Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica.
Observations of ocean-terminating outlet glaciers in Greenland and West Antarctica1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 indicate that their contribution to sea level is accelerating as a result of increased velocity, thinning and retreat7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thinning has also been reported along the margin of the much larger...
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ftunivdurham:oai:dro.dur.ac.uk.OAI2:11351 2023-05-15T13:59:22+02:00 Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. Miles, B.W.J. Stokes, C.R. Vieli, A. Cox, N.J. 2013-08 application/pdf http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/ http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/2/11351.pdf http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/1/11351S.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 unknown Nature Publishing Group dro:11351 issn:0028-0836 issn: 1476-4687 doi:10.1038/nature12382 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/2/11351.pdf http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/1/11351S.pdf Nature, 2013, Vol.500(7464), pp.563-566 [Peer Reviewed Journal] Cryospheric science Climate change. Article PeerReviewed 2013 ftunivdurham https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 2020-05-28T22:30:03Z Observations of ocean-terminating outlet glaciers in Greenland and West Antarctica1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 indicate that their contribution to sea level is accelerating as a result of increased velocity, thinning and retreat7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thinning has also been reported along the margin of the much larger East Antarctic ice sheet1, but whether glaciers are advancing or retreating there is largely unknown, and there has been no attempt to place such changes in the context of localized mass loss7, 9 or climatic or oceanic forcing. Here we present multidecadal trends in the terminus position of 175 ocean-terminating outlet glaciers along 5,400 kilometres of the margin of the East Antarctic ice sheet, and reveal widespread and synchronous changes. Despite large fluctuations between glaciers—linked to their size—three epochal patterns emerged: 63 per cent of glaciers retreated from 1974 to 1990, 72 per cent advanced from 1990 to 2000, and 58 per cent advanced from 2000 to 2010. These trends were most pronounced along the warmer western South Pacific coast, whereas glaciers along the cooler Ross Sea coast experienced no significant changes. We find that glacier change along the Pacific coast is consistent with a rapid and coherent response to air temperature and sea-ice trends, linked through the dominant mode of atmospheric variability (the Southern Annular Mode). We conclude that parts of the world’s largest ice sheet may be more vulnerable to external forcing than recognized previously. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ross Sea Sea ice Durham University: Durham Research Online Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Greenland Pacific Ross Sea Nature 500 7464 563 566 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Durham University: Durham Research Online |
op_collection_id |
ftunivdurham |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Cryospheric science Climate change. |
spellingShingle |
Cryospheric science Climate change. Miles, B.W.J. Stokes, C.R. Vieli, A. Cox, N.J. Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
topic_facet |
Cryospheric science Climate change. |
description |
Observations of ocean-terminating outlet glaciers in Greenland and West Antarctica1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 indicate that their contribution to sea level is accelerating as a result of increased velocity, thinning and retreat7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thinning has also been reported along the margin of the much larger East Antarctic ice sheet1, but whether glaciers are advancing or retreating there is largely unknown, and there has been no attempt to place such changes in the context of localized mass loss7, 9 or climatic or oceanic forcing. Here we present multidecadal trends in the terminus position of 175 ocean-terminating outlet glaciers along 5,400 kilometres of the margin of the East Antarctic ice sheet, and reveal widespread and synchronous changes. Despite large fluctuations between glaciers—linked to their size—three epochal patterns emerged: 63 per cent of glaciers retreated from 1974 to 1990, 72 per cent advanced from 1990 to 2000, and 58 per cent advanced from 2000 to 2010. These trends were most pronounced along the warmer western South Pacific coast, whereas glaciers along the cooler Ross Sea coast experienced no significant changes. We find that glacier change along the Pacific coast is consistent with a rapid and coherent response to air temperature and sea-ice trends, linked through the dominant mode of atmospheric variability (the Southern Annular Mode). We conclude that parts of the world’s largest ice sheet may be more vulnerable to external forcing than recognized previously. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Miles, B.W.J. Stokes, C.R. Vieli, A. Cox, N.J. |
author_facet |
Miles, B.W.J. Stokes, C.R. Vieli, A. Cox, N.J. |
author_sort |
Miles, B.W.J. |
title |
Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
title_short |
Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
title_full |
Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
title_fullStr |
Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. |
title_sort |
rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the pacific coast of east antarctica. |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
publishDate |
2013 |
url |
http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/ http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/2/11351.pdf http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/1/11351S.pdf https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 |
geographic |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Greenland Pacific Ross Sea |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic East Antarctic Ice Sheet East Antarctica Greenland Pacific Ross Sea |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ross Sea Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica East Antarctica glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Ross Sea Sea ice |
op_source |
Nature, 2013, Vol.500(7464), pp.563-566 [Peer Reviewed Journal] |
op_relation |
dro:11351 issn:0028-0836 issn: 1476-4687 doi:10.1038/nature12382 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/ http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/2/11351.pdf http://dro.dur.ac.uk/11351/1/11351S.pdf |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382 |
container_title |
Nature |
container_volume |
500 |
container_issue |
7464 |
container_start_page |
563 |
op_container_end_page |
566 |
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1766267915741429760 |