Evolution of supraglacial lakes on Sermeq Avannarleq glacier, Greenland using Google Earth Engine

Study region: This study investigates the Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) of Sermeq Avannarleq glacier. This glacier is in southwest Greenland, which has active glacial meltwater. Study focus: Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) are an essential part of the hydrological systems of ice sheets, and their development...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies
Main Authors: Dongyu Zhu, Chunxia Zhou, Yikai Zhu, Boyang Peng
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2022
Subjects:
Greenland ice sheet
Supraglacial lakes
Google Earth Engine
Long-term change
Internal year characteristics
Physical geography
GB3-5030
Geology
QE1-996.5
Avannarleq
Greenland
Sermeq Avannarleq
glacier
Ice Sheet
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101246
https://doaj.org/article/f3e93ef22a0c4baebeb75b96b7387932
Description
Summary:Study region: This study investigates the Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) of Sermeq Avannarleq glacier. This glacier is in southwest Greenland, which has active glacial meltwater. Study focus: Supraglacial lakes (SGLs) are an essential part of the hydrological systems of ice sheets, and their development is vital for determining the stability of ice sheets. This paper use 188 scenes of Landsat images during the melting season from 2000 to 2020 with Google Earth Engine to analyze the seasonal changes of the SGLs. New hydrological insights: 1) The area, volume, and depth of the SGLs, increased, indicating the increasing melt in this area from 2000 to 2020. 2) the SGLs development peaked at 190–200 days of the year. The melting area significantly expanded at the initial stage, while the melting depth change was more significant than the area at the later stage. 3) The elevation reached by the SGLs advanced approximately 300 m inland from 1400 m to 1700 m elevation. The convergence of small lakes (<0.25 km2), the reappearance of buried lakes, and the distribution of SGLs zone shift inland occurred during the SGLs development. 4) High recurrence lake area was mostly below 2 km2, and the recurrence rate of water were related to geographical factors. This study can provide technical support and a point of reference for monitoring the surface hydrological systems in Greenland ice sheet.

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