Articles | Volume 11, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2189-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2189-2017
Research article
 | 
12 Sep 2017
Research article |  | 12 Sep 2017

Dynamic response of an Arctic epishelf lake to seasonal and long-term forcing: implications for ice shelf thickness

Andrew K. Hamilton, Bernard E. Laval, Derek R. Mueller, Warwick F. Vincent, and Luke Copland

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AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
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AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision
AR by Andrew Hamilton on behalf of the Authors (11 Jul 2017)  Author's response    Manuscript
ED: Publish subject to technical corrections (21 Jul 2017) by Andreas Vieli
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Short summary
Meltwater runoff trapped by an ice shelf can create a freshwater lake floating directly on seawater. We show that the depth of the freshwater–seawater interface varies substantially due to changes in meltwater inflow and drainage under the ice shelf. By accounting for seasonality, the interface depth can be used to monitor long-term changes in the thickness of ice shelves. We show that the Milne Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, was stable before 2004, after which time the ice shelf thinned rapidly.