Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry

Calving is a crucial process for the recently observed dynamic mass loss changes of the Greenland ice sheet. Despite its importance for global sea level change, major limitations in understanding the process of calving remain. This study presents high-resolution calving event data and statistics rec...

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Published in:The Cryosphere
Main Authors: Walter, Andrea, Lüthi, Martin P., Vieli, Andreas
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/1051/2020/
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spelling ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:tc76349 2023-05-15T16:21:25+02:00 Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry Walter, Andrea Lüthi, Martin P. Vieli, Andreas 2020-03-20 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/1051/2020/ eng eng doi:10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020 https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/1051/2020/ eISSN: 1994-0424 Text 2020 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020 2020-07-20T16:22:20Z Calving is a crucial process for the recently observed dynamic mass loss changes of the Greenland ice sheet. Despite its importance for global sea level change, major limitations in understanding the process of calving remain. This study presents high-resolution calving event data and statistics recorded with a terrestrial radar interferometer at the front of Eqip Sermia, a marine-terminating outlet glacier in Greenland. The derived digital elevation models with a spatial resolution of several metres recorded at 1 min intervals were processed to provide source areas and volumes of 906 individual calving events during a 6 d period. The calving front can be divided into sectors ending in shallow and deep water with different calving statistics and styles. For the shallow sector, characterized by an inclined and very high front, calving events are more frequent and larger than for the vertical ice cliff of the deep sector. We suggest that the calving volume deficiency of 90 % relative to the estimated ice flux in our observations of the deep sector is removed by oceanic melt, subaquatic calving, and small aerial calving events. Assuming a similar ice thickness for both sectors implies that subaqueous mass loss must be substantial for this sector with a contribution of up to 65 % to the frontal mass loss. The size distribution of the shallow sector is represented by a log-normal model, while for the deep sector the log-normal and power-law model fit well, but none of them are significantly better. Variations in calving activity and style between the sectors seem to be controlled by the bed topography and the front geometry. Within the short observation period no simple relationship between environmental forcings and calving frequency or event volume could be detected. Text glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Eqip Sermia ENVELOPE(-50.067,-50.067,69.817,69.817) Greenland The Cryosphere 14 3 1051 1066
institution Open Polar
collection Copernicus Publications: E-Journals
op_collection_id ftcopernicus
language English
description Calving is a crucial process for the recently observed dynamic mass loss changes of the Greenland ice sheet. Despite its importance for global sea level change, major limitations in understanding the process of calving remain. This study presents high-resolution calving event data and statistics recorded with a terrestrial radar interferometer at the front of Eqip Sermia, a marine-terminating outlet glacier in Greenland. The derived digital elevation models with a spatial resolution of several metres recorded at 1 min intervals were processed to provide source areas and volumes of 906 individual calving events during a 6 d period. The calving front can be divided into sectors ending in shallow and deep water with different calving statistics and styles. For the shallow sector, characterized by an inclined and very high front, calving events are more frequent and larger than for the vertical ice cliff of the deep sector. We suggest that the calving volume deficiency of 90 % relative to the estimated ice flux in our observations of the deep sector is removed by oceanic melt, subaquatic calving, and small aerial calving events. Assuming a similar ice thickness for both sectors implies that subaqueous mass loss must be substantial for this sector with a contribution of up to 65 % to the frontal mass loss. The size distribution of the shallow sector is represented by a log-normal model, while for the deep sector the log-normal and power-law model fit well, but none of them are significantly better. Variations in calving activity and style between the sectors seem to be controlled by the bed topography and the front geometry. Within the short observation period no simple relationship between environmental forcings and calving frequency or event volume could be detected.
format Text
author Walter, Andrea
Lüthi, Martin P.
Vieli, Andreas
spellingShingle Walter, Andrea
Lüthi, Martin P.
Vieli, Andreas
Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
author_facet Walter, Andrea
Lüthi, Martin P.
Vieli, Andreas
author_sort Walter, Andrea
title Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
title_short Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
title_full Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
title_fullStr Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
title_full_unstemmed Calving event size measurements and statistics of Eqip Sermia, Greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
title_sort calving event size measurements and statistics of eqip sermia, greenland, from terrestrial radar interferometry
publishDate 2020
url https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/1051/2020/
long_lat ENVELOPE(-50.067,-50.067,69.817,69.817)
geographic Eqip Sermia
Greenland
geographic_facet Eqip Sermia
Greenland
genre glacier
Greenland
Ice Sheet
genre_facet glacier
Greenland
Ice Sheet
op_source eISSN: 1994-0424
op_relation doi:10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/14/1051/2020/
op_doi https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1051-2020
container_title The Cryosphere
container_volume 14
container_issue 3
container_start_page 1051
op_container_end_page 1066
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