Brief communication: Tides and damage as drivers of lake drainages on Shackleton Ice Shelf

Abstract

To investigate the drivers of lake drainages in Antarctica, we analyzed optical remote sensing data from the Shackleton Ice Shelf in East Antarctica over seven melt seasons, 2016 to 2023. Our study identified seven drainage event in 2016-2017, one in 2018-2019, fifteen in 2019-2020, and two in 2020-2021. All identified drainages occurred in regions with relatively medium to high levels of satellite-derived ice shelf damage and, except one, all with active damage development. Additionally, 17 out of 25 drainages coincided with increases in tidal heights. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing current lake drainages in Antarctica in both timing and distribution.