Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s
ABSTRACT Predicting the velocity response of glaciers to increased surface melt is a major topic of ongoing research with significant implications for accurate sea-level rise forecasting. In this study we use optical and radar satellite imagery as well as comparisons with historical ground measureme...
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Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.40 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143017000405 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/jog.2017.40 2024-09-09T19:31:23+00:00 Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s SCHAFFER, NICOLE COPLAND, LUKE ZDANOWICZ, CHRISTIAN 2017 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.40 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143017000405 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Journal of Glaciology volume 63, issue 240, page 716-730 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 journal-article 2017 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.40 2024-07-31T04:03:35Z ABSTRACT Predicting the velocity response of glaciers to increased surface melt is a major topic of ongoing research with significant implications for accurate sea-level rise forecasting. In this study we use optical and radar satellite imagery as well as comparisons with historical ground measurements to produce a multi-decadal record of ice velocity variations on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island. Over the period 1985–2011, the six largest outlet glaciers on the ice cap decelerated by an average rate of 21 m a −1 over the 26 year period (0.81 m a −2 ), or 12% per decade. The change was not monotonic, however, as most glaciers accelerated until the 1990s, then decelerated. A comparison of recent imagery with historical velocity measurements on Highway Glacier, on the southern part of Penny Ice Cap, shows that this glacier decelerated by 71% between 1953 and 2009–11, from 57 to 17 m a −1 . The recent slowdown of outlet glaciers has coincided with increases in mass loss, terminus retreat and an inferred reduction in basal sliding. Measured decelerations are greater than the total short-term variability measured from both seasonal and interannual fluctuations, and support the hypothesis that glacier thinning and/or increased meltwater production promotes a long-term reduction in ice motion. Article in Journal/Newspaper Baffin Island Baffin Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Penny Ice Cap Cambridge University Press Baffin Island Highway Glacier ENVELOPE(-65.044,-65.044,66.735,66.735) Penny Ice Cap ENVELOPE(-66.214,-66.214,67.284,67.284) Journal of Glaciology 63 240 716 730 |
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Open Polar |
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Cambridge University Press |
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crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
description |
ABSTRACT Predicting the velocity response of glaciers to increased surface melt is a major topic of ongoing research with significant implications for accurate sea-level rise forecasting. In this study we use optical and radar satellite imagery as well as comparisons with historical ground measurements to produce a multi-decadal record of ice velocity variations on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island. Over the period 1985–2011, the six largest outlet glaciers on the ice cap decelerated by an average rate of 21 m a −1 over the 26 year period (0.81 m a −2 ), or 12% per decade. The change was not monotonic, however, as most glaciers accelerated until the 1990s, then decelerated. A comparison of recent imagery with historical velocity measurements on Highway Glacier, on the southern part of Penny Ice Cap, shows that this glacier decelerated by 71% between 1953 and 2009–11, from 57 to 17 m a −1 . The recent slowdown of outlet glaciers has coincided with increases in mass loss, terminus retreat and an inferred reduction in basal sliding. Measured decelerations are greater than the total short-term variability measured from both seasonal and interannual fluctuations, and support the hypothesis that glacier thinning and/or increased meltwater production promotes a long-term reduction in ice motion. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
SCHAFFER, NICOLE COPLAND, LUKE ZDANOWICZ, CHRISTIAN |
spellingShingle |
SCHAFFER, NICOLE COPLAND, LUKE ZDANOWICZ, CHRISTIAN Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
author_facet |
SCHAFFER, NICOLE COPLAND, LUKE ZDANOWICZ, CHRISTIAN |
author_sort |
SCHAFFER, NICOLE |
title |
Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
title_short |
Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
title_full |
Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
title_fullStr |
Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ice velocity changes on Penny Ice Cap, Baffin Island, since the 1950s |
title_sort |
ice velocity changes on penny ice cap, baffin island, since the 1950s |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.40 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0022143017000405 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-65.044,-65.044,66.735,66.735) ENVELOPE(-66.214,-66.214,67.284,67.284) |
geographic |
Baffin Island Highway Glacier Penny Ice Cap |
geographic_facet |
Baffin Island Highway Glacier Penny Ice Cap |
genre |
Baffin Island Baffin Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Penny Ice Cap |
genre_facet |
Baffin Island Baffin Ice cap Journal of Glaciology Penny Ice Cap |
op_source |
Journal of Glaciology volume 63, issue 240, page 716-730 ISSN 0022-1430 1727-5652 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2017.40 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
63 |
container_issue |
240 |
container_start_page |
716 |
op_container_end_page |
730 |
_version_ |
1809900266164584448 |