Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier
Frontal ablation from tidewater glaciers is a major component of the total mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet. It remains unclear, however, how changes in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures translate into changes in frontal ablation, in part due to sparse observations at sufficiently high spat...
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ftleedsuniv:oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:170546 2023-05-15T16:21:14+02:00 Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier Bunce, C. Nienow, P. Sole, A. Cowton, T. Davison, B. 2021-04 text https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/ https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/1/Bunce%20et%20al%202020%20Influence%20of%20glacier%20runoff%20and%20near-terminus%20subglacial%20hydrology%20on%20frontal%20ablation%20at%20a%20large%20Greenlandic%20tidewater%20glacier.pdf en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/1/Bunce%20et%20al%202020%20Influence%20of%20glacier%20runoff%20and%20near-terminus%20subglacial%20hydrology%20on%20frontal%20ablation%20at%20a%20large%20Greenlandic%20tidewater%20glacier.pdf Bunce, C., Nienow, P., Sole, A. orcid.org/0000-0001-5290-8967 et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier. Journal of Glaciology, 67 (262). pp. 343-352. ISSN 0022-1430 cc_by_4 CC-BY Article PeerReviewed 2021 ftleedsuniv 2023-01-30T22:36:13Z Frontal ablation from tidewater glaciers is a major component of the total mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet. It remains unclear, however, how changes in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures translate into changes in frontal ablation, in part due to sparse observations at sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution. We present high-frequency time-lapse imagery (photos every 30 min) of iceberg calving and meltwater plumes at Kangiata Nunaata Sermia (KNS), southwest Greenland, during June–October 2017, alongside satellite-derived ice velocities and modelled subglacial discharge. Early in the melt season, we infer a subglacial hydrological network with multiple outlets that would theoretically distribute discharge and enhance undercutting by submarine melt, an inference supported by our observations of terminus-wide calving during this period. During the melt season, we infer hydraulic evolution to a relatively more channelised subglacial drainage configuration, based on meltwater plume visibility indicating focused emergence of subglacial water; these observations coincide with a reduction in terminus-wide calving and transition to an incised planform terminus geometry. We suggest that temporal variations in subglacial discharge and near-terminus subglacial hydraulic efficiency exert considerable influence on calving and frontal ablation at KNS. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland greenlandic Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Tidewater White Rose Research Online (Universities of Leeds, Sheffield & York) Greenland |
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Open Polar |
collection |
White Rose Research Online (Universities of Leeds, Sheffield & York) |
op_collection_id |
ftleedsuniv |
language |
English |
description |
Frontal ablation from tidewater glaciers is a major component of the total mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet. It remains unclear, however, how changes in atmospheric and oceanic temperatures translate into changes in frontal ablation, in part due to sparse observations at sufficiently high spatial and temporal resolution. We present high-frequency time-lapse imagery (photos every 30 min) of iceberg calving and meltwater plumes at Kangiata Nunaata Sermia (KNS), southwest Greenland, during June–October 2017, alongside satellite-derived ice velocities and modelled subglacial discharge. Early in the melt season, we infer a subglacial hydrological network with multiple outlets that would theoretically distribute discharge and enhance undercutting by submarine melt, an inference supported by our observations of terminus-wide calving during this period. During the melt season, we infer hydraulic evolution to a relatively more channelised subglacial drainage configuration, based on meltwater plume visibility indicating focused emergence of subglacial water; these observations coincide with a reduction in terminus-wide calving and transition to an incised planform terminus geometry. We suggest that temporal variations in subglacial discharge and near-terminus subglacial hydraulic efficiency exert considerable influence on calving and frontal ablation at KNS. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bunce, C. Nienow, P. Sole, A. Cowton, T. Davison, B. |
spellingShingle |
Bunce, C. Nienow, P. Sole, A. Cowton, T. Davison, B. Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
author_facet |
Bunce, C. Nienow, P. Sole, A. Cowton, T. Davison, B. |
author_sort |
Bunce, C. |
title |
Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
title_short |
Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
title_full |
Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
title_fullStr |
Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
title_full_unstemmed |
Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier |
title_sort |
influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large greenlandic tidewater glacier |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/ https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/1/Bunce%20et%20al%202020%20Influence%20of%20glacier%20runoff%20and%20near-terminus%20subglacial%20hydrology%20on%20frontal%20ablation%20at%20a%20large%20Greenlandic%20tidewater%20glacier.pdf |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland greenlandic Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Tidewater |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland greenlandic Ice Sheet Journal of Glaciology Tidewater |
op_relation |
https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/170546/1/Bunce%20et%20al%202020%20Influence%20of%20glacier%20runoff%20and%20near-terminus%20subglacial%20hydrology%20on%20frontal%20ablation%20at%20a%20large%20Greenlandic%20tidewater%20glacier.pdf Bunce, C., Nienow, P., Sole, A. orcid.org/0000-0001-5290-8967 et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Influence of glacier runoff and near-terminus subglacial hydrology on frontal ablation at a large Greenlandic tidewater glacier. Journal of Glaciology, 67 (262). pp. 343-352. ISSN 0022-1430 |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
_version_ |
1766009245220732928 |