Articles | Volume 12, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2759-2018
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2759-2018
Research article
 | 
27 Aug 2018
Research article |  | 27 Aug 2018

Modelled subglacial floods and tunnel valleys control the life cycle of transitory ice streams

Thomas Lelandais, Édouard Ravier, Stéphane Pochat, Olivier Bourgeois, Christopher Clark, Régis Mourgues, and Pierre Strzerzynski

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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Thomas Lelandais on behalf of the Authors (16 Jul 2018)  Author's response
ED: Publish subject to minor revisions (review by editor) (30 Jul 2018) by Arjen Stroeven
AR by Anna Mirena Feist-Polner on behalf of the Authors (07 Aug 2018)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish as is (09 Aug 2018) by Arjen Stroeven
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Short summary
Scattered observations suggest that subglacial meltwater routes drive ice stream dynamics and ice sheet stability. We use a new experimental approach to reconcile such observations into a coherent story connecting ice stream life cycles with subglacial hydrology and bed erosion. Results demonstrate that subglacial flooding, drainage reorganization, and valley development can control an ice stream lifespan, thus opening new perspectives on subglacial processes controlling ice sheet instabilities.