Inversion-Based Pan-Antarctic Basal Drag Dataset Constrained by Subglacial Hydrology Simulations
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The Antarctic Ice Sheet is changing rapidly and is one of the largest and most uncertain contributors to future global sea-level rise. Reliable future projections require ice-sheet models to accurately represent present-day ice flow. A key process is basal sliding, which strongly influences ice flow velocities and the amount of ice discharge into the ocean. Basal drag controls this sliding, but its spatial distribution beneath the ice sheet cannot be measured directly across such large scales. Instead, it must be estimated using model-based inversion techniques. In this study, we derive a Pan-Antarctic basal drag field divided into five domains using an ice-sheet model constrained by observed surface velocities and subglacial hydrology simulations. We apply a robust inversion and regularization approach to obtain a physically consistent, high-resolution basal drag dataset. This dataset provides an improved initial stress state for ice-sheet models and supports future simulations and sea-level projections.
