Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014
Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that includes compac...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:503e2ff7d33b4c4ba6b982dc7b09e0bb 2023-05-15T16:28:29+02:00 Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 P. Kuipers Munneke S. R. M. Ligtenberg B. P. Y. Noël I. M. Howat J. E. Box E. Mosley-Thompson J. R. McConnell K. Steffen J. T. Harper S. B. Das M. R. van den Broeke 2015-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 https://doaj.org/article/503e2ff7d33b4c4ba6b982dc7b09e0bb EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/9/2009/2015/tc-9-2009-2015.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 https://doaj.org/article/503e2ff7d33b4c4ba6b982dc7b09e0bb The Cryosphere, Vol 9, Iss 6, Pp 2009-2025 (2015) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2015 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 2022-12-31T12:05:20Z Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that includes compaction, meltwater percolation, and refreezing. The model is forced with surface mass fluxes and temperature from a regional climate model for the period 1960–2014. The model results agree with observations of surface density, density profiles from 62 firn cores, and altimetric observations from regions where ice-dynamical surface height changes are likely small. In areas with strong surface melt, the firn model overestimates density. We find that the firn layer in the high interior is generally thickening slowly (1–5 cm yr −1 ). In the percolation and ablation areas, firn and SMB processes account for a surface elevation lowering of up to 20–50 cm yr −1 . Most of this firn-induced marginal thinning is caused by an increase in melt since the mid-1990s and partly compensated by an increase in the accumulation of fresh snow around most of the ice sheet. The total firn and ice volume change between 1980 and 2014 is estimated at −3295 ± 1030 km 3 due to firn and SMB changes, corresponding to an ice-sheet average thinning of 1.96 ± 0.61 m. Most of this volume decrease occurred after 1995. The computed changes in surface elevation can be used to partition altimetrically observed volume change into surface mass balance and ice-dynamically related mass changes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland The Cryosphere 9 6 2009 2025 |
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 P. Kuipers Munneke S. R. M. Ligtenberg B. P. Y. Noël I. M. Howat J. E. Box E. Mosley-Thompson J. R. McConnell K. Steffen J. T. Harper S. B. Das M. R. van den Broeke Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that includes compaction, meltwater percolation, and refreezing. The model is forced with surface mass fluxes and temperature from a regional climate model for the period 1960–2014. The model results agree with observations of surface density, density profiles from 62 firn cores, and altimetric observations from regions where ice-dynamical surface height changes are likely small. In areas with strong surface melt, the firn model overestimates density. We find that the firn layer in the high interior is generally thickening slowly (1–5 cm yr −1 ). In the percolation and ablation areas, firn and SMB processes account for a surface elevation lowering of up to 20–50 cm yr −1 . Most of this firn-induced marginal thinning is caused by an increase in melt since the mid-1990s and partly compensated by an increase in the accumulation of fresh snow around most of the ice sheet. The total firn and ice volume change between 1980 and 2014 is estimated at −3295 ± 1030 km 3 due to firn and SMB changes, corresponding to an ice-sheet average thinning of 1.96 ± 0.61 m. Most of this volume decrease occurred after 1995. The computed changes in surface elevation can be used to partition altimetrically observed volume change into surface mass balance and ice-dynamically related mass changes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
P. Kuipers Munneke S. R. M. Ligtenberg B. P. Y. Noël I. M. Howat J. E. Box E. Mosley-Thompson J. R. McConnell K. Steffen J. T. Harper S. B. Das M. R. van den Broeke |
author_facet |
P. Kuipers Munneke S. R. M. Ligtenberg B. P. Y. Noël I. M. Howat J. E. Box E. Mosley-Thompson J. R. McConnell K. Steffen J. T. Harper S. B. Das M. R. van den Broeke |
author_sort |
P. Kuipers Munneke |
title |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
title_short |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
title_full |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
title_fullStr |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
title_sort |
elevation change of the greenland ice sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960–2014 |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 https://doaj.org/article/503e2ff7d33b4c4ba6b982dc7b09e0bb |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 9, Iss 6, Pp 2009-2025 (2015) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/9/2009/2015/tc-9-2009-2015.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 https://doaj.org/article/503e2ff7d33b4c4ba6b982dc7b09e0bb |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
2009 |
op_container_end_page |
2025 |
_version_ |
1766018145507606528 |