Glaciers and ice sheets are losing mass in our warming climate, contributing to sea level rise. The dynamics of ice are strongly controlled by interactions with water, both underneath glaciers and as ice sheets flow into the ocean. The warming atmosphere is causing increased melting on the surface of glaciers, and that water can reach the base of the ice influencing how fast the ice can flow. This seasonal variability in water input has particular implications for the future of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Antarctic Ice Sheet, on the other hand, has little surface water melt but is instead influenced by water produced at the bed from geothermal heat and friction between the ice and rocks. These contrasting situations for our two ice sheets, one where seasonal melting is of great importance, and the other where the basal systems are highly isolated, suggests varying roles played by water flowing underneath the ice.

The subglacial environment is notoriously difficult to access, with some areas of the Antarctic being covered by several kilometers of ice. As a result, numerical modeling approaches are key for determining the development of subglacial drainage networks. I will discuss my application of the Glacier Drainage System Model (GlaDS), a finite element model that includes both efficient and inefficient drainage systems that interact and develop interdependently. I have applied this model to Greenland subglacial systems and Antarctic systems, including the development of large subglacial lakes, and will discuss the results and implications for ice dynamics in our warming climate along with the future directions of subglacial hydrology modeling.