Articles | Volume 11, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2491-2017
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2491-2017
Research article
 | 
03 Nov 2017
Research article |  | 03 Nov 2017

Dark ice dynamics of the south-west Greenland Ice Sheet

Andrew J. Tedstone, Jonathan L. Bamber, Joseph M. Cook, Christopher J. Williamson, Xavier Fettweis, Andrew J. Hodson, and Martyn Tranter

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Cited articles

Aoki, T., Matoba, S., Yamaguchi, S., Tanikawa, T., Niwano, M., Kuchiki, K., Adachi, K., Uetake, J., Motoyama, H., and Hori, M.: Light-absorbing snow impurity concentrations measured on Northwest Greenland ice sheet in 2011 and 2012, Bull. Glaciol. Res., 32, 21–31, https://doi.org/10.5331/bgr.32.21, 2014.
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Cameron, K., Stibal, M., Zarsky, J., Gozdereliler, E., Schostag, M., and Jacobsen, C.: Supraglacial bacterial community structures vary across the Greenland ice sheet, FEMS Microbiol. Ecol., 92, fiv164, https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiv164, 2016.
Casey, K. A., Polashenski, C. M., Chen, J., and Tedesco, M.: Impact of MODIS sensor calibration updates on Greenland Ice Sheet surface reflectance and albedo trends, The Cryosphere, 11, 1781–1795, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1781-2017, 2017.
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Short summary
The bare ice albedo of the south-west Greenland ice sheet varies dramatically between years. The reasons are unclear but likely involve darkening by inorganic particulates, cryoconite and ice algae. We use satellite imagery to examine dark ice dynamics and climate model outputs to find likely climatological controls. Outcropping particulates can explain the spatial extent of dark ice, but the darkening itself is likely due to ice algae growth controlled by meltwater and light availability.
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