CRUSTAL UPLIFT AND LANDSCAPE CHANGE ACROSS ANTARCTICA

The process of glacial isostatic adjustment driven by changing ice sheet mass has progressively altered the elevation of the Antarctic landscape since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Relative sea level changes at coastlines and elevations on interior bedrock nunataks, both important in defining past biogeography, are influenced by this ‘rebound’ process during deglaciation. GPS data provide values for the current rate of vertical crustal displacements. Modeling yields magnitudes and rates of elevation change over past millennia. Continental-scale measurements and models show strong variability in uplift patterns between West and East Antarctica, and along the Transantarctic Mountains. Modern vertical motion rates vary from c. 2 mm/yr subsidence to 35 mm/yr uplift. The pattern of surface elevation changes will be presented, providing broad-scale context for evolving glacial cover and the physical settings of potential refugia since the LGM.