Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders
The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is experiencing significant mass loss and freshwater discharge at glacier fronts. The freshwater input from Greenland will impact the physical properties of adjacent coastal seas, including important regions of deep water formation and contribute to global sea level ri...
Published in: | Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
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American Geophysical Union
2021
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/1/2021JC017274.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JC017274 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:529643 2023-05-15T16:21:15+02:00 Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders Hendry, Katharine R. Briggs, Nathan Henson, Stephanie Opher, Jacob Brearley, J. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Leng, Melanie J. Meire, Lorenz 2021-08 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/1/2021JC017274.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JC017274 en eng American Geophysical Union https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/1/2021JC017274.pdf Hendry, Katharine R.; Briggs, Nathan orcid:0000-0003-1549-1386 Henson, Stephanie orcid:0000-0002-3875-6802 Opher, Jacob orcid:0000-0002-2092-0248 Brearley, J. Alexander orcid:0000-0003-3700-8017 Meredith, Michael P. orcid:0000-0002-7342-7756 Leng, Melanie J. orcid:0000-0003-1115-5166 Meire, Lorenz. 2021 Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126 (8), e2021JC017274. 17, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274> Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2021 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274 2023-02-04T19:51:46Z The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is experiencing significant mass loss and freshwater discharge at glacier fronts. The freshwater input from Greenland will impact the physical properties of adjacent coastal seas, including important regions of deep water formation and contribute to global sea level rise. However, the biogeochemical impact of increasing freshwater discharge from the GrIS is less well constrained. Here, we demonstrate the use of bio-optical sensors on ocean gliders to track biogeochemical properties of meltwaters off southwest Greenland. Our results reveal that fresh, coastal waters, with an oxygen isotopic composition characteristic of glacial meltwater, are distinguished by a high optical backscatter and high levels of fluorescing dissolved organic matter (FDOM), representative of the overall coloured dissolved organic matter pool. Reconstructions of geostrophic velocities are used to show that these particle and FDOM-enriched coastal waters cross the strong boundary currents into the Labrador Sea. Meltwater input into the Labrador Sea is likely driven by mesoscale processes, such as eddy formation and local bathymetric steering, in addition to wind-driven Ekman transport. Ocean gliders housing bio-optical sensors can provide the high-resolution observations of both dissolved and particulate glacially-derived material that are needed to understand meltwater dispersal mechanisms and their sensitivity to future climatic change. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Greenland Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans 126 8 |
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Open Polar |
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Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is experiencing significant mass loss and freshwater discharge at glacier fronts. The freshwater input from Greenland will impact the physical properties of adjacent coastal seas, including important regions of deep water formation and contribute to global sea level rise. However, the biogeochemical impact of increasing freshwater discharge from the GrIS is less well constrained. Here, we demonstrate the use of bio-optical sensors on ocean gliders to track biogeochemical properties of meltwaters off southwest Greenland. Our results reveal that fresh, coastal waters, with an oxygen isotopic composition characteristic of glacial meltwater, are distinguished by a high optical backscatter and high levels of fluorescing dissolved organic matter (FDOM), representative of the overall coloured dissolved organic matter pool. Reconstructions of geostrophic velocities are used to show that these particle and FDOM-enriched coastal waters cross the strong boundary currents into the Labrador Sea. Meltwater input into the Labrador Sea is likely driven by mesoscale processes, such as eddy formation and local bathymetric steering, in addition to wind-driven Ekman transport. Ocean gliders housing bio-optical sensors can provide the high-resolution observations of both dissolved and particulate glacially-derived material that are needed to understand meltwater dispersal mechanisms and their sensitivity to future climatic change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hendry, Katharine R. Briggs, Nathan Henson, Stephanie Opher, Jacob Brearley, J. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Leng, Melanie J. Meire, Lorenz |
spellingShingle |
Hendry, Katharine R. Briggs, Nathan Henson, Stephanie Opher, Jacob Brearley, J. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Leng, Melanie J. Meire, Lorenz Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
author_facet |
Hendry, Katharine R. Briggs, Nathan Henson, Stephanie Opher, Jacob Brearley, J. Alexander Meredith, Michael P. Leng, Melanie J. Meire, Lorenz |
author_sort |
Hendry, Katharine R. |
title |
Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
title_short |
Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
title_full |
Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
title_fullStr |
Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
title_full_unstemmed |
Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders |
title_sort |
tracing glacial meltwater from the greenland ice sheet to the ocean using gliders |
publisher |
American Geophysical Union |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/1/2021JC017274.pdf https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021JC017274 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Labrador Sea |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/529643/1/2021JC017274.pdf Hendry, Katharine R.; Briggs, Nathan orcid:0000-0003-1549-1386 Henson, Stephanie orcid:0000-0002-3875-6802 Opher, Jacob orcid:0000-0002-2092-0248 Brearley, J. Alexander orcid:0000-0003-3700-8017 Meredith, Michael P. orcid:0000-0002-7342-7756 Leng, Melanie J. orcid:0000-0003-1115-5166 Meire, Lorenz. 2021 Tracing glacial meltwater from the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean using gliders. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 126 (8), e2021JC017274. 17, pp. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274 <https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JC017274 |
container_title |
Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans |
container_volume |
126 |
container_issue |
8 |
_version_ |
1766009265273700352 |