Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals
The distribution of terrestrial surface runoff to Ilulissat Icefjord, west Greenland, is simulated for the period 2009-13 to better emphasize the spatiotemporal variability in freshwater flux and the link between runoff spikes and observed hydrographic conditions at theGreenland Ice Sheet tidewater...
Published in: | Journal of Physical Oceanography |
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Boston, Amer Meteorological Soc
2015
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 |
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ftinfoscience:oai:infoscience.tind.io:208106 2023-05-15T16:21:12+02:00 Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals Mernild, Sebastian H. Holland, David M. Holland, Denise Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu Yde, Jacob C. Liston, Glen E. Steffen, Konrad 2015-05-29T10:50:34Z https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 unknown Boston, Amer Meteorological Soc doi:10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 ISI:000354370700013 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 Text 2015 ftinfoscience https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 2023-02-13T22:26:50Z The distribution of terrestrial surface runoff to Ilulissat Icefjord, west Greenland, is simulated for the period 2009-13 to better emphasize the spatiotemporal variability in freshwater flux and the link between runoff spikes and observed hydrographic conditions at theGreenland Ice Sheet tidewater glacier margins. Runoffmodel simulations were forced with automatic weather station data and verified against snow water equivalent depth, equilibrium line altitude, and quasi-continuous salinity and temperature observations obtained by ringed seals. Instrumented seals provide a novel platform to examine the otherwise inaccessible waters beneath the dense ice melange within the first 0-10 km of the calving front. The estimated mean freshwater flux from land was 70.6 +/- 4.2 km(3) yr(-1), with an 85% contribution of ice discharge from Jakobshavn Isbrae (also known as SermeqKujalleq), 14% from runoff, and the remaining 1% from precipitation on the fjord surface area, subglacial geothermal melting, and frictional melting due to basal ice motion. Runoff was simulated to be present from May to November and to vary spatially according to glacier cover and individual catchment size. Salinity and temperature observations correlate (significantly) with simulated runoff for the upper part of both the main fjord and southern fjord arm. Also, at the tidewater glacier margins in the northern and southern arm of Ilulissat Icefjord, salinity changes in the upper water column (upper 50 m) are significant after temporal spikes in runoff during late summer, while small-amplitude runoff variability during the recession of runoff did not create a clear signal in observed salinity variability. Also, in the southern arm near the glacier margin (between 100- and 150-m depth), the heterogeneous distribution in salinity could be because of the mixing of meltwater going upward from passing the grounding line. The effect of runoff spikes on observed salinity is less pronounced near the ice margin of Jakobshavn Isbrae than in the north and south ... Text glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Tidewater EPFL Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne) Greenland Ilulissat ENVELOPE(-51.099,-51.099,69.220,69.220) Southern Arm ENVELOPE(-55.915,-55.915,49.650,49.650) Journal of Physical Oceanography 45 5 1426 1445 |
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Open Polar |
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EPFL Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne) |
op_collection_id |
ftinfoscience |
language |
unknown |
description |
The distribution of terrestrial surface runoff to Ilulissat Icefjord, west Greenland, is simulated for the period 2009-13 to better emphasize the spatiotemporal variability in freshwater flux and the link between runoff spikes and observed hydrographic conditions at theGreenland Ice Sheet tidewater glacier margins. Runoffmodel simulations were forced with automatic weather station data and verified against snow water equivalent depth, equilibrium line altitude, and quasi-continuous salinity and temperature observations obtained by ringed seals. Instrumented seals provide a novel platform to examine the otherwise inaccessible waters beneath the dense ice melange within the first 0-10 km of the calving front. The estimated mean freshwater flux from land was 70.6 +/- 4.2 km(3) yr(-1), with an 85% contribution of ice discharge from Jakobshavn Isbrae (also known as SermeqKujalleq), 14% from runoff, and the remaining 1% from precipitation on the fjord surface area, subglacial geothermal melting, and frictional melting due to basal ice motion. Runoff was simulated to be present from May to November and to vary spatially according to glacier cover and individual catchment size. Salinity and temperature observations correlate (significantly) with simulated runoff for the upper part of both the main fjord and southern fjord arm. Also, at the tidewater glacier margins in the northern and southern arm of Ilulissat Icefjord, salinity changes in the upper water column (upper 50 m) are significant after temporal spikes in runoff during late summer, while small-amplitude runoff variability during the recession of runoff did not create a clear signal in observed salinity variability. Also, in the southern arm near the glacier margin (between 100- and 150-m depth), the heterogeneous distribution in salinity could be because of the mixing of meltwater going upward from passing the grounding line. The effect of runoff spikes on observed salinity is less pronounced near the ice margin of Jakobshavn Isbrae than in the north and south ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Mernild, Sebastian H. Holland, David M. Holland, Denise Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu Yde, Jacob C. Liston, Glen E. Steffen, Konrad |
spellingShingle |
Mernild, Sebastian H. Holland, David M. Holland, Denise Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu Yde, Jacob C. Liston, Glen E. Steffen, Konrad Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
author_facet |
Mernild, Sebastian H. Holland, David M. Holland, Denise Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu Yde, Jacob C. Liston, Glen E. Steffen, Konrad |
author_sort |
Mernild, Sebastian H. |
title |
Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
title_short |
Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
title_full |
Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
title_fullStr |
Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Freshwater Flux and Spatiotemporal Simulated Runoff Variability into Ilulissat Icefjord, West Greenland, Linked to Salinity and Temperature Observations near Tidewater Glacier Margins Obtained Using Instrumented Ringed Seals |
title_sort |
freshwater flux and spatiotemporal simulated runoff variability into ilulissat icefjord, west greenland, linked to salinity and temperature observations near tidewater glacier margins obtained using instrumented ringed seals |
publisher |
Boston, Amer Meteorological Soc |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-51.099,-51.099,69.220,69.220) ENVELOPE(-55.915,-55.915,49.650,49.650) |
geographic |
Greenland Ilulissat Southern Arm |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Ilulissat Southern Arm |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Tidewater |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ilulissat Jakobshavn Tidewater |
op_source |
http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 |
op_relation |
doi:10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 ISI:000354370700013 http://infoscience.epfl.ch/record/208106 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1175/Jpo-D-14-0217.1 |
container_title |
Journal of Physical Oceanography |
container_volume |
45 |
container_issue |
5 |
container_start_page |
1426 |
op_container_end_page |
1445 |
_version_ |
1766009216150011904 |