Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier
The frontal flux balance of a medium-sized tidewater glacier in western Greenland in the summer is assessed by quantifying the individual components (ice flux, retreat, calving, and submarine melting) through a combination of data and models. Ice flux and retreat are obtained from satellite data. Su...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:45878e57eacf48c1868f3282fd609e89 2023-05-15T16:21:02+02:00 Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier T. J. W. Wagner F. Straneo C. G. Richards D. A. Slater L. A. Stevens S. B. Das H. Singh 2019-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 https://doaj.org/article/45878e57eacf48c1868f3282fd609e89 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/911/2019/tc-13-911-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/45878e57eacf48c1868f3282fd609e89 The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 911-925 (2019) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 2022-12-31T00:04:44Z The frontal flux balance of a medium-sized tidewater glacier in western Greenland in the summer is assessed by quantifying the individual components (ice flux, retreat, calving, and submarine melting) through a combination of data and models. Ice flux and retreat are obtained from satellite data. Submarine melting is derived using a high-resolution ocean model informed by near-ice observations, and calving is estimated using a record of calving events along the ice front. All terms exhibit large spatial variability along the ∼ 5 km wide ice front. It is found that submarine melting accounts for much of the frontal ablation in small regions where two subglacial discharge plumes emerge at the ice front. Away from the subglacial plumes, the estimated melting accounts for a small fraction of frontal ablation. Glacier-wide, these estimates suggest that mass loss is largely controlled by calving. This result, however, is at odds with the limited presence of icebergs at this calving front – suggesting that melt rates in regions outside of the subglacial plumes may be underestimated. Finally, we argue that localized melt incisions into the glacier front can be significant drivers of calving. Our results suggest a complex interplay of melting and calving marked by high spatial variability along the glacier front. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland The Cryosphere Tidewater Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland The Cryosphere 13 3 911 925 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
spellingShingle |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 T. J. W. Wagner F. Straneo C. G. Richards D. A. Slater L. A. Stevens S. B. Das H. Singh Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The frontal flux balance of a medium-sized tidewater glacier in western Greenland in the summer is assessed by quantifying the individual components (ice flux, retreat, calving, and submarine melting) through a combination of data and models. Ice flux and retreat are obtained from satellite data. Submarine melting is derived using a high-resolution ocean model informed by near-ice observations, and calving is estimated using a record of calving events along the ice front. All terms exhibit large spatial variability along the ∼ 5 km wide ice front. It is found that submarine melting accounts for much of the frontal ablation in small regions where two subglacial discharge plumes emerge at the ice front. Away from the subglacial plumes, the estimated melting accounts for a small fraction of frontal ablation. Glacier-wide, these estimates suggest that mass loss is largely controlled by calving. This result, however, is at odds with the limited presence of icebergs at this calving front – suggesting that melt rates in regions outside of the subglacial plumes may be underestimated. Finally, we argue that localized melt incisions into the glacier front can be significant drivers of calving. Our results suggest a complex interplay of melting and calving marked by high spatial variability along the glacier front. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
T. J. W. Wagner F. Straneo C. G. Richards D. A. Slater L. A. Stevens S. B. Das H. Singh |
author_facet |
T. J. W. Wagner F. Straneo C. G. Richards D. A. Slater L. A. Stevens S. B. Das H. Singh |
author_sort |
T. J. W. Wagner |
title |
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
title_short |
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
title_full |
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
title_fullStr |
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
title_full_unstemmed |
Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier |
title_sort |
large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a greenland tidewater glacier |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 https://doaj.org/article/45878e57eacf48c1868f3282fd609e89 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland The Cryosphere Tidewater |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland The Cryosphere Tidewater |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 13, Pp 911-925 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://www.the-cryosphere.net/13/911/2019/tc-13-911-2019.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/45878e57eacf48c1868f3282fd609e89 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
911 |
op_container_end_page |
925 |
_version_ |
1766009041822154752 |