Progress toward globally complete frontal ablation estimates of marine-terminating glaciers

Knowledge of frontal ablation from marine-terminating glaciers (i.e., mass lost at the calving face) is critical for constraining glacier mass balance, improving projections of mass change, and identifying the processes that govern frontal mass loss. Here, we discuss the challenges involved in compu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of Glaciology
Main Authors: William Kochtitzky, Luke Copland, Wesley Van Wychen, Regine Hock, David R. Rounce, Hester Jiskoot, Ted A. Scambos, Mathieu Morlighem, Michalea King, Leo Cha, Luke Gould, Paige-Marie Merrill, Andrey Glazovsky, Romain Hugonnet, Tazio Strozzi, Brice Noël, Francisco Navarro, Romain Millan, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Alison Cook, Abigail Dalton, Shfaqat Khan, Jacek Jania
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2022
Subjects:
Antarctic glaciology
arctic glaciology
calving
glacier calving
remote sensing
Meteorology. Climatology
QC851-999
Antarctic
Arctic
Annals of Glaciology
Antarc*
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2023.35
https://doaj.org/article/2e9f4d76155843eaa825f655346163ad
Description
Summary:Knowledge of frontal ablation from marine-terminating glaciers (i.e., mass lost at the calving face) is critical for constraining glacier mass balance, improving projections of mass change, and identifying the processes that govern frontal mass loss. Here, we discuss the challenges involved in computing frontal ablation and the unique issues pertaining to both glaciers and ice sheets. Frontal ablation estimates require numerous datasets, including glacier terminus area change, thickness, surface velocity, density, and climatic mass balance. Observations and models of these variables have improved over the past decade, but significant gaps and regional discrepancies remain, and better quantification of temporal variability in frontal ablation is needed. Despite major advances in satellite-derived large-scale datasets, large uncertainties remain with respect to ice thickness, depth-averaged velocities, and the bulk density of glacier ice close to calving termini or grounding lines. We suggest ways in which we can move toward globally complete frontal ablation estimates, highlighting areas where we need improved datasets and increased collaboration.

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