Surges of Harald Moltke Brae, north-western Greenland: seasonal modulation and initiation at the terminus ...

• Main Authors: Müller, Lukas, Horwath, Martin, Scheinert, Mirko, Mayer, Christoph, Ebermann, Benjamin, Floricioiu, Dana, Krieger, Lukas, Rosenau, Ralf, Vijay, Saurabh
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2021
• Subjects: glacier; Greenland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000498832; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/498832

Harald Moltke Bræ, a marine-terminating glacier in north-western Greenland, shows episodic surges. A recent surge from 2013 to 2019 lasted significantly longer (6 years) than previously observed surges (2–4 years) and exhibits a pronounced seasonality with flow velocities varying by 1 order of magnitude (between about 0.5 and 10 m d−1) in the course of a year. During this 6-year period, the seasonal velocity always peaked in the early melt season and decreased abruptly when meltwater runoff was maximum. Our data suggest that the seasonality has been similar during previous surges. Furthermore, the analysis of satellite images and digital elevation models shows that the surge from 2013 to 2019 was preceded by a rapid frontal retreat and a pronounced thinning at the glacier front (30 m within 3 years). We discuss possible causal mechanisms of the seasonally modulated surge behaviour by examining various system-inherent factors (e.g. glacier geometry) and external factors (e.g. surface mass balance). The ... : The Cryosphere, 15 (7) ...