Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications
Recent dramatic acceleration, thinning and retreat of tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland raises concern regarding their contribution to future sea-level rise. These dynamic changes seem to be parallel to oceanic and climatic warming but the linking mechanisms and forcings are poorly understood a...
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ftvliz:oai:oma.vliz.be:211491 2023-05-15T16:21:23+02:00 Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications Vieli, A. Nick, F.M. 2011 http://www.vliz.be/nl/open-marien-archief?module=ref&refid=211491 en eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000295332800009 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9132-4 http://www.vliz.be/nl/open-marien-archief?module=ref&refid=211491 info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess %3Ci%3ESurveys+in+Geophysics+32%284-5%29%3C%2Fi%3E%3A+437-458.+%3Ca+href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs10712-011-9132-4%22+target%3D%22_blank%22%3Ehttps%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs10712-011-9132-4%3C%2Fa%3E info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2011 ftvliz https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9132-4 2022-05-01T09:40:59Z Recent dramatic acceleration, thinning and retreat of tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland raises concern regarding their contribution to future sea-level rise. These dynamic changes seem to be parallel to oceanic and climatic warming but the linking mechanisms and forcings are poorly understood and, furthermore, large-scale ice sheet models are currently unable to realistically simulate such changes which provides a major limitation in our ability to predict dynamic mass losses. In this paper we apply a specifically designed numerical flowband model to Jakobshavn Isbrae (JIB), a major marine outlet glacier of the Greenland ice sheet, and we explore and discuss the basic concepts and emerging issues in our understanding and modelling ability of the dynamics of tidewater outlet glaciers. The modelling demonstrates that enhanced ocean melt is able to trigger the observed dynamic changes of JIB but it heavily relies on the feedback between calving and terminus retreat and therefore the loss of buttressing. Through the same feedback, other forcings such as reduced winter sea-ice duration can produce similar rapid retreat. This highlights the need for a robust representation of the calving process and for improvements in the understanding and implementation of forcings at the marine boundary in predictive ice sheet models. Furthermore, the modelling uncovers high sensitivity and rapid adjustment of marine outlet glaciers to perturbations at their marine boundary implying that care should be taken in interpreting or extrapolating such rapid dynamic changes as recently observed in Greenland. Article in Journal/Newspaper glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Sea ice Tidewater Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ): Open Marine Archive (OMA) Greenland Surveys in Geophysics 32 4-5 437 458 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ): Open Marine Archive (OMA) |
op_collection_id |
ftvliz |
language |
English |
description |
Recent dramatic acceleration, thinning and retreat of tidewater outlet glaciers in Greenland raises concern regarding their contribution to future sea-level rise. These dynamic changes seem to be parallel to oceanic and climatic warming but the linking mechanisms and forcings are poorly understood and, furthermore, large-scale ice sheet models are currently unable to realistically simulate such changes which provides a major limitation in our ability to predict dynamic mass losses. In this paper we apply a specifically designed numerical flowband model to Jakobshavn Isbrae (JIB), a major marine outlet glacier of the Greenland ice sheet, and we explore and discuss the basic concepts and emerging issues in our understanding and modelling ability of the dynamics of tidewater outlet glaciers. The modelling demonstrates that enhanced ocean melt is able to trigger the observed dynamic changes of JIB but it heavily relies on the feedback between calving and terminus retreat and therefore the loss of buttressing. Through the same feedback, other forcings such as reduced winter sea-ice duration can produce similar rapid retreat. This highlights the need for a robust representation of the calving process and for improvements in the understanding and implementation of forcings at the marine boundary in predictive ice sheet models. Furthermore, the modelling uncovers high sensitivity and rapid adjustment of marine outlet glaciers to perturbations at their marine boundary implying that care should be taken in interpreting or extrapolating such rapid dynamic changes as recently observed in Greenland. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Vieli, A. Nick, F.M. |
spellingShingle |
Vieli, A. Nick, F.M. Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
author_facet |
Vieli, A. Nick, F.M. |
author_sort |
Vieli, A. |
title |
Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
title_short |
Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
title_full |
Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
title_fullStr |
Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
title_full_unstemmed |
Understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
title_sort |
understanding and modelling rapid dynamic changes of tidewater outlet glaciers: issues and implications |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://www.vliz.be/nl/open-marien-archief?module=ref&refid=211491 |
geographic |
Greenland |
geographic_facet |
Greenland |
genre |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Sea ice Tidewater |
genre_facet |
glacier Greenland Ice Sheet Jakobshavn Sea ice Tidewater |
op_source |
%3Ci%3ESurveys+in+Geophysics+32%284-5%29%3C%2Fi%3E%3A+437-458.+%3Ca+href%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs10712-011-9132-4%22+target%3D%22_blank%22%3Ehttps%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.1007%2Fs10712-011-9132-4%3C%2Fa%3E |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/wos/000295332800009 info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9132-4 http://www.vliz.be/nl/open-marien-archief?module=ref&refid=211491 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-011-9132-4 |
container_title |
Surveys in Geophysics |
container_volume |
32 |
container_issue |
4-5 |
container_start_page |
437 |
op_container_end_page |
458 |
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1766009384508325888 |