune Complexes in Antarctica and their Applicability as New Climate Change and Basement Tectonic Parameters. In: Phartiyal, B., Mohan, R., Chakraborty, S., Dutta, V., Gupta, A.K. (eds) Climate Change and Environmental Impacts: Past, Present and Future Perspective. Society of Earth Scientists Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13119-6_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13119-6_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-13118-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-13119-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)