Seasonal Speedup Along the Western Flank of the Greenland Ice Sheet
- 9 May 2008
- journal article
- other
- Published by American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Science
- Vol. 320 (5877), 781-783
- https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1153288
Abstract
It has been widely hypothesized that a warmer climate in Greenland would increase the volume of lubricating surface meltwater reaching the ice-bedrock interface, accelerating ice flow and increasing mass loss. We have assembled a data set that provides a synoptic-scale view, spanning ice-sheet to outlet-glacier flow, with which to evaluate this hypothesis. On the ice sheet, these data reveal summer speedups (50 to 100%) consistent with, but somewhat larger than, earlier observations. The relative speedup of outlet glaciers, however, is far smaller (<15%). Furthermore, the dominant seasonal influence on Jakobshavn Isbrae's flow is the calving front's annual advance and retreat. With other effects producing outlet-glacier speedups an order of magnitude larger, seasonal melt's influence on ice flow is likely confined to those regions dominated by ice-sheet flow.Keywords
This publication has 22 references indexed in Scilit:
- Fracture Propagation to the Base of the Greenland Ice Sheet During Supraglacial Lake DrainageScience, 2008
- Two modes of accelerated glacier sliding related to waterGeophysical Research Letters, 2007
- Greenland Ice Sheet Surface Mass Balance Variability (1988–2004) from Calibrated Polar MM5 Output*Journal of Climate, 2006
- Changes in the Velocity Structure of the Greenland Ice SheetScience, 2006
- Rapid retreat and acceleration of Helheim Glacier, east GreenlandGeophysical Research Letters, 2005
- Large fluctuations in speed on Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbræ glacierNature, 2004
- Implications of increased Greenland surface melt under global-warming scenarios: ice-sheet simulationsQuaternary Science Reviews, 2004
- Investigation of surface melting and dynamic thinning on Jakobshavn Isbræ, GreenlandJournal of Glaciology, 2003
- Jakobshavn Glacier, west Greenland: 30 years of spaceborne observationsGeophysical Research Letters, 1998
- Mechanical and hydrologic basis for the rapid motion of a large tidewater glacier: 2. InterpretationJournal of Geophysical Research, 1994