Synthesized grounding line and ice shelf mask for Antarctica ...

• Main Authors: Depoorter, Mathieu A, Bamber, Jonathan L, Griggs, Jennifer, Lenaerts, Jan T M, Ligtenberg, Stefan R M, van den Broeke, Michiel R, Moholdt, Geir
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2013
• Subjects: Antarc*; Antarctic; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Ice Shelf; Ice Shelves; Iceberg*; Southern Ocean
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.819151; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.819151

Iceberg calving has been assumed to be the dominant cause of mass loss for the Antarctic ice sheet, with previous estimates of the calving flux exceeding 2,000 gigatonnes per year. More recently, the importance of melting by the ocean has been demonstrated close to the grounding line and near the calving front. So far, however, no study has reliably quantified the calving flux and the basal mass balance (the balance between accretion and ablation at the ice-sheet base) for the whole of Antarctica. The distribution of fresh water in the Southern Ocean and its partitioning between the liquid and solid phases is therefore poorly constrained. Here we estimate the mass balance components for all ice shelves in Antarctica, using satellite measurements of calving flux and grounding-line flux, modelled ice-shelf snow accumulation rates and a regional scaling that accounts for unsurveyed areas. We obtain a total calving flux of 1,321 ± 144 gigatonnes per year and a total basal mass balance of -1,454 ± 174 gigatonnes ... : Supplement to: Depoorter, Mathieu A; Bamber, Jonathan L; Griggs, Jennifer; Lenaerts, Jan T M; Ligtenberg, Stefan R M; van den Broeke, Michiel R; Moholdt, Geir (2013): Calving fluxes and basal melt rates of Antarctic ice shelves. Nature, 502, 89-92 ...