Advances in data availability to constrain and evaluate frontal ablation of ice-dynamical models of Greenland's tidewater peripheral glaciers

• Published in: Annals of Glaciology
• Main Authors: Recinos, Beatriz, Maussion, Fabien, Marzeion, Ben
• Other Authors: Natural Environment Research Council
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2022
• Subjects: Annals of Glaciology; Ice Sheet; Tidewater
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.11; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0260305523000113

Abstract We revise and evaluate frontal ablation fluxes obtained by the Open Global Glacier Model (OGGM) for Greenland's tidewater peripheral glaciers de-coupled from the ice sheet. By making use of new region-wide ice thickness and solid ice discharge data, we re-evaluate model performance and suggest future research directions to improve the ice thickness estimation of glacier models. OGGM is unable to predict individual tidewater glacier dynamics well if it has to rely only on surface mass balance estimates and the assumption of a closed budget to constrain the calving parameterization. Velocity observations are essential to constrain the model and estimate the dynamic mass loss of Greenland's tidewater peripheral glaciers.