Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry
Satellite remote sensing has come to dominate the measurement of glacier and ice-sheet change. Three independent methods now exist for assessing ice-sheet mass balance and we focus on progress in two: satellite altimetry (ICESat) and gravimetry (GRACE). With improved spatial and temporal sampling, a...
Published in: | Journal of Glaciology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
International Glaciological Society
2011
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14688/ http://www.igsoc.org/journal/current/200/j10j221.pdf |
id |
ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:14688 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:14688 2023-05-15T13:45:11+02:00 Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry Pritchard, Hamish D. Luthcke, S.B. Fleming, Andrew H. 2011 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14688/ http://www.igsoc.org/journal/current/200/j10j221.pdf unknown International Glaciological Society Pritchard, Hamish D. orcid:0000-0003-2936-1734 Luthcke, S.B.; Fleming, Andrew H. orcid:0000-0002-0143-4527 . 2011 Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry. Journal of Glaciology, 56 (200). 1151-1161. https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194 <https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194> Glaciology Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2011 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194 2023-02-04T19:29:23Z Satellite remote sensing has come to dominate the measurement of glacier and ice-sheet change. Three independent methods now exist for assessing ice-sheet mass balance and we focus on progress in two: satellite altimetry (ICESat) and gravimetry (GRACE). With improved spatial and temporal sampling, and synergy with ice flow measurements, both the mechanisms and causes changing mass balance can be investigated. We present examples of mass losses due to widespread, intensifying glacier dynamic thinning in northwest Greenland, but local ablation rates in the northeast that are unchanged for decades. Advances in GRACE processing reveal Greenland net ice-sheet mass loss continuing into 2010, at 19530 Gt a–1. A similarly negative trend in the Gulf of Alaska has significant spatial and temporal variation, that highlights the importance of intense summer melting here. Strong summer melt on the Antarctic Peninsula also precipitated recent ice-shelf collapse and prompted rapid dynamic thinning of tributary glaciers at up to 70ma–1. Thinning continued for years to decades after collapse and propagated far inland. While understanding of the physical mechanisms of change continues to improve, estimates of future behaviour, and in particular the near-future glacial sea-level contribution, still rely on projections from such observations.We introduce the suite of new sensors that will monitor the ice sheets into the future. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula glacier glacier glaciers Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Alaska Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Greenland Gulf of Alaska The Antarctic Journal of Glaciology 56 200 1151 1161 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Glaciology |
spellingShingle |
Glaciology Pritchard, Hamish D. Luthcke, S.B. Fleming, Andrew H. Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
topic_facet |
Glaciology |
description |
Satellite remote sensing has come to dominate the measurement of glacier and ice-sheet change. Three independent methods now exist for assessing ice-sheet mass balance and we focus on progress in two: satellite altimetry (ICESat) and gravimetry (GRACE). With improved spatial and temporal sampling, and synergy with ice flow measurements, both the mechanisms and causes changing mass balance can be investigated. We present examples of mass losses due to widespread, intensifying glacier dynamic thinning in northwest Greenland, but local ablation rates in the northeast that are unchanged for decades. Advances in GRACE processing reveal Greenland net ice-sheet mass loss continuing into 2010, at 19530 Gt a–1. A similarly negative trend in the Gulf of Alaska has significant spatial and temporal variation, that highlights the importance of intense summer melting here. Strong summer melt on the Antarctic Peninsula also precipitated recent ice-shelf collapse and prompted rapid dynamic thinning of tributary glaciers at up to 70ma–1. Thinning continued for years to decades after collapse and propagated far inland. While understanding of the physical mechanisms of change continues to improve, estimates of future behaviour, and in particular the near-future glacial sea-level contribution, still rely on projections from such observations.We introduce the suite of new sensors that will monitor the ice sheets into the future. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pritchard, Hamish D. Luthcke, S.B. Fleming, Andrew H. |
author_facet |
Pritchard, Hamish D. Luthcke, S.B. Fleming, Andrew H. |
author_sort |
Pritchard, Hamish D. |
title |
Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
title_short |
Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
title_full |
Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
title_fullStr |
Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
title_full_unstemmed |
Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
title_sort |
understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry |
publisher |
International Glaciological Society |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/14688/ http://www.igsoc.org/journal/current/200/j10j221.pdf |
geographic |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Greenland Gulf of Alaska The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula Greenland Gulf of Alaska The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula glacier glacier glaciers Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Alaska |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctic Peninsula glacier glacier glaciers Greenland Ice Sheet Ice Shelf Journal of Glaciology Alaska |
op_relation |
Pritchard, Hamish D. orcid:0000-0003-2936-1734 Luthcke, S.B.; Fleming, Andrew H. orcid:0000-0002-0143-4527 . 2011 Understanding ice-sheet mass balance: progress in satellite altimetry and gravimetry. Journal of Glaciology, 56 (200). 1151-1161. https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194 <https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/002214311796406194 |
container_title |
Journal of Glaciology |
container_volume |
56 |
container_issue |
200 |
container_start_page |
1151 |
op_container_end_page |
1161 |
_version_ |
1766215765170585600 |