Mass change of the Antarctic ice sheet inferred from ICESat and CryoSat-2

• Main Authors: Baojun, Zhang, Zemin, Wang, Jiachun, An, Yanxia, Liu
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Polar Research Institute of China - PRIC 2017
• Subjects: Cryosphere; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Dronning Maud Land; Totten Glacier; Kamb Ice Stream; Advances in Polar Science; Antarc*; Enderby Land; Ice Sheet; Polar Science
• Online Access: http://library.arcticportal.org/2637/; http://library.arcticportal.org/2637/1/A180205000004.pdf

This study examined the mass change of the Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) based on ICESat and CryoSat-2 observations. We estimated the AIS exhibited mass losses of −101±15 Gt·a−1 during the ICESat period (Sept–Nov 2003 to Sept–Oct 2009) and −186±55 Gt·a−1 during the CryoSat-2 period (Jan 2011 to Dec 2015). Mass losses occurred mainly in the sectors of the Amundsen and Bellingshausen seas. Benefitting from the 30-d subcycle of CryoSat-2, we obtained monthly estimates of mass evolution. Considerable annual variations were observed in the mass evolution sequences and the climatological monthly mass evolution. Seasonal mass evolutions in the sectors of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas were found most representative of the annual variation. The geographical distribution characteristics of interannual AIS mass evolution were revealed by the annual average mass evolution sequences. During Jan 2011 to Dec 2015, the ice sheets in the sectors of the Bellingshausen and Amundsen seas, and the Totten Glacier, experienced increasingly rapid areal mass loss. An area of mass gain with a moderate rate of increase was found between Dronning Maud Land and Enderby Land. Rapid mass accumulation has occurred in a limited area of the Kamb Ice Stream.