Different styles of subglacial soft bed hydrology

The response of glaciers to climate change is very dependent of the interaction of subglacial hydrology and till deformation. This is important since models of glacier melt, and related sea level rise are every dependent on the slipperiness of the bed. Most models of glacial hydrology are based on glaciers dominated by rigid beds. However, there is increasing data about the nature of soft unconsolidated beds, which are dominated by wide anastomosing broad flat channels, canals, macroporous films and porous flow through the till. We demonstrate the seasonal patterns associated with a range of soft bedded glaciers from Iceland to illustrate different styles of soft bedded hydrology and contrast this behaviour with a Greenland model.