Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry
The synthetic-aperture radar-interferometry technique is used to detect the migration of the limit of tidal flexing, or hinge line, of the floating ice tongue of Petermann Gletscher, a major outlet glacier of north Greenland. The hinge line is detected automatically from differential interferograms...
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1998
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ftcdlib:qt9611s90v 2023-05-15T16:21:04+02:00 Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry Rignot, E 469 - 476 1998-01-01 application/pdf http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v english eng eScholarship, University of California qt9611s90v http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v Attribution (CC BY): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ CC-BY Rignot, E. (1998). Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry. Journal of Glaciology, 44(148), 469 - 476. doi:10.1017/S0022143000001994. UC Irvine: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v article 1998 ftcdlib https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000001994 2018-07-06T22:51:25Z The synthetic-aperture radar-interferometry technique is used to detect the migration of the limit of tidal flexing, or hinge line, of the floating ice tongue of Petermann Gletscher, a major outlet glacier of north Greenland. The hinge line is detected automatically from differential interferograms using a model-fitting technique based on an elastic-beam theory. The statistical noise of the model fit is less than 3 mm, and the hinge line is mapped with a precision of 30 m. Following automatic registration of multidate image data to a precision of 5 m, hinge-line migration is subsequently detected with a precision of 40 m in the horizontal plane across the glacier width. The results show that the hinge line of Petermann Gletscher migrates back and forth with tide by ± 70 m, in excellent agreement with the migration calculated from ocean tides predicted by a tidal model combined with the glacier surface and basal slope measured by an ice-sounding radar. Superimposed on the short-term hinge-line migration due to tide, we detect a hinge-line retreat of 270 m in 3.87 years which varies across the glacier width by ± 120 m. The retreat suggests glacier thinning at a rate of 78 ± 35 cm ice a-1. Coincidentally, an analysis of ice-volume fluxes indicates that the hinge-line ice flux of Petermann Gletscher exceeds its balance flux by 0.88±1 km3ice a-1, which in turn implies glacier thinning at 83 ± 95 cm ice a-1in the glacier lower reaches. Both methods therefore suggest that Petermann Gletscher is currently losing mass to the ocean. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Journal of Glaciology North Greenland Petermann gletscher University of California: eScholarship Greenland Petermann Gletscher ENVELOPE(-59.500,-59.500,80.500,80.500) Journal of Glaciology 44 148 469 476 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of California: eScholarship |
op_collection_id |
ftcdlib |
language |
English |
description |
The synthetic-aperture radar-interferometry technique is used to detect the migration of the limit of tidal flexing, or hinge line, of the floating ice tongue of Petermann Gletscher, a major outlet glacier of north Greenland. The hinge line is detected automatically from differential interferograms using a model-fitting technique based on an elastic-beam theory. The statistical noise of the model fit is less than 3 mm, and the hinge line is mapped with a precision of 30 m. Following automatic registration of multidate image data to a precision of 5 m, hinge-line migration is subsequently detected with a precision of 40 m in the horizontal plane across the glacier width. The results show that the hinge line of Petermann Gletscher migrates back and forth with tide by ± 70 m, in excellent agreement with the migration calculated from ocean tides predicted by a tidal model combined with the glacier surface and basal slope measured by an ice-sounding radar. Superimposed on the short-term hinge-line migration due to tide, we detect a hinge-line retreat of 270 m in 3.87 years which varies across the glacier width by ± 120 m. The retreat suggests glacier thinning at a rate of 78 ± 35 cm ice a-1. Coincidentally, an analysis of ice-volume fluxes indicates that the hinge-line ice flux of Petermann Gletscher exceeds its balance flux by 0.88±1 km3ice a-1, which in turn implies glacier thinning at 83 ± 95 cm ice a-1in the glacier lower reaches. Both methods therefore suggest that Petermann Gletscher is currently losing mass to the ocean. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Rignot, E |
spellingShingle |
Rignot, E Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
author_facet |
Rignot, E |
author_sort |
Rignot, E |
title |
Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
title_short |
Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
title_full |
Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
title_fullStr |
Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
title_full_unstemmed |
Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
title_sort |
hinge-line migration of petermann gletscher, north greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
1998 |
url |
http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v |
op_coverage |
469 - 476 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-59.500,-59.500,80.500,80.500) |
geographic |
Greenland Petermann Gletscher |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Petermann Gletscher |
genre |
glacier Greenland Journal of Glaciology North Greenland Petermann gletscher |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Journal of Glaciology North Greenland Petermann gletscher |
op_source |
Rignot, E. (1998). Hinge-line migration of Petermann Gletscher, north Greenland, detected using satellite-radar interferometry. Journal of Glaciology, 44(148), 469 - 476. doi:10.1017/S0022143000001994. UC Irvine: Retrieved from: http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v |
op_relation |
qt9611s90v http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/9611s90v |
op_rights |
Attribution (CC BY): http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022143000001994 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
44 |
container_issue |
148 |
container_start_page |
469 |
op_container_end_page |
476 |
_version_ |
1766009082319208448 |