Mass changes of the northern Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet derived from repeat bi-static synthetic aperture radar acquisitions for the period 2013–2017

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: Seehaus, Thorsten, Sommer, Christian, Dethinne, Thomas, Malz, Philipp
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus GmbH 2023
• Subjects: Earth-Surface Processes; Water Science and Technology; Physical; chemical; mathematical & earth Sciences; Earth sciences & physical geography; Physique; chimie; mathématiques & sciences de la terre; Sciences de la terre & géographie physique; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Austral; Drygalski; Wordie; Prince Gustav Channel; Fleming Glacier; Drygalski Glacier; Antarc*; Antarctica; Ice Sheet; Ice Shelf; Ice Shelves; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://orbi.uliege.be/handle/2268/308529; https://orbi.uliege.be/bitstream/2268/308529/1/tc-17-4629-2023.pdf; https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4629-2023

peer reviewed Abstract. Some of the highest specific mass change rates in Antarctica are reported for the Antarctic Peninsula. However, the existing estimates for the northern Antarctic Peninsula (<70∘ S) are either spatially limited or are affected by considerable uncertainties. The complex topography, frequent cloud cover, limitations in ice thickness information, boundary effects, and uncertain glacial–isostatic adjustment estimates affect the ice sheet mass change estimates using altimetry, gravimetry, or the input-output method. Within this study, the first assessment of the geodetic mass balance throughout the ice sheet of the northern Antarctic Peninsula is carried out employing bi-static synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the TanDEM-X satellite mission. Repeat coverages from the austral winters of 2013 and 2017 are employed. Overall, coverage of 96.4 % of the study area by surface elevation change measurements and a total mass budget of -24.1±2.8 Gt a−1 are revealed. The spatial distribution of the surface elevation and mass changes points out that the former ice shelf tributary glaciers of the Prince Gustav Channel, Larsen A and B, and Wordie ice shelves are the hotspots of ice loss in the study area and highlights the long-lasting dynamic glacier adjustments after the ice shelf break-up events. The highest mass change rate is revealed for the Airy–Seller–Fleming glacier system at -4.9±0.6 Gt a−1, and the highest average surface elevation change rate of -2.30±0.03 m a−1 is observed at Drygalski Glacier. The comparison of the ice mass budget with anomalies in the climatic mass balance indicates, that for wide parts of the southern section of the study area, the mass changes can be partly attributed to changes in the climatic mass balance. However, imbalanced high ice discharge drives the overall ice loss. The previously reported connection between mid-ocean warming along the southern section of the west coast and increased frontal glacier recession does not repeat in the pattern of the ...