The Aftermath of Petermann Glacier Calving Events (2008–2012): Ice Island Size Distributions and Meltwater Dispersal

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans
• Main Authors: Crawford, A.J. (Anna J.), Mueller, D. (Derek), Desjardins, L. (Luc), Myers, P.G. (Paul G.)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: calving; freshwater flux; ice hazards; ice islands; icebergs; Petermann Glacier; Greenland; Nares; glacier; Ice Sheet; Nares strait; North Atlantic; Petermann glacier
• Online Access: https://ir.library.carleton.ca/pub/23079; https://doi.org/10.1029/2018JC014388

Three large calving events occurred at Petermann Glacier in northwest Greenland between 2008 and 2012 that generated ice islands (large tabular icebergs) that ranged from ~30 to 300 km2 in areal extent. Ice islands are known to deteriorate, via fracture and melt, during their drift through regional water bodies where they pose a potential risk to offshore resource extraction operations and disperse freshwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet. This study presents the first analysis of the deterioration occurring across the flux of ice islands that travel between Nares Strait and the North Atlantic after Petermann Glacier calving events. The evolution of Petermann ice island size distributions was evaluated, and the spatial dispersal of meltwater was quantified, through analyses that utilized the newly developed Canadian Ice Island Drift, Deterioration and Detection Database. Size-frequency distributions remained relatively consistent, both spatially and temporally, and were well fit by power law models with slo