Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations
Iceberg discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet accounts for up to half of the freshwater flux to surrounding fjords and ocean basins, yet the spatial distribution of iceberg meltwater fluxes is poorly understood. One of the primary limitations for mapping iceberg meltwater fluxes, and changes over t...
Published in: | The Cryosphere |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/565/2018/tc-12-565-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 |
id |
fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 2023-05-15T16:26:51+02:00 Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations E. M. Enderlin C. J. Carrigan W. H. Kochtitzky A. Cuadros T. Moon G. S. Hamilton 2018-02-01 https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/565/2018/tc-12-565-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 en eng Copernicus Publications doi:10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/565/2018/tc-12-565-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 undefined The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 565-575 (2018) geo envir Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2018 fttriple https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 2023-01-22T19:05:32Z Iceberg discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet accounts for up to half of the freshwater flux to surrounding fjords and ocean basins, yet the spatial distribution of iceberg meltwater fluxes is poorly understood. One of the primary limitations for mapping iceberg meltwater fluxes, and changes over time, is the dearth of iceberg submarine melt rate estimates. Here we use a remote sensing approach to estimate submarine melt rates during 2011–2016 for 637 icebergs discharged from seven marine-terminating glaciers fringing the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that spatial variations in iceberg melt rates generally follow expected patterns based on hydrographic observations, including a decrease in melt rate with latitude and an increase in melt rate with iceberg draft. However, we find no longitudinal variations in melt rates within individual fjords. We do not resolve coherent seasonal to interannual patterns in melt rates across all study sites, though we attribute a 4-fold melt rate increase from March to April 2011 near Jakobshavn Isbræ to fjord circulation changes induced by the seasonal onset of iceberg calving. Overall, our results suggest that remotely sensed iceberg melt rates can be used to characterize spatial and temporal variations in oceanic forcing near often inaccessible marine-terminating glaciers. Article in Journal/Newspaper Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ The Cryosphere Unknown Greenland Jakobshavn Isbræ ENVELOPE(-49.917,-49.917,69.167,69.167) The Cryosphere 12 2 565 575 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
fttriple |
language |
English |
topic |
geo envir |
spellingShingle |
geo envir E. M. Enderlin C. J. Carrigan W. H. Kochtitzky A. Cuadros T. Moon G. S. Hamilton Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
topic_facet |
geo envir |
description |
Iceberg discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet accounts for up to half of the freshwater flux to surrounding fjords and ocean basins, yet the spatial distribution of iceberg meltwater fluxes is poorly understood. One of the primary limitations for mapping iceberg meltwater fluxes, and changes over time, is the dearth of iceberg submarine melt rate estimates. Here we use a remote sensing approach to estimate submarine melt rates during 2011–2016 for 637 icebergs discharged from seven marine-terminating glaciers fringing the Greenland Ice Sheet. We find that spatial variations in iceberg melt rates generally follow expected patterns based on hydrographic observations, including a decrease in melt rate with latitude and an increase in melt rate with iceberg draft. However, we find no longitudinal variations in melt rates within individual fjords. We do not resolve coherent seasonal to interannual patterns in melt rates across all study sites, though we attribute a 4-fold melt rate increase from March to April 2011 near Jakobshavn Isbræ to fjord circulation changes induced by the seasonal onset of iceberg calving. Overall, our results suggest that remotely sensed iceberg melt rates can be used to characterize spatial and temporal variations in oceanic forcing near often inaccessible marine-terminating glaciers. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
E. M. Enderlin C. J. Carrigan W. H. Kochtitzky A. Cuadros T. Moon G. S. Hamilton |
author_facet |
E. M. Enderlin C. J. Carrigan W. H. Kochtitzky A. Cuadros T. Moon G. S. Hamilton |
author_sort |
E. M. Enderlin |
title |
Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
title_short |
Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
title_full |
Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
title_fullStr |
Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
title_full_unstemmed |
Greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
title_sort |
greenland iceberg melt variability from high-resolution satellite observations |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/565/2018/tc-12-565-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-49.917,-49.917,69.167,69.167) |
geographic |
Greenland Jakobshavn Isbræ |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Jakobshavn Isbræ |
genre |
Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Jakobshavn isbræ The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 12, Pp 565-575 (2018) |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 1994-0416 1994-0424 https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/565/2018/tc-12-565-2018.pdf https://doaj.org/article/3bf582c5a15e4b2ebc86716c22e30891 |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-565-2018 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
2 |
container_start_page |
565 |
op_container_end_page |
575 |
_version_ |
1766015850260725760 |