Consistent Patterns of Greenland Ice Sheet Changes Revealed by GRACE-FO Gravimetry and ICESat-2 Altimetry

• Main Authors: Su, X., Shang, P., Chen, S., Luo, Z.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: Greenland; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5020831

As a major contributor to global mean sea-level rise, the status of the Greenland ice sheet has received extensive concern. Observations from satellite gravimetry and satellite laser altimetry provides complementary measurements about the GrIS mass variations. However, the consistency of these two types of measurements has not been widely studied yet. Here we compare the patterns of the GrIS changes based on GRACE-FO gravimetry and ICESat-2 altimetry during the period from 2019 to 2021. Consistent spatial patterns between mass change and height change are shown over the GrIS during the study period, with mass loss mostly concentrated on its West, Southeast and Northeast parts. High correlation coefficient of 0.95 is found between the GrIS mass change and height change time series. We also attempt to estimate the density of snow/firn over the GrIS by using these two types of measurements. This study suggests the feasibility of constraining snow/firn density by combining observations from satellite gravimetry and satellite laser altimetry.