Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords
Abstract Greenland's glacial fjords modulate the exchange between the ice sheet and ocean. Subglacial‐discharge‐driven plumes adjacent to glaciers may exert an important influence on fjord water properties, submarine glacier melting and the export of glacially‐modified waters to the shelf. Here...
Published in: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/article/e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 2024-09-15T18:07:39+00:00 Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords T. R. Cowton D. A. Slater M. E. Inall 2023-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/article/e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 EN eng Wiley https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/toc/0094-8276 https://doaj.org/toc/1944-8007 1944-8007 0094-8276 doi:10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/article/e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 50, Iss 15, Pp n/a-n/a (2023) fjords glaciers ice sheets Greenland Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 2024-08-05T17:49:23Z Abstract Greenland's glacial fjords modulate the exchange between the ice sheet and ocean. Subglacial‐discharge‐driven plumes adjacent to glaciers may exert an important influence on fjord water properties, submarine glacier melting and the export of glacially‐modified waters to the shelf. Here we use a numerical plume model in conjunction with observations from proximal to 14 glaciers in northwest Greenland to assess the impact of these plumes on near‐glacier water properties. We find that in late summer, waters emanating from glacial plumes often make up >50% of the fjord water composition at intermediate depths. These plume waters are comprised largely of upwelled Atlantic Water, warming the near‐glacier water profile and likely increasing submarine melting. Our findings demonstrate the key role played by plumes in driving water modification in Greenland's fjords, and the potential for simple models to capture these impacts across a range of settings. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Geophysical Research Letters 50 15 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
fjords glaciers ice sheets Greenland Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 |
spellingShingle |
fjords glaciers ice sheets Greenland Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 T. R. Cowton D. A. Slater M. E. Inall Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
topic_facet |
fjords glaciers ice sheets Greenland Geophysics. Cosmic physics QC801-809 |
description |
Abstract Greenland's glacial fjords modulate the exchange between the ice sheet and ocean. Subglacial‐discharge‐driven plumes adjacent to glaciers may exert an important influence on fjord water properties, submarine glacier melting and the export of glacially‐modified waters to the shelf. Here we use a numerical plume model in conjunction with observations from proximal to 14 glaciers in northwest Greenland to assess the impact of these plumes on near‐glacier water properties. We find that in late summer, waters emanating from glacial plumes often make up >50% of the fjord water composition at intermediate depths. These plume waters are comprised largely of upwelled Atlantic Water, warming the near‐glacier water profile and likely increasing submarine melting. Our findings demonstrate the key role played by plumes in driving water modification in Greenland's fjords, and the potential for simple models to capture these impacts across a range of settings. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
T. R. Cowton D. A. Slater M. E. Inall |
author_facet |
T. R. Cowton D. A. Slater M. E. Inall |
author_sort |
T. R. Cowton |
title |
Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
title_short |
Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
title_full |
Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
title_fullStr |
Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
title_full_unstemmed |
Subglacial‐Discharge Plumes Drive Widespread Subsurface Warming in Northwest Greenland's Fjords |
title_sort |
subglacial‐discharge plumes drive widespread subsurface warming in northwest greenland's fjords |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/article/e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet |
op_source |
Geophysical Research Letters, Vol 50, Iss 15, Pp n/a-n/a (2023) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/toc/0094-8276 https://doaj.org/toc/1944-8007 1944-8007 0094-8276 doi:10.1029/2023GL103801 https://doaj.org/article/e3ee32321d0548a0ab8b03d14ca38872 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2023GL103801 |
container_title |
Geophysical Research Letters |
container_volume |
50 |
container_issue |
15 |
_version_ |
1810445037564067840 |