Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014
peer reviewed Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that i...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
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Language: | English |
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Copernicus GmbH
2015
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Online Access: | https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301892 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301892/1/Kuipers_Munneke_TC_2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 |
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ftorbi:oai:orbi.ulg.ac.be:2268/301892 2024-10-20T14:09:07+00:00 Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 Kuipers Munneke, P. Ligtenberg, S.R.M. Noël, Brice Howat, I.M. Box, J.E. Mosley-Thompson, E. McConnell, J.R. Steffen, K. Harper, J.T. Das, S.B. Van Den Broeke, M.R. 2015-11-02 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301892 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301892/1/Kuipers_Munneke_TC_2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 en eng Copernicus GmbH https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/9/2009/2015/tc-9-2009-2015.pdf urn:issn:1994-0416 urn:issn:1994-0424 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301892 info:hdl:2268/301892 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301892/1/Kuipers_Munneke_TC_2015.pdf open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess The Cryosphere, 9 (6), 2009 - 2025 (2015-11-02) Water Science and Technology Earth-Surface Processes Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique journal article http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 info:eu-repo/semantics/article peer reviewed 2015 ftorbi https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 2024-09-27T07:01:34Z peer reviewed Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that includes compaction, meltwater percolation, and refreezing. The model is forced with surface mass fluxes and temperature from a regional climate model for the period 1960-2014. The model results agree with observations of surface density, density profiles from 62 firn cores, and altimetric observations from regions where ice-dynamical surface height changes are likely small. In areas with strong surface melt, the firn model overestimates density. We find that the firn layer in the high interior is generally thickening slowly (1-5 cm yr-1). In the percolation and ablation areas, firn and SMB processes account for a surface elevation lowering of up to 20-50 cm yr-1. Most of this firn-induced marginal thinning is caused by an increase in melt since the mid-1990s and partly compensated by an increase in the accumulation of fresh snow around most of the ice sheet. The total firn and ice volume change between 1980 and 2014 is estimated at -3295 ± 1030 km3 due to firn and SMB changes, corresponding to an ice-sheet average thinning of 1.96 ± 0.61 m. Most of this volume decrease occurred after 1995. The computed changes in surface elevation can be used to partition altimetrically observed volume change into surface mass balance and ice-dynamically related mass changes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere University of Liège: ORBi (Open Repository and Bibliography) Greenland The Cryosphere 9 6 2009 2025 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Liège: ORBi (Open Repository and Bibliography) |
op_collection_id |
ftorbi |
language |
English |
topic |
Water Science and Technology Earth-Surface Processes Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique |
spellingShingle |
Water Science and Technology Earth-Surface Processes Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique Kuipers Munneke, P. Ligtenberg, S.R.M. Noël, Brice Howat, I.M. Box, J.E. Mosley-Thompson, E. McConnell, J.R. Steffen, K. Harper, J.T. Das, S.B. Van Den Broeke, M.R. Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
topic_facet |
Water Science and Technology Earth-Surface Processes Physical chemical mathematical & earth Sciences Earth sciences & physical geography Physique chimie mathématiques & sciences de la terre Sciences de la terre & géographie physique |
description |
peer reviewed Observed changes in the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet are caused by ice dynamics, basal elevation change, basal melt, surface mass balance (SMB) variability, and by compaction of the overlying firn. The last two contributions are quantified here using a firn model that includes compaction, meltwater percolation, and refreezing. The model is forced with surface mass fluxes and temperature from a regional climate model for the period 1960-2014. The model results agree with observations of surface density, density profiles from 62 firn cores, and altimetric observations from regions where ice-dynamical surface height changes are likely small. In areas with strong surface melt, the firn model overestimates density. We find that the firn layer in the high interior is generally thickening slowly (1-5 cm yr-1). In the percolation and ablation areas, firn and SMB processes account for a surface elevation lowering of up to 20-50 cm yr-1. Most of this firn-induced marginal thinning is caused by an increase in melt since the mid-1990s and partly compensated by an increase in the accumulation of fresh snow around most of the ice sheet. The total firn and ice volume change between 1980 and 2014 is estimated at -3295 ± 1030 km3 due to firn and SMB changes, corresponding to an ice-sheet average thinning of 1.96 ± 0.61 m. Most of this volume decrease occurred after 1995. The computed changes in surface elevation can be used to partition altimetrically observed volume change into surface mass balance and ice-dynamically related mass changes. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kuipers Munneke, P. Ligtenberg, S.R.M. Noël, Brice Howat, I.M. Box, J.E. Mosley-Thompson, E. McConnell, J.R. Steffen, K. Harper, J.T. Das, S.B. Van Den Broeke, M.R. |
author_facet |
Kuipers Munneke, P. Ligtenberg, S.R.M. Noël, Brice Howat, I.M. Box, J.E. Mosley-Thompson, E. McConnell, J.R. Steffen, K. Harper, J.T. Das, S.B. Van Den Broeke, M.R. |
author_sort |
Kuipers Munneke, P. |
title |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
title_short |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
title_full |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
title_fullStr |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
title_full_unstemmed |
Elevation change of the Greenland Ice Sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
title_sort |
elevation change of the greenland ice sheet due to surface mass balance and firn processes, 1960-2014 |
publisher |
Copernicus GmbH |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301892 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301892/1/Kuipers_Munneke_TC_2015.pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, 9 (6), 2009 - 2025 (2015-11-02) |
op_relation |
https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/9/2009/2015/tc-9-2009-2015.pdf urn:issn:1994-0416 urn:issn:1994-0424 https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/301892 info:hdl:2268/301892 https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/301892/1/Kuipers_Munneke_TC_2015.pdf |
op_rights |
open access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2009-2015 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
9 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
2009 |
op_container_end_page |
2025 |
_version_ |
1813448553853353984 |