Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data
Satellite altimetry and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements have provided contemporary, but substantially different Antarctic ice sheet mass balance estimates. Altimetry provides no information about firn density while GRACE data is significantly impacted by poorly constrain...
Published in: | Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
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ftmichigantuniv:oai:digitalcommons.mtu.edu:michigantech-p-25683 2023-05-15T13:23:42+02:00 Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data Lee, Hyongki Shum, C. K. Howat, Ian M. Monaghan, Andrew Ahn, Yushin Duan, Jianbin Guo, Jun Yi Kuo, Chung Yen Wang, Lei 2012-03-01T08:00:00Z https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/6381 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 unknown Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/6381 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 Michigan Tech Publications Amundsen Sea sector Envisat Firn density GRACE Ice mass loss text 2012 ftmichigantuniv https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 2022-01-23T10:13:22Z Satellite altimetry and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements have provided contemporary, but substantially different Antarctic ice sheet mass balance estimates. Altimetry provides no information about firn density while GRACE data is significantly impacted by poorly constrained glacial isostatic adjustment signals. Here, we combine Envisat radar altimetry and GRACE data over the Amundsen Sea (AS) sector, West Antarctica, to estimate the basin-wide averaged snow and firn column density over a seasonal time scale. Removing the firn variability signal from Envisat-observed ice-sheet elevation changes reveals more rapid dynamic thinning of underlying ice. We report that the net AS sector mass change rates are estimated to be -47±8Gtyr -1 between 2002 and 2006, and -80±4Gtyr -1 between2007 and 2009, equivalent to a sea level rise of 0.13 and 0.22mmyr -1, respectively. The acceleration is due to a combination of decreased snowfall accumulation (+13Gtyr -1 in 2002-2006, and -6Gtyr -1 in 2007-2009) and enhanced ice dynamic thinning (-60±10Gtyr -1 in 2002-2006, and -74±11Gtyr -1 in 2007-2009) after 2007. Because there is no significant snowfall trend over the past 21yr (1989-2009) and an increase in ice flow speed (2003-2010), the accelerated mass loss is likely to continue. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. Text Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica Michigan Technological University: Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Amundsen Sea Antarctic West Antarctica Earth and Planetary Science Letters 321-322 74 80 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Michigan Technological University: Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech |
op_collection_id |
ftmichigantuniv |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Amundsen Sea sector Envisat Firn density GRACE Ice mass loss |
spellingShingle |
Amundsen Sea sector Envisat Firn density GRACE Ice mass loss Lee, Hyongki Shum, C. K. Howat, Ian M. Monaghan, Andrew Ahn, Yushin Duan, Jianbin Guo, Jun Yi Kuo, Chung Yen Wang, Lei Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
topic_facet |
Amundsen Sea sector Envisat Firn density GRACE Ice mass loss |
description |
Satellite altimetry and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements have provided contemporary, but substantially different Antarctic ice sheet mass balance estimates. Altimetry provides no information about firn density while GRACE data is significantly impacted by poorly constrained glacial isostatic adjustment signals. Here, we combine Envisat radar altimetry and GRACE data over the Amundsen Sea (AS) sector, West Antarctica, to estimate the basin-wide averaged snow and firn column density over a seasonal time scale. Removing the firn variability signal from Envisat-observed ice-sheet elevation changes reveals more rapid dynamic thinning of underlying ice. We report that the net AS sector mass change rates are estimated to be -47±8Gtyr -1 between 2002 and 2006, and -80±4Gtyr -1 between2007 and 2009, equivalent to a sea level rise of 0.13 and 0.22mmyr -1, respectively. The acceleration is due to a combination of decreased snowfall accumulation (+13Gtyr -1 in 2002-2006, and -6Gtyr -1 in 2007-2009) and enhanced ice dynamic thinning (-60±10Gtyr -1 in 2002-2006, and -74±11Gtyr -1 in 2007-2009) after 2007. Because there is no significant snowfall trend over the past 21yr (1989-2009) and an increase in ice flow speed (2003-2010), the accelerated mass loss is likely to continue. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. |
format |
Text |
author |
Lee, Hyongki Shum, C. K. Howat, Ian M. Monaghan, Andrew Ahn, Yushin Duan, Jianbin Guo, Jun Yi Kuo, Chung Yen Wang, Lei |
author_facet |
Lee, Hyongki Shum, C. K. Howat, Ian M. Monaghan, Andrew Ahn, Yushin Duan, Jianbin Guo, Jun Yi Kuo, Chung Yen Wang, Lei |
author_sort |
Lee, Hyongki |
title |
Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
title_short |
Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
title_full |
Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
title_fullStr |
Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
title_full_unstemmed |
Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data |
title_sort |
continuously accelerating ice loss over amundsen sea catchment, west antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and grace data |
publisher |
Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech |
publishDate |
2012 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/6381 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 |
geographic |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic West Antarctica |
geographic_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarctic West Antarctica |
genre |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Amundsen Sea Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ice Sheet West Antarctica |
op_source |
Michigan Tech Publications |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/michigantech-p/6381 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2011.12.040 |
container_title |
Earth and Planetary Science Letters |
container_volume |
321-322 |
container_start_page |
74 |
op_container_end_page |
80 |
_version_ |
1766374269968711680 |