Mantle rheology and satellite signatures from present-day glacial forcings

Studies the changes of the long-wavelength portion of the Earth's gravity field as a result of present-day glacial discharges and the possible growth of the Antarctic ice sheet. We employ both Maxwell and Burgers' body rheologies and find that there are significant differences in the responses between the 2 rheologies for time spans less than a century. Both present-day glacial forcing and the ice buildup on Antarctica can cause non-negligible perturbations in j2 of approx 1/3 the observed amount. It is proposed that detailed satellite monitoring of present-day ice movements in conjunction with geodetic satellite missions will eventually provide a viable alternative for estimating deep mantle viscosity, useful in mantle convection models. -from Authors