Iceberg melting substantially modifies oceanic heat flux towards a major Greenlandic tidewater glacier

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Davison, Ben, Cowton, Tom, Cottier, Finlo, Sole, Andrew
• Other Authors: University of St Andrews. School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews. Bell-Edwards Geographic Data Institute, University of St Andrews. Environmental Change Research Group
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: GC Oceanography; DAS; GC; Greenland; East Greenland; glacier; greenlandic; Ice Sheet; Sermilik; Tidewater
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10023/21091; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19805-7

B.J.D is funded by a PhD studentship provided by the Scottish Alliance for Geosciences, Environment and Society (SAGES) and the University of St Andrews, UK. Fjord dynamics influence oceanic heat flux to the Greenland ice sheet. Submarine iceberg melting releases large volumes of freshwater within Greenland’s fjords, yet its impact on fjord dynamics remains unclear. We modify an ocean model to simulate submarine iceberg melting in Sermilik Fjord, east Greenland. Here we find that submarine iceberg melting cools and freshens the fjord by up to ~5 °C and 0.7 psu in the upper 100-200 m. The release of freshwater from icebergs drives an overturning circulation, resulting in a ~10% increase in net up-fjord heat flux. In addition, we find that submarine iceberg melting accounts for over 95% of heat used for ice melt in Sermilik Fjord. Our results highlight the substantial impact that icebergs have on the dynamics of a major Greenlandic fjord, demonstrating the importance of including related processes in studies that seek to quantify interactions between the ice sheet and the ocean. Publisher PDF Peer reviewed