Accelerating changes in ice mass within Greenland, and the ice sheet’s sensitivity to atmospheric forcing

peer reviewed The recent deglaciation of Greenland is a response to both oceanic and atmospheric forcings. From 2000 to 2010, ice loss was concentrated in the southeast and northwest margins of the ice sheet, in large part due to the increasing discharge of marine-terminating outlet glaciers, emphas...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Main Authors: Bevis, M., Harig, C., Khan, S., Brown, A., Simons, F., Willis, M., Fettweis, Xavier, van den Broeke, M., Madsen, F., Kendrick, E., Caccamise, D., van Dam, T., Knudsen, P., Nylen, T.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: National Academy of Sciences 2019
Subjects:
Physical
chemical
mathematical & earth Sciences
Earth sciences & physical geography
Physique
chimie
mathématiques & sciences de la terre
Sciences de la terre & géographie physique
Greenland
Ice Sheet
Online Access:https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/232052
https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/232052/1/1806562116.full.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1806562116
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Summary:peer reviewed The recent deglaciation of Greenland is a response to both oceanic and atmospheric forcings. From 2000 to 2010, ice loss was concentrated in the southeast and northwest margins of the ice sheet, in large part due to the increasing discharge of marine-terminating outlet glaciers, emphasizing the importance of oceanic forcing. However, the largest sustained (∼10 years) acceleration detected by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) occurred in southwest Greenland, an area largely devoid of such glaciers. The sustained acceleration and the subsequent, abrupt, and even stronger deceleration were mostly driven by changes in air temperature and solar radiation. Continued atmospheric warming will lead to southwest Greenland becoming a major contributor to sea level rise.

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