Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord
ABSTRACT Jakobshavn Isbræ, which terminates in Ilulissat Icefjord, has undergone rapid retreat and is currently the largest contributor to ice-sheet mass loss among Greenland's marine terminating glaciers. Accelerating mass loss is increasing fresh water discharge to the ocean, which can feed b...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.19 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260305517000192 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/aog.2017.19 2024-09-15T17:39:51+00:00 Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord Beaird, Nicholas Straneo, Fiammetta Jenkins, William 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.19 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260305517000192 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) Annals of Glaciology volume 58, issue 74, page 107-117 ISSN 0260-3055 1727-5644 journal-article 2017 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.19 2024-08-14T04:04:02Z ABSTRACT Jakobshavn Isbræ, which terminates in Ilulissat Icefjord, has undergone rapid retreat and is currently the largest contributor to ice-sheet mass loss among Greenland's marine terminating glaciers. Accelerating mass loss is increasing fresh water discharge to the ocean, which can feed back on ice melt, impact marine ecosystems and potentially modify regional and larger scale ocean circulation. Here we present hydrographic observations, including inert geochemical tracers, that allow the first quantitative description of the glacially-modified waters exported from the Jakobshavn/Icefjord system. Observations within the fjord suggest a deep-reaching overturning cell driven by glacial buoyancy forcing. Modified waters containing submarine meltwater (up to 2.5 ± 0.12%), subglacial discharge (up to 6 ± 0.37%) and large portions of entrained ocean waters are seen to exit the fjord and flow north. The exported meltwaters form a buoyant coastal gravity current reaching to 100 m depth and extending 10 km offshore. Article in Journal/Newspaper Annals of Glaciology Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ Cambridge University Press Annals of Glaciology 58 74 107 117 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Jakobshavn Isbræ, which terminates in Ilulissat Icefjord, has undergone rapid retreat and is currently the largest contributor to ice-sheet mass loss among Greenland's marine terminating glaciers. Accelerating mass loss is increasing fresh water discharge to the ocean, which can feed back on ice melt, impact marine ecosystems and potentially modify regional and larger scale ocean circulation. Here we present hydrographic observations, including inert geochemical tracers, that allow the first quantitative description of the glacially-modified waters exported from the Jakobshavn/Icefjord system. Observations within the fjord suggest a deep-reaching overturning cell driven by glacial buoyancy forcing. Modified waters containing submarine meltwater (up to 2.5 ± 0.12%), subglacial discharge (up to 6 ± 0.37%) and large portions of entrained ocean waters are seen to exit the fjord and flow north. The exported meltwaters form a buoyant coastal gravity current reaching to 100 m depth and extending 10 km offshore. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Beaird, Nicholas Straneo, Fiammetta Jenkins, William |
spellingShingle |
Beaird, Nicholas Straneo, Fiammetta Jenkins, William Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
author_facet |
Beaird, Nicholas Straneo, Fiammetta Jenkins, William |
author_sort |
Beaird, Nicholas |
title |
Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
title_short |
Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
title_full |
Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
title_fullStr |
Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
title_full_unstemmed |
Characteristics of meltwater export from Jakobshavn Isbræ and Ilulissat Icefjord |
title_sort |
characteristics of meltwater export from jakobshavn isbræ and ilulissat icefjord |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.19 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260305517000192 |
genre |
Annals of Glaciology Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ |
genre_facet |
Annals of Glaciology Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ |
op_source |
Annals of Glaciology volume 58, issue 74, page 107-117 ISSN 0260-3055 1727-5644 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2017.19 |
container_title |
Annals of Glaciology |
container_volume |
58 |
container_issue |
74 |
container_start_page |
107 |
op_container_end_page |
117 |
_version_ |
1810483010085060608 |