The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland
The northern sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet is considered to be particularly susceptible to ice mass loss arising from increased glacier discharge in the coming decades. However, the past extent and dynamics of outlet glaciers in this region, and hence their vulnerability to climate change, are p...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 https://doaj.org/article/e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 2023-05-15T16:21:07+02:00 The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland M. O'Regan T. M. Cronin B. Reilly A. K. O. Alstrup L. Gemery A. Golub L. A. Mayer M. Morlighem M. Moros O. L. Munk J. Nilsson C. Pearce H. Detlef C. Stranne F. Vermassen G. West M. Jakobsson 2021-08-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 https://doaj.org/article/e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 EN eng Copernicus Publications https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/4073/2021/tc-15-4073-2021.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 The Cryosphere, Vol 15, Pp 4073-4097 (2021) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 2022-12-31T07:55:22Z The northern sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet is considered to be particularly susceptible to ice mass loss arising from increased glacier discharge in the coming decades. However, the past extent and dynamics of outlet glaciers in this region, and hence their vulnerability to climate change, are poorly documented. In the summer of 2019, the Swedish icebreaker Oden entered the previously unchartered waters of Sherard Osborn Fjord, where Ryder Glacier drains approximately 2 % of Greenland's ice sheet into the Lincoln Sea. Here we reconstruct the Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and its ice tongue by combining radiocarbon dating with sedimentary facies analyses along a 45 km transect of marine sediment cores collected between the modern ice tongue margin and the mouth of the fjord. The results illustrate that Ryder Glacier retreated from a grounded position at the fjord mouth during the Early Holocene ( > 10.7±0.4 ka cal BP) and receded more than 120 km to the end of Sherard Osborn Fjord by the Middle Holocene ( 6.3±0.3 ka cal BP), likely becoming completely land-based. A re-advance of Ryder Glacier occurred in the Late Holocene, becoming marine-based around 3.9±0.4 ka cal BP. An ice tongue, similar in extent to its current position was established in the Late Holocene (between 3.6±0.4 and 2.9±0.4 ka cal BP) and extended to its maximum historical position near the fjord mouth around 0.9±0.3 ka cal BP. Laminated, clast-poor sediments were deposited during the entire retreat and regrowth phases, suggesting the persistence of an ice tongue that only collapsed when the glacier retreated behind a prominent topographic high at the landward end of the fjord. Sherard Osborn Fjord narrows inland, is constrained by steep-sided cliffs, contains a number of bathymetric pinning points that also shield the modern ice tongue and grounding zone from warm Atlantic waters, and has a shallowing inland sub-ice topography. These features are conducive to glacier stability and can explain the persistence of Ryder's ice tongue ... Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Lincoln Sea North Greenland oden Sherard Osborn fjord The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Greenland Osborn ENVELOPE(-120.378,-120.378,56.604,56.604) Ryder ENVELOPE(-68.333,-68.333,-67.566,-67.566) Ryder Glacier ENVELOPE(-67.250,-67.250,-71.116,-71.116) Sherard Osborn Fjord ENVELOPE(-51.833,-51.833,82.083,82.083) The Cryosphere 15 8 4073 4097 |
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 M. O'Regan T. M. Cronin B. Reilly A. K. O. Alstrup L. Gemery A. Golub L. A. Mayer M. Morlighem M. Moros O. L. Munk J. Nilsson C. Pearce H. Detlef C. Stranne F. Vermassen G. West M. Jakobsson The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
The northern sector of the Greenland Ice Sheet is considered to be particularly susceptible to ice mass loss arising from increased glacier discharge in the coming decades. However, the past extent and dynamics of outlet glaciers in this region, and hence their vulnerability to climate change, are poorly documented. In the summer of 2019, the Swedish icebreaker Oden entered the previously unchartered waters of Sherard Osborn Fjord, where Ryder Glacier drains approximately 2 % of Greenland's ice sheet into the Lincoln Sea. Here we reconstruct the Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and its ice tongue by combining radiocarbon dating with sedimentary facies analyses along a 45 km transect of marine sediment cores collected between the modern ice tongue margin and the mouth of the fjord. The results illustrate that Ryder Glacier retreated from a grounded position at the fjord mouth during the Early Holocene ( > 10.7±0.4 ka cal BP) and receded more than 120 km to the end of Sherard Osborn Fjord by the Middle Holocene ( 6.3±0.3 ka cal BP), likely becoming completely land-based. A re-advance of Ryder Glacier occurred in the Late Holocene, becoming marine-based around 3.9±0.4 ka cal BP. An ice tongue, similar in extent to its current position was established in the Late Holocene (between 3.6±0.4 and 2.9±0.4 ka cal BP) and extended to its maximum historical position near the fjord mouth around 0.9±0.3 ka cal BP. Laminated, clast-poor sediments were deposited during the entire retreat and regrowth phases, suggesting the persistence of an ice tongue that only collapsed when the glacier retreated behind a prominent topographic high at the landward end of the fjord. Sherard Osborn Fjord narrows inland, is constrained by steep-sided cliffs, contains a number of bathymetric pinning points that also shield the modern ice tongue and grounding zone from warm Atlantic waters, and has a shallowing inland sub-ice topography. These features are conducive to glacier stability and can explain the persistence of Ryder's ice tongue ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
M. O'Regan T. M. Cronin B. Reilly A. K. O. Alstrup L. Gemery A. Golub L. A. Mayer M. Morlighem M. Moros O. L. Munk J. Nilsson C. Pearce H. Detlef C. Stranne F. Vermassen G. West M. Jakobsson |
author_facet |
M. O'Regan T. M. Cronin B. Reilly A. K. O. Alstrup L. Gemery A. Golub L. A. Mayer M. Morlighem M. Moros O. L. Munk J. Nilsson C. Pearce H. Detlef C. Stranne F. Vermassen G. West M. Jakobsson |
author_sort |
M. O'Regan |
title |
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
title_short |
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
title_full |
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
title_fullStr |
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
The Holocene dynamics of Ryder Glacier and ice tongue in north Greenland |
title_sort |
holocene dynamics of ryder glacier and ice tongue in north greenland |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 https://doaj.org/article/e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-120.378,-120.378,56.604,56.604) ENVELOPE(-68.333,-68.333,-67.566,-67.566) ENVELOPE(-67.250,-67.250,-71.116,-71.116) ENVELOPE(-51.833,-51.833,82.083,82.083) |
geographic |
Greenland Osborn Ryder Ryder Glacier Sherard Osborn Fjord |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Osborn Ryder Ryder Glacier Sherard Osborn Fjord |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Lincoln Sea North Greenland oden Sherard Osborn fjord The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Lincoln Sea North Greenland oden Sherard Osborn fjord The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 15, Pp 4073-4097 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/4073/2021/tc-15-4073-2021.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://doaj.org/article/e98f3f11ee3d4ebaba81b431a57608c7 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4073-2021 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
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15 |
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8 |
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4073 |
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4097 |
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