Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Abstract A simple hydrologic drainage network for the Greenland Ice Sheet is modelled from available digital elevation models (DEMs) of bedrock, and surface topography and assumptions of hydrostatic water pressure, uniform hydraulic conductivity, and no conduit flow within the ice sheet. As such, it...
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crwiley:10.1002/hyp.7343 2024-06-02T08:07:25+00:00 Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet Lewis, Sarah M. Smith, Laurence C. 2009 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7343 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.7343 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.7343 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Hydrological Processes volume 23, issue 14, page 2004-2011 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 journal-article 2009 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7343 2024-05-03T11:36:22Z Abstract A simple hydrologic drainage network for the Greenland Ice Sheet is modelled from available digital elevation models (DEMs) of bedrock, and surface topography and assumptions of hydrostatic water pressure, uniform hydraulic conductivity, and no conduit flow within the ice sheet. As such, it is a first‐order model best suited for broad‐scale hydrological assessment. Results identify 293 distinct hydrologic basins (185–117 000 km 2 ) together with their ‘realized’ (wet) and ‘unrealized’ (dry) drainage patterns. Intersection with 1991–2000 Polar MM5 (PMM5) mesoscale climate model hindcasts of meltwater runoff suggest that these basins route varying amounts of water to the ice edge, ranging from 0 to 16 km 3 annually and totalling 242 km 3 /year for the entire ice sheet. Regionally speaking, average annual volumetric meltwater production (km 3 /year) is highest in southwest and lowest in northeast Greenland, with greater hydrologic activity in western regions than in eastern regions for a given latitude. The extent to which meltwater truly reaches the ice margin as modelled is difficult to test. However, the simulated flow outlet locations show qualitative agreement with the locations of 460 observed meltwater outlets (proglacial lakes, streams, and rivers; and sediment plumes into fjörds) mapped continuously along the ice sheet perimeter. On average, about 36% of the modelled drainage network was activated (i.e. received water) over the 1991–2000 study period. Remaining areas, barring dynamic changes to ice‐surface topography, would presumably activate if surface melt penetrates deeper into the ice sheet interior. Both new datasets are freely available for scientific use at the National Snow and Ice Data Center ( ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/parca/nsidc‐0372‐hydrologic‐outlets ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/parca/nsidc‐0371‐hydrologic‐sub‐basins ). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet National Snow and Ice Data Center PARCA Wiley Online Library Greenland Hydrological Processes 23 14 2004 2011 |
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Open Polar |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
language |
English |
description |
Abstract A simple hydrologic drainage network for the Greenland Ice Sheet is modelled from available digital elevation models (DEMs) of bedrock, and surface topography and assumptions of hydrostatic water pressure, uniform hydraulic conductivity, and no conduit flow within the ice sheet. As such, it is a first‐order model best suited for broad‐scale hydrological assessment. Results identify 293 distinct hydrologic basins (185–117 000 km 2 ) together with their ‘realized’ (wet) and ‘unrealized’ (dry) drainage patterns. Intersection with 1991–2000 Polar MM5 (PMM5) mesoscale climate model hindcasts of meltwater runoff suggest that these basins route varying amounts of water to the ice edge, ranging from 0 to 16 km 3 annually and totalling 242 km 3 /year for the entire ice sheet. Regionally speaking, average annual volumetric meltwater production (km 3 /year) is highest in southwest and lowest in northeast Greenland, with greater hydrologic activity in western regions than in eastern regions for a given latitude. The extent to which meltwater truly reaches the ice margin as modelled is difficult to test. However, the simulated flow outlet locations show qualitative agreement with the locations of 460 observed meltwater outlets (proglacial lakes, streams, and rivers; and sediment plumes into fjörds) mapped continuously along the ice sheet perimeter. On average, about 36% of the modelled drainage network was activated (i.e. received water) over the 1991–2000 study period. Remaining areas, barring dynamic changes to ice‐surface topography, would presumably activate if surface melt penetrates deeper into the ice sheet interior. Both new datasets are freely available for scientific use at the National Snow and Ice Data Center ( ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/parca/nsidc‐0372‐hydrologic‐outlets ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/pub/DATASETS/parca/nsidc‐0371‐hydrologic‐sub‐basins ). Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Lewis, Sarah M. Smith, Laurence C. |
spellingShingle |
Lewis, Sarah M. Smith, Laurence C. Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
author_facet |
Lewis, Sarah M. Smith, Laurence C. |
author_sort |
Lewis, Sarah M. |
title |
Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
title_short |
Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
title_full |
Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
title_fullStr |
Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hydrologic drainage of the Greenland Ice Sheet |
title_sort |
hydrologic drainage of the greenland ice sheet |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7343 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1002%2Fhyp.7343 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/hyp.7343 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet National Snow and Ice Data Center PARCA |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet National Snow and Ice Data Center PARCA |
op_source |
Hydrological Processes volume 23, issue 14, page 2004-2011 ISSN 0885-6087 1099-1085 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7343 |
container_title |
Hydrological Processes |
container_volume |
23 |
container_issue |
14 |
container_start_page |
2004 |
op_container_end_page |
2011 |
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1800752493376831488 |