Influence of Glaciological Structures on the Spatial Distribution of Cryoconite Holes, Northern Victoria Land, East Antarctica

Abstract Three blue‐ice areas in the upper reaches of Rennick Glacier, East Antarctica, are investigated using satellite remote sensing to assess the influence of meso‐ to large‐scale glaciological structures on cryoconite hole distributions. In total, 15,299 cryoconite holes and 1 600 structures were geospatially analyzed, which indicate that cryoconite holes are commonly concentrated in areas with prominent meso‐scale ice structures. The emergence of debris entrained in primary stratification promotes the development of cryoconite holes along the surface expression of debris‐bearing layers. Differential ablation of penetrative structures and their constituent ice facies can form a ridge‐and‐furrow ice‐surface topography that captures supraglacial hydrology and sediments. As a result, trains of cryoconite holes develop in furrows that trace the surface expression of planar layers. Large‐scale topographic barriers that form at flow‐unit boundaries constrain cryoconite holes within discrete flow units by inhibiting the transport of supraglacial sediments. The majority of cryoconite holes are located in low‐slope (<5°) areas where sediments are less susceptible to stripping events. Cryoconite holes on steeper slopes are preferentially located near flow‐unit boundaries where the topographic expression of meso‐scale structures can offset the influence of larger‐scale topography by preventing sediments from being washed down‐slope. Although a range of variables can influence the distribution of cryoconite holes, meso‐ to large‐scale structures play an important role in the development of ice‐surface topography and the delivery of sediments from different sources, which can strongly influence the distribution and composition of cryoconite holes.