Articles | Volume 14, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1951-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1951-2020
© Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
18 Jun 2020
Research article |
| 18 Jun 2020
| 18 Jun 2020
Surface emergence of glacial plumes determined by fjord stratification
Department of Applied Mathematics, ETSI de Telecomunicación,
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Donald A. Slater
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San
Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
Fiamma Straneo
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San
Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
Jaime Otero
Department of Applied Mathematics, ETSI de Telecomunicación,
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Sarah Das
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
Francisco Navarro
Department of Applied Mathematics, ETSI de Telecomunicación,
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Related authors
José M. Muñoz-Hermosilla, Jaime Otero, Eva De Andrés, Kaian Shahateet, Francisco Navarro, and Iván Pérez-Doña
The Cryosphere, 18, 1911–1924, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A large fraction of the mass loss from marine-terminating glaciers is attributed to frontal ablation. In this study, we used a 3D ice flow model of a real glacier that includes the effects of calving and submarine melting. Over a 30-month simulation, we found that the model reproduced the seasonal cycle for this glacier. Besides, the front positions were in good agreement with observations in the central part of the front, with longitudinal differences, on average, below 15 m.
Marta Umbert, Eva De Andrés, Maria Sánchez, Carolina Gabarró, Nina Hoareau, Veronica González-Gambau, Aina García-Espriu, Estrella Olmedo, Roshin P. Raj, Jiping Xie, and Rafael Catany
Ocean Sci., 20, 279–291, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-279-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-279-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite retrievals of sea surface salinity (SSS) offer insights into freshwater changes in the Arctic Ocean. This study evaluates freshwater content in the Beaufort Gyre using SMOS and reanalysis data, revealing underestimation with reanalysis alone. Incorporating satellite SSS measurements improves freshwater content estimation, especially near ice-melting areas. Adding remotely sensed salinity aids in monitoring Arctic freshwater content and in understanding its impact on global climate.
Kaian Shahateet, Johannes J. Fürst, Francisco Navarro, Thorsten Seehaus, Daniel Farinotti, and Matthias Braun
The Cryosphere, 19, 1577–1597, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1577-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1577-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In the present work, we provide a new ice thickness reconstruction of the Antarctic Peninsula Ice Sheet north of 70º S using inversion modeling. This model consists of two steps: the first uses basic assumptions of the rheology of the glacier, and the second uses mass conservation to improve the reconstruction where the assumptions made previously are expected to fail. Validation with independent data showed that our reconstruction improved compared to other reconstructions that are available.
Grace P. Gjerde, Mark D. Behn, Laura A. Stevens, Sarah B. Das, and Ian R. Joughin
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3700, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3700, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We characterize the magnitude and variability of transient speed-ups across a GPS array in western Greenland in 2011 and 2012. While we find no relationship between speed-up and runoff, late-season events have larger speed-up amplitudes and more spatially uniform patterns of speed-up across the GPS array compared to early season events. These results reflect an evolution toward a less efficient drainage system late in the melt season, with a pervasive system of open surface-to-bed conduits.
Donald Alexander Slater, Eleanor Johnstone, Martim Mas e Braga, Neil Fraser, Tom Cowton, and Mark Inall
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3934, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3934, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Glacial fjords connect ice sheets to the ocean, controlling heat delivery to glaciers, which impacts ice sheet melt, and freshwater discharge to the ocean, affecting ocean circulation. However, their dynamics are not captured in large-scale climate models. We designed a simplified, computationally efficient model – FjordRPM – which accurately captures key fjord processes. It has direct applications for improving projections of ice melt, ocean circulation and sea-level rise.
Lokesh Jain, Donald Slater, and Peter Nienow
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4081, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4081, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Ice mélange is a mixture of icebergs and sea ice which floats in front of Greenland’s largest glaciers. The presence of an ice mélange can have a significant impact on a glacier and its fjord, but the melting of an ice mélange by the ocean is currently poorly understood. We used computer simulations to develop an equation which describes how ice mélange melts under different environmental conditions.
Elizabeth Weidner, Grant Deane, Arnaud Le Boyer, Matthew H. Alford, Hari Vishnu, Mandar Chitre, M. Dale Stokes, Oskar Głowacki, Hayden Johnson, and Fiammetta Straneo
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3025, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Tidewater glaciers play a central role in polar dynamics, but their study is limited by harsh and isolated conditions. Here, we introduce broadband echosounders as an tool for the study of high latitude fjords through the rapid collection of calibrated high resolution, near-synoptic observations. Using a data set collected in Hornsund fjord we illustrate the potential of broadband echosounders as a relatively low-cost, low-effort tool, well suited for field deployment in high-latitude fjords.
Donald A. Slater and Till J. W. Wagner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2927, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2927, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Calving is when icebergs break off glaciers and fall into the ocean. It is an important process determining how ice sheets will respond to change in climate, but it is currently poorly understood and hard to include in numerical models that are used for sea level projections. We revised an existing theory for how this process works, overcoming shortcomings of the existing theory and explaining observations showing that calving style depends on how thick the ice is.
José M. Muñoz-Hermosilla, Jaime Otero, Eva De Andrés, Kaian Shahateet, Francisco Navarro, and Iván Pérez-Doña
The Cryosphere, 18, 1911–1924, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-1911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A large fraction of the mass loss from marine-terminating glaciers is attributed to frontal ablation. In this study, we used a 3D ice flow model of a real glacier that includes the effects of calving and submarine melting. Over a 30-month simulation, we found that the model reproduced the seasonal cycle for this glacier. Besides, the front positions were in good agreement with observations in the central part of the front, with longitudinal differences, on average, below 15 m.
Alexander O. Hager, David A. Sutherland, and Donald A. Slater
The Cryosphere, 18, 911–932, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Warming ocean temperatures cause considerable ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet; however climate models are unable to resolve the complex ocean processes within fjords that influence near-glacier ocean temperatures. Here, we use a computer model to test the accuracy of assumptions that allow climate and ice sheet models to project near-glacier ocean temperatures, and thus glacier melt, into the future. We then develop new methods that improve accuracy by accounting for local ocean processes.
Marta Umbert, Eva De Andrés, Maria Sánchez, Carolina Gabarró, Nina Hoareau, Veronica González-Gambau, Aina García-Espriu, Estrella Olmedo, Roshin P. Raj, Jiping Xie, and Rafael Catany
Ocean Sci., 20, 279–291, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-279-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-20-279-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite retrievals of sea surface salinity (SSS) offer insights into freshwater changes in the Arctic Ocean. This study evaluates freshwater content in the Beaufort Gyre using SMOS and reanalysis data, revealing underestimation with reanalysis alone. Incorporating satellite SSS measurements improves freshwater content estimation, especially near ice-melting areas. Adding remotely sensed salinity aids in monitoring Arctic freshwater content and in understanding its impact on global climate.
Dominik Fahrner, Donald Slater, Aman KC, Claudia Cenedese, David A. Sutherland, Ellyn Enderlin, Femke de Jong, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Michael Wood, Peter Nienow, Sophie Nowicki, and Till Wagner
Earth Syst. Sci. Data Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-411, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2023-411, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
Short summary
Short summary
Marine-terminating glaciers can lose mass through frontal ablation, which comprises submarine and surface melting, and iceberg calving. We estimate frontal ablation for 49 marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland by combining existing, satellite derived data and calculating volume change near the glacier front over time. The dataset offers exciting opportunities to study the influence of climate forcings on marine-terminating glaciers in Greenland over multi-decadal timescales.
Hélène Seroussi, Vincent Verjans, Sophie Nowicki, Antony J. Payne, Heiko Goelzer, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Torsten Albrecht, Xylar Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Richard Cullather, Christophe Dumas, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Rupert Gladstone, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan M. Gregory, Ralf Greve, Tore Hattermann, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Thomas Kleiner, Eric Larour, Gunter R. Leguy, Daniel P. Lowry, Chistopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Tyler Pelle, Stephen F. Price, Aurélien Quiquet, Ronja Reese, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Sainan Sun, Luke D. Trusel, Jonas Van Breedam, Peter Van Katwyk, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Ricarda Winkelmann, Chen Zhao, Tong Zhang, and Thomas Zwinger
The Cryosphere, 17, 5197–5217, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5197-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5197-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Mass loss from Antarctica is a key contributor to sea level rise over the 21st century, and the associated uncertainty dominates sea level projections. We highlight here the Antarctic glaciers showing the largest changes and quantify the main sources of uncertainty in their future evolution using an ensemble of ice flow models. We show that on top of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, Totten and Moscow University glaciers show rapid changes and a strong sensitivity to warmer ocean conditions.
Michael J. Bentley, James A. Smith, Stewart S. R. Jamieson, Margaret R. Lindeman, Brice R. Rea, Angelika Humbert, Timothy P. Lane, Christopher M. Darvill, Jeremy M. Lloyd, Fiamma Straneo, Veit Helm, and David H. Roberts
The Cryosphere, 17, 1821–1837, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1821-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1821-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Northeast Greenland Ice Stream is a major outlet of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Some of its outlet glaciers and ice shelves have been breaking up and retreating, with inflows of warm ocean water identified as the likely reason. Here we report direct measurements of warm ocean water in an unusual lake that is connected to the ocean beneath the ice shelf in front of the 79° N Glacier. This glacier has not yet shown much retreat, but the presence of warm water makes future retreat more likely.
Karina von Schuckmann, Audrey Minière, Flora Gues, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Gottfried Kirchengast, Susheel Adusumilli, Fiammetta Straneo, Michaël Ablain, Richard P. Allan, Paul M. Barker, Hugo Beltrami, Alejandro Blazquez, Tim Boyer, Lijing Cheng, John Church, Damien Desbruyeres, Han Dolman, Catia M. Domingues, Almudena García-García, Donata Giglio, John E. Gilson, Maximilian Gorfer, Leopold Haimberger, Maria Z. Hakuba, Stefan Hendricks, Shigeki Hosoda, Gregory C. Johnson, Rachel Killick, Brian King, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, Anton Korosov, Gerhard Krinner, Mikael Kuusela, Felix W. Landerer, Moritz Langer, Thomas Lavergne, Isobel Lawrence, Yuehua Li, John Lyman, Florence Marti, Ben Marzeion, Michael Mayer, Andrew H. MacDougall, Trevor McDougall, Didier Paolo Monselesan, Jan Nitzbon, Inès Otosaka, Jian Peng, Sarah Purkey, Dean Roemmich, Kanako Sato, Katsunari Sato, Abhishek Savita, Axel Schweiger, Andrew Shepherd, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Leon Simons, Donald A. Slater, Thomas Slater, Andrea K. Steiner, Toshio Suga, Tanguy Szekely, Wim Thiery, Mary-Louise Timmermans, Inne Vanderkelen, Susan E. Wjiffels, Tonghua Wu, and Michael Zemp
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1675–1709, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1675-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Earth's climate is out of energy balance, and this study quantifies how much heat has consequently accumulated over the past decades (ocean: 89 %, land: 6 %, cryosphere: 4 %, atmosphere: 1 %). Since 1971, this accumulated heat reached record values at an increasing pace. The Earth heat inventory provides a comprehensive view on the status and expectation of global warming, and we call for an implementation of this global climate indicator into the Paris Agreement’s Global Stocktake.
Karita Kajanto, Fiammetta Straneo, and Kerim Nisancioglu
The Cryosphere, 17, 371–390, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-371-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-371-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Many outlet glaciers in Greenland are connected to the ocean by narrow glacial fjords, where warm water melts the glacier from underneath. Ocean water is modified in these fjords through processes that are poorly understood, particularly iceberg melt. We use a model to show how iceberg melt cools down Ilulissat Icefjord and causes circulation to take place deeper in the fjord than if there were no icebergs. This causes the glacier to melt less and from a smaller area than without icebergs.
Ana Moreno, Miguel Bartolomé, Juan Ignacio López-Moreno, Jorge Pey, Juan Pablo Corella, Jordi García-Orellana, Carlos Sancho, María Leunda, Graciela Gil-Romera, Penélope González-Sampériz, Carlos Pérez-Mejías, Francisco Navarro, Jaime Otero-García, Javier Lapazaran, Esteban Alonso-González, Cristina Cid, Jerónimo López-Martínez, Belén Oliva-Urcia, Sérgio Henrique Faria, María José Sierra, Rocío Millán, Xavier Querol, Andrés Alastuey, and José M. García-Ruíz
The Cryosphere, 15, 1157–1172, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1157-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1157-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Our study of the chronological sequence of Monte Perdido Glacier in the Central Pyrenees (Spain) reveals that, although the intense warming associated with the Roman period or Medieval Climate Anomaly produced important ice mass losses, it was insufficient to make this glacier disappear. By contrast, recent global warming has melted away almost 600 years of ice accumulated since the Little Ice Age, jeopardising the survival of this and other southern European glaciers over the next few decades.
Ethan Welty, Michael Zemp, Francisco Navarro, Matthias Huss, Johannes J. Fürst, Isabelle Gärtner-Roer, Johannes Landmann, Horst Machguth, Kathrin Naegeli, Liss M. Andreassen, Daniel Farinotti, Huilin Li, and GlaThiDa Contributors
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 3039–3055, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3039-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-3039-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Knowing the thickness of glacier ice is critical for predicting the rate of glacier loss and the myriad downstream impacts. To facilitate forecasts of future change, we have added 3 million measurements to our worldwide database of glacier thickness: 14 % of global glacier area is now within 1 km of a thickness measurement (up from 6 %). To make it easier to update and monitor the quality of our database, we have used automated tools to check and track changes to the data over time.
Nicolas C. Jourdain, Xylar Asay-Davis, Tore Hattermann, Fiammetta Straneo, Hélène Seroussi, Christopher M. Little, and Sophie Nowicki
The Cryosphere, 14, 3111–3134, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3111-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3111-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
To predict the future Antarctic contribution to sea level rise, we need to use ice sheet models. The Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project for AR6 (ISMIP6) builds an ensemble of ice sheet projections constrained by atmosphere and ocean projections from the 6th Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). In this work, we present and assess a method to derive ice shelf basal melting in ISMIP6 from the CMIP6 ocean outputs, and we give examples of projected melt rates.
Heiko Goelzer, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony Payne, Eric Larour, Helene Seroussi, William H. Lipscomb, Jonathan Gregory, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Cécile Agosta, Patrick Alexander, Andy Aschwanden, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Christopher Chambers, Youngmin Choi, Joshua Cuzzone, Christophe Dumas, Tamsin Edwards, Denis Felikson, Xavier Fettweis, Nicholas R. Golledge, Ralf Greve, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Sebastien Le clec'h, Victoria Lee, Gunter Leguy, Chris Little, Daniel P. Lowry, Mathieu Morlighem, Isabel Nias, Aurelien Quiquet, Martin Rückamp, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Donald A. Slater, Robin S. Smith, Fiamma Straneo, Lev Tarasov, Roderik van de Wal, and Michiel van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 14, 3071–3096, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3071-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3071-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this paper we use a large ensemble of Greenland ice sheet models forced by six different global climate models to project ice sheet changes and sea-level rise contributions over the 21st century.
The results for two different greenhouse gas concentration scenarios indicate that the Greenland ice sheet will continue to lose mass until 2100, with contributions to sea-level rise of 90 ± 50 mm and 32 ± 17 mm for the high (RCP8.5) and low (RCP2.6) scenario, respectively.
Hélène Seroussi, Sophie Nowicki, Antony J. Payne, Heiko Goelzer, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Torsten Albrecht, Xylar Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Reinhard Calov, Richard Cullather, Christophe Dumas, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, Rupert Gladstone, Nicholas R. Golledge, Jonathan M. Gregory, Ralf Greve, Tore Hattermann, Matthew J. Hoffman, Angelika Humbert, Philippe Huybrechts, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Thomas Kleiner, Eric Larour, Gunter R. Leguy, Daniel P. Lowry, Chistopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Frank Pattyn, Tyler Pelle, Stephen F. Price, Aurélien Quiquet, Ronja Reese, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Sainan Sun, Luke D. Trusel, Jonas Van Breedam, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, Ricarda Winkelmann, Chen Zhao, Tong Zhang, and Thomas Zwinger
The Cryosphere, 14, 3033–3070, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-3033-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic ice sheet has been losing mass over at least the past 3 decades in response to changes in atmospheric and oceanic conditions. This study presents an ensemble of model simulations of the Antarctic evolution over the 2015–2100 period based on various ice sheet models, climate forcings and emission scenarios. Results suggest that the West Antarctic ice sheet will continue losing a large amount of ice, while the East Antarctic ice sheet could experience increased snow accumulation.
Karina von Schuckmann, Lijing Cheng, Matthew D. Palmer, James Hansen, Caterina Tassone, Valentin Aich, Susheel Adusumilli, Hugo Beltrami, Tim Boyer, Francisco José Cuesta-Valero, Damien Desbruyères, Catia Domingues, Almudena García-García, Pierre Gentine, John Gilson, Maximilian Gorfer, Leopold Haimberger, Masayoshi Ishii, Gregory C. Johnson, Rachel Killick, Brian A. King, Gottfried Kirchengast, Nicolas Kolodziejczyk, John Lyman, Ben Marzeion, Michael Mayer, Maeva Monier, Didier Paolo Monselesan, Sarah Purkey, Dean Roemmich, Axel Schweiger, Sonia I. Seneviratne, Andrew Shepherd, Donald A. Slater, Andrea K. Steiner, Fiammetta Straneo, Mary-Louise Timmermans, and Susan E. Wijffels
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2013–2041, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2013-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2013-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding how much and where the heat is distributed in the Earth system is fundamental to understanding how this affects warming oceans, atmosphere and land, rising temperatures and sea level, and loss of grounded and floating ice, which are fundamental concerns for society. This study is a Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) concerted international effort to obtain the Earth heat inventory over the period 1960–2018.
Sophie Nowicki, Heiko Goelzer, Hélène Seroussi, Anthony J. Payne, William H. Lipscomb, Ayako Abe-Ouchi, Cécile Agosta, Patrick Alexander, Xylar S. Asay-Davis, Alice Barthel, Thomas J. Bracegirdle, Richard Cullather, Denis Felikson, Xavier Fettweis, Jonathan M. Gregory, Tore Hattermann, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Peter Kuipers Munneke, Eric Larour, Christopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Isabel Nias, Andrew Shepherd, Erika Simon, Donald Slater, Robin S. Smith, Fiammetta Straneo, Luke D. Trusel, Michiel R. van den Broeke, and Roderik van de Wal
The Cryosphere, 14, 2331–2368, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2331-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-2331-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper describes the experimental protocol for ice sheet models taking part in the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparion Project for CMIP6 (ISMIP6) and presents an overview of the atmospheric and oceanic datasets to be used for the simulations. The ISMIP6 framework allows for exploring the uncertainty in 21st century sea level change from the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets.
Donald A. Slater, Denis Felikson, Fiamma Straneo, Heiko Goelzer, Christopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Xavier Fettweis, and Sophie Nowicki
The Cryosphere, 14, 985–1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-985-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-985-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Changes in the ocean around Greenland play an important role in determining how much the ice sheet will contribute to global sea level over the coming century. However, capturing these links in models is very challenging. This paper presents a strategy enabling an ensemble of ice sheet models to feel the effect of the ocean for the first time and should therefore result in a significant improvement in projections of the Greenland ice sheet's contribution to future sea level change.
Samuel J. Cook, Poul Christoffersen, Joe Todd, Donald Slater, and Nolwenn Chauché
The Cryosphere, 14, 905–924, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-905-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-905-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This paper models how water flows beneath a large Greenlandic glacier and how the structure of the drainage system it flows in changes over time. We also look at how this affects melting driven by freshwater plumes at the glacier front, as well as the implications for glacier flow and sea-level rise. We find an active drainage system and plumes exist year round, contradicting previous assumptions and suggesting more melting may not slow the glacier down, unlike at other sites in Greenland.
Alice Barthel, Cécile Agosta, Christopher M. Little, Tore Hattermann, Nicolas C. Jourdain, Heiko Goelzer, Sophie Nowicki, Helene Seroussi, Fiammetta Straneo, and Thomas J. Bracegirdle
The Cryosphere, 14, 855–879, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-855-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-855-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We compare existing coupled climate models to select a total of six models to provide forcing to the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheet simulations of the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison Project (ISMIP6). We select models based on (i) their representation of current climate near Antarctica and Greenland relative to observations and (ii) their ability to sample a diversity of projected atmosphere and ocean changes over the 21st century.
Donald A. Slater, Fiamma Straneo, Denis Felikson, Christopher M. Little, Heiko Goelzer, Xavier Fettweis, and James Holte
The Cryosphere, 13, 2489–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2489-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2489-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The ocean's influence on the retreat of Greenland's tidewater glaciers is a key factor determining future sea level. By considering observations of ~200 glaciers from 1960, we find a significant relationship between retreat and melting in the ocean. Projected forwards, this relationship estimates the future evolution of Greenland's tidewater glaciers and provides a practical and empirically validated way of representing ice–ocean interaction in large-scale models used to estimate sea level rise.
Philipp Anhaus, Lars H. Smedsrud, Marius Årthun, and Fiammetta Straneo
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-35, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2019-35, 2019
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Atlantic Water flows towards the Arctic and under floating glaciers on Greenland. Observations in a rift on the 79 North Glacier show presence of such water with temperature of 1 °C at 600 m. We simulate how this warm water melts the floating ice. Melt rates are largest where the glacier starts floating, are smaller where the water rises, and increase linearly with rising ocean temperature. Our results improve the understanding of ocean processes driving melting of floating glaciers.
Till J. W. Wagner, Fiamma Straneo, Clark G. Richards, Donald A. Slater, Laura A. Stevens, Sarah B. Das, and Hanumant Singh
The Cryosphere, 13, 911–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows how complex and varied the processes are that determine the frontal position of tidewater glaciers. Rather than uniform melt or calving rates, a single (medium-sized) glacier can feature regions that retreat almost exclusively due to melting and other regions that retreat only due to calving. This has far-reaching consequences for our understanding of how glaciers retreat or advance.
Marilena Oltmanns, Fiammetta Straneo, and Marco Tedesco
The Cryosphere, 13, 815–825, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-815-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-815-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
By combining reanalysis, weather station and satellite data, we show that increases in surface melt over Greenland are initiated by large-scale precipitation events year-round. Estimates from a regional climate model suggest that the initiated melting more than doubled between 1988 and 2012, amounting to ~28 % of the overall melt and revealing that, despite the involved mass gain, precipitation events are contributing to the ice sheet's decline.
Matthew Osman, Maria A. Zawadowicz, Sarah B. Das, and Daniel J. Cziczo
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 10, 4459–4477, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4459-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-10-4459-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first-time attempt at using time-of-flight single particle mass spectrometry (SPMS) as an emerging online technique for measuring insoluble particles in glacial snow and ice. Using samples from two Greenlandic ice cores, we show that SPMS can constrain the aerodynamic size, composition, and relative abundance of most particulate types on a per-particle basis, reducing the preparation time and resources required of conventional, filter-based particle retrieval methods.
Matthew Osman, Sarah B. Das, Olivier Marchal, and Matthew J. Evans
The Cryosphere, 11, 2439–2462, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2439-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2439-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
We combine a synthesis of 22 ice core records and a model of soluble impurity transport to investigate the enigmatic, post-depositional migration of methanesulfonic acid in polar ice. Our findings suggest that migration may be universal across coastal regions of Greenland and Antarctica, though it is mitigated at sites with higher accumulation and (or) lower impurity content. Records exhibiting severe migration may still be useful for inferring decadal and lower-frequency climate variability.
Francisco Machío, Ricardo Rodríguez-Cielos, Francisco Navarro, Javier Lapazaran, and Jaime Otero
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 751–764, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-751-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-751-2017, 2017
Johannes Jakob Fürst, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Toby J. Benham, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Mariusz Grabiec, Francisco Navarro, Rickard Pettersson, Geir Moholdt, Christopher Nuth, Björn Sass, Kjetil Aas, Xavier Fettweis, Charlotte Lang, Thorsten Seehaus, and Matthias Braun
The Cryosphere, 11, 2003–2032, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2003-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2003-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
For the large majority of glaciers and ice caps, there is no information on the thickness of the ice cover. Any attempt to predict glacier demise under climatic warming and to estimate the future contribution to sea-level rise is limited as long as the glacier thickness is not well constrained. Here, we present a two-step mass-conservation approach for mapping ice thickness. Measurements are naturally reproduced. The reliability is readily assessible from a complementary map of error estimates.
Ricardo Rodríguez Cielos, Julián Aguirre de Mata, Andrés Díez Galilea, Marina Álvarez Alonso, Pedro Rodríguez Cielos, and Francisco Navarro Valero
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 8, 341–353, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-341-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-8-341-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The study of glacier fronts combines different geomatics measurement techniques. It is practically impossible to realize, in the case of glacier fronts that end up in the sea (tide water glaciers). The images obtained from the front come from a non-metric digital camera. The result of observations obtained were applied to study the temporal evolution (1957–2014) of the position of the Johnsons glacier and the position of the Hurd glacier, near BAE Juan Carlos I in Livingston Island (Antarctica).
B. Osmanoglu, F. J. Navarro, R. Hock, M. Braun, and M. I. Corcuera
The Cryosphere, 8, 1807–1823, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1807-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Discipline: Ice sheets | Subject: Ocean Interactions
Brief communication: Sea-level projections, adaptation planning, and actionable science
Sub-shelf melt pattern and ice sheet mass loss governed by meltwater flow below ice shelves
Brief Communication: Representation of heat conduction into the ice in marine ice shelf melt modeling
High-Fidelity Modeling of Turbulent Mixing and Basal Melting in Seawater Intrusion Under Grounded Ice
Local forcing mechanisms challenge parameterizations of ocean thermal forcing for Greenland tidewater glaciers
Modelling Antarctic ice shelf basal melt patterns using the one-layer Antarctic model for dynamical downscaling of ice–ocean exchanges (LADDIE v1.0)
Basal melt rates and ocean circulation under the Ryder Glacier ice tongue and their response to climate warming: a high-resolution modelling study
Can rifts alter ocean dynamics beneath ice shelves?
Large-eddy simulations of the ice-shelf–ocean boundary layer near the ice front of Nansen Ice Shelf, Antarctica
The impact of tides on Antarctic ice shelf melting
Layered seawater intrusion and melt under grounded ice
The Antarctic Coastal Current in the Bellingshausen Sea
Twenty-first century ocean forcing of the Greenland ice sheet for modelling of sea level contribution
Exploring mechanisms responsible for tidal modulation in flow of the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf
Melt at grounding line controls observed and future retreat of Smith, Pope, and Kohler glaciers
Sensitivity of a calving glacier to ice–ocean interactions under climate change: new insights from a 3-D full-Stokes model
Brief communication: PICOP, a new ocean melt parameterization under ice shelves combining PICO and a plume model
Seasonal dynamics of Totten Ice Shelf controlled by sea ice buttressing
Grounding line migration through the calving season at Jakobshavn Isbræ, Greenland, observed with terrestrial radar interferometry
William H. Lipscomb, David Behar, and Monica Ainhorn Morrison
The Cryosphere, 19, 793–803, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-793-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-793-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
As communities try to adapt to climate change, they look for "actionable science" that can inform decision-making. There are risks in relying on novel results that are not yet accepted by the science community. We propose a practical criterion for determining which scientific claims are actionable. We show how premature acceptance of sea-level-rise predictions can lead to confusion and backtracking, and we suggest best practices for communication between scientists and adaptation planners.
Franka Jesse, Erwin Lambert, and Roderik S. W. van de Wal
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4058, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4058, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We introduce the coupling of a sub-shelf melt model with an ice sheet model to explore how horizontal meltwater flow below ice shelves affects ice sheet mass loss over time. We show that accurately modelling the meltwater flow direction leads to distinct feedbacks and transient volume loss, not captured by melt parameterisations that simplify flow direction. Our results highlight the importance of refining the meltwater flow representation in ice sheet models to improve sea level projections.
Jonathan Wiskandt and Nicolas Jourdain
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2239, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2239, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In ocean models, submarine melt of ice shelves is parameterized based on the heat budget at the interface. The heat budget includes the ocean heat transport, the heat conducted into the ice and the heat available for melting. Here we compare three different approaches to estimate the heat conduction. We show that the most accurate approximation is not the one used most, despite it overestimating the melt by up to 25 % and not being computationally more expensive.
Madeline S. Mamer, Alexander A. Robel, Chris C. K. Lai, Earle Wilson, and Peter Washam
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1970, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1970, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this work, we simulate estuary-like seawater intrusions into the subglacial hydrologic system for marine outlet glaciers. We find the largest controls on seawater intrusion are the subglacial space geometry and meltwater discharge velocity. Further, we highlight the importance of extending ocean-forced ice loss to grounded portions of the ice sheet, which is currently not represented in models coupling ice sheets to ocean dynamics.
Alexander O. Hager, David A. Sutherland, and Donald A. Slater
The Cryosphere, 18, 911–932, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-911-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-911-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Warming ocean temperatures cause considerable ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet; however climate models are unable to resolve the complex ocean processes within fjords that influence near-glacier ocean temperatures. Here, we use a computer model to test the accuracy of assumptions that allow climate and ice sheet models to project near-glacier ocean temperatures, and thus glacier melt, into the future. We then develop new methods that improve accuracy by accounting for local ocean processes.
Erwin Lambert, André Jüling, Roderik S. W. van de Wal, and Paul R. Holland
The Cryosphere, 17, 3203–3228, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3203-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
A major uncertainty in the study of sea level rise is the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet by the ocean. Here, we have developed a new model, named LADDIE, that simulates this ocean-driven melting of the floating parts of the Antarctic ice sheet. This model simulates fine-scale patterns of melting and freezing and requires significantly fewer computational resources than state-of-the-art ocean models. LADDIE can be used as a new tool to force high-resolution ice sheet models.
Jonathan Wiskandt, Inga Monika Koszalka, and Johan Nilsson
The Cryosphere, 17, 2755–2777, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2755-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2755-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding ice–ocean interactions under floating ice tongues in Greenland and Antarctica is a major challenge in climate modelling and a source of uncertainty in future sea level projections. We use a high-resolution ocean model to investigate basal melting and melt-driven circulation under the floating tongue of Ryder Glacier, northwestern Greenland. We study the response to oceanic and atmospheric warming. Our results are universal and relevant for the development of climate models.
Mattia Poinelli, Michael Schodlok, Eric Larour, Miren Vizcaino, and Riccardo Riva
The Cryosphere, 17, 2261–2283, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2261-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2261-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Rifts are fractures on ice shelves that connect the ice on top to the ocean below. The impact of rifts on ocean circulation below Antarctic ice shelves has been largely unexplored as ocean models are commonly run at resolutions that are too coarse to resolve the presence of rifts. Our model simulations show that a kilometer-wide rift near the ice-shelf front modulates heat intrusion beneath the ice and inhibits basal melt. These processes are therefore worthy of further investigation.
Ji Sung Na, Taekyun Kim, Emilia Kyung Jin, Seung-Tae Yoon, Won Sang Lee, Sukyoung Yun, and Jiyeon Lee
The Cryosphere, 16, 3451–3468, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3451-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Beneath the Antarctic ice shelf, sub-ice-shelf plume flow that can cause turbulent mixing exists. In this study, we investigate how this flow affects ocean dynamics and ice melting near the ice front. Our results obtained by validated simulation show that higher turbulence intensity results in vigorous ice melting due to the high heat entrainment. Moreover, this flow with meltwater created by this flow highly affects the ocean overturning circulations near the ice front.
Ole Richter, David E. Gwyther, Matt A. King, and Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi
The Cryosphere, 16, 1409–1429, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1409-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1409-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tidal currents may play an important role in Antarctic ice sheet retreat by changing the rate at which the ocean melts glaciers. Here, using a computational ocean model, we derive the first estimate of present-day tidal melting that covers all of Antarctica. Our results suggest that large-scale ocean models aiming to accurately predict ice melt rates will need to account for the effects of tides. The inclusion of tide-induced friction at the ice–ocean interface should be prioritized.
Alexander A. Robel, Earle Wilson, and Helene Seroussi
The Cryosphere, 16, 451–469, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-451-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-451-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Warm seawater may intrude as a thin layer below glaciers in contact with the ocean. Mathematical theory predicts that this intrusion may extend over distances of kilometers under realistic conditions. Computer models demonstrate that if this warm seawater causes melting of a glacier bottom, it can cause rates of glacier ice loss and sea level rise to be up to 2 times faster in response to potential future ocean warming.
Ryan Schubert, Andrew F. Thompson, Kevin Speer, Lena Schulze Chretien, and Yana Bebieva
The Cryosphere, 15, 4179–4199, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4179-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4179-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Antarctic Coastal Current (AACC) is an ocean current found along the coast of Antarctica. Using measurements of temperature and salinity collected by instrumented seals, the AACC is shown to be a continuous circulation feature throughout West Antarctica. Due to its proximity to the coast, the AACC's structure influences oceanic melting of West Antarctic ice shelves. These melt rates impact the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet with global implications for future sea level change.
Donald A. Slater, Denis Felikson, Fiamma Straneo, Heiko Goelzer, Christopher M. Little, Mathieu Morlighem, Xavier Fettweis, and Sophie Nowicki
The Cryosphere, 14, 985–1008, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-985-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-985-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Changes in the ocean around Greenland play an important role in determining how much the ice sheet will contribute to global sea level over the coming century. However, capturing these links in models is very challenging. This paper presents a strategy enabling an ensemble of ice sheet models to feel the effect of the ocean for the first time and should therefore result in a significant improvement in projections of the Greenland ice sheet's contribution to future sea level change.
Sebastian H. R. Rosier and G. Hilmar Gudmundsson
The Cryosphere, 14, 17–37, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-17-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-17-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The flow of ice shelves is now known to be strongly affected by ocean tides, but the mechanism by which this happens is unclear. We use a viscoelastic model to try to reproduce observations of this behaviour on the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf in Antarctica. We find that tilting of the ice shelf explains the short-period behaviour, while tidally induced movement of the grounding line (the boundary between grounded and floating ice) explains the more complex long-period response.
David A. Lilien, Ian Joughin, Benjamin Smith, and Noel Gourmelen
The Cryosphere, 13, 2817–2834, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2817-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2817-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
We used a number of computer simulations to understand the recent retreat of a rapidly changing group of glaciers in West Antarctica. We found that significant melt underneath the floating extensions of the glaciers, driven by relatively warm ocean water at depth, was likely needed to cause the large retreat that has been observed. If melt continues around current rates, retreat is likely to continue through the coming century and extend beyond the present-day drainage area of these glaciers.
Joe Todd, Poul Christoffersen, Thomas Zwinger, Peter Råback, and Douglas I. Benn
The Cryosphere, 13, 1681–1694, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1681-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1681-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland Ice Sheet loses 30 %–60 % of its ice due to iceberg calving. Calving processes and their links to climate are not well understood or incorporated into numerical models of glaciers. Here we use a new 3-D calving model to investigate calving at Store Glacier, West Greenland, and test its sensitivity to increased submarine melting and reduced support from ice mélange (sea ice and icebergs). We find Store remains fairly stable despite these changes, but less so in the southern side.
Tyler Pelle, Mathieu Morlighem, and Johannes H. Bondzio
The Cryosphere, 13, 1043–1049, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1043-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1043-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
How ocean-induced melt under floating ice shelves will change as ocean currents evolve remains a big uncertainty in projections of sea level rise. In this study, we combine two of the most recently developed melt models to form PICOP, which overcomes the limitations of past models and produces accurate ice shelf melt rates. We find that our model is easy to set up and computationally efficient, providing researchers an important tool to improve the accuracy of their future glacial projections.
Chad A. Greene, Duncan A. Young, David E. Gwyther, Benjamin K. Galton-Fenzi, and Donald D. Blankenship
The Cryosphere, 12, 2869–2882, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2869-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2869-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We show that Totten Ice Shelf accelerates each spring in response to the breakup of seasonal landfast sea ice at the ice shelf calving front. The previously unreported seasonal flow variability may have aliased measurements in at least one previous study of Totten's response to ocean forcing on interannual timescales. The role of sea ice in buttressing the flow of the ice shelf implies that long-term changes in sea ice cover could have impacts on the mass balance of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet.
Surui Xie, Timothy H. Dixon, Denis Voytenko, Fanghui Deng, and David M. Holland
The Cryosphere, 12, 1387–1400, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1387-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1387-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Time-varying velocity and topography of the terminus of Jakobshavn Isbræ were observed with a terrestrial radar interferometer in three summer campaigns (2012, 2015, 2016). Surface elevation and tidal responses of ice speed suggest a narrow floating zone in early summer, while in late summer the entire glacier is likely grounded. We hypothesize that Jakobshavn Isbræ advances a few km in winter to form a floating zone but loses this floating portion in the subsequent summer through calving.
Cited articles
Arimitsu, M. L., Piatt, J. F., Madison, E. N., Conaway, J. S., and
Hillgruber, N.: Oceanographic gradients and seabird prey community dynamics
in glacial fjords, Fish. Oceanogr., 21, 148–169,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2419.2012.00616.x, 2012.
Arrigo, K. R., van Dijken, G. L., Castelao, R. M., Luo, H., Rennermalm,
Å. K., Tedesco, M., Mote, T. L., Oliver, H., and Yager, P. L.: Melting
glaciers stimulate large summer phytoplankton blooms in southwest Greenland
waters, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 6278–6285, https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073583,
2017.
Baines, P. G.: Two-dimensional plumes in stratified environments, J. Fluid
Mech., 471, 315–337, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112002002215, 2002.
Bamber, J., van den Broeke, M., Ettema, J., Lenaerts, J., and Rignot, E.:
Recent large increases in freshwater fluxes from Greenland into the North
Atlantic, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L19501, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL052552, 2012.
Bhatia, M. P., Kujawinski, E. B., Das, S. B., Breier, C. F., Henderson, P.
B., and Charette, M. A.: Greenland meltwater as a significant and potentially
bioavailable source of iron to the ocean, Nat. Geosci., 6, 274–278,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1746, 2013.
Bleninger, T. and Jirka, G.: Near- and far-field model coupling methodology
for wastewater discharges, in: Environmental Hydraulics and Sustainable Water
Management, Two Volume Set, vol. 1, edited by: Lee, J. H. W. and Lam, K. M.,
CRC Press, London, 447–453, 2004.
Böning, C. W., Behrens, E., Biastoch, A., Getzlaff, K., and Bamber, J.
L.: Emerging impact of Greenland meltwater on deepwater formation in the
North Atlantic Ocean, Nat. Geosci., 9, 523–527, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2740,
2016.
Campbell, F. M. A., Nienow, P. W., and Purves, R. S.: Role of the
supraglacial snowpack in mediating meltwater delivery to the glacier system
as inferred from dye tracer investigations, Hydrol. Process., 20,
969–985, https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6115, 2006.
Cape, M. R., Straneo, F., Beaird, N., Bundy, R. M., and Charette, M. A.:
Nutrient release to oceans from buoyancy-driven upwelling at Greenland
tidewater glaciers, Nat. Geosci., 12, 34–39,
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0268-4, 2019.
Carazzo, G., Kaminski, E., and Tait, S.: On the rise of turbulent plumes:
Quantitative effects of variable entrainment for submarine hydrothermal
vents, terrestrial and extra terrestrial explosive volcanism, J. Geophys.
Res., 113, B90201, https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JB005458, 2008.
Carroll, D., Sutherland, D. A., Shroyer, E. L., Nash, J. D., Catania, G. A.,
and Stearns, L. A.: Modeling Turbulent Subglacial Meltwater Plumes:
Implications for Fjord-Scale Buoyancy-Driven Circulation, J. Phys.
Oceanogr., 45, 2169–2185, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-15-0033.1, 2015.
Carroll, D., Sutherland, D. A., Hudson, B., Moon, T., Catania, G. A.,
Shroyer, E. L., Nash, J. D., Bartholomaus, T. C., Felikson, D., Stearns, L.
A., Noël, B. P. Y., and van den Broeke, M. R.: The impact of glacier
geometry on meltwater plume structure and submarine melt in Greenland
fjords, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43, 9739–9748, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070170,
2016.
Caufield, C. P. and Woods, A. W.: Turbulent gravitational convection from a
point source in a non-uniformly stratified environment, J. Fluid Mech., 360,
229–248, https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112098008623, 1998.
Cowton, T., Nienow, P., Sole, A., Wadham, J., Lis, G., Bartholomew, I.,
Mair, D., and Chandler, D.: Evolution of drainage system morphology at a
land-terminating Greenlandic outlet glacier, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth,
118, 29–41, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JF002540, 2013.
Cowton, T., Sole, A., Nienow, P., Slater, D., Wilton, D., and Hanna, E.:
Controls on the transport of oceanic heat to Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier, East
Greenland, J. Glaciol., 62, 1167–1180, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.117, 2016.
Cuffey, K. M. and Paterson, W. S. B.: The Physics of Glaciers, 4th Edn.,
Elsevier, Oxford, UK, 2010.
Curry, B., Lee, C. M., Petrie, B., Moritz, R. E., and Kwok, R.: Multiyear
Volume, Liquid Freshwater, and Sea Ice Transports through Davis Strait,
2004–10*, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 44, 1244–1266,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-13-0177.1, 2014.
De Andrés, E., Otero, J., Navarro, F., Prominska, A., Lapazaran, J., and
Walczowski, W.: A two-dimensional glacier–fjord coupled model applied to
estimate submarine melt rates and front position changes of Hansbreen,
Svalbard, J. Glaciol., 64, 745–758, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2018.61, 2018.
Enderlin, E. M., Howat, I. M., Jeong, S., Noh, M.-J., van Angelen, J. H., and
van den Broeke, M. R.: An improved mass budget for the Greenland ice sheet,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 41, 866–872, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013GL059010, 2014.
Enderlin, E. M., Hamilton, G. S., Straneo, F., and Sutherland, D. A.: Iceberg
meltwater fluxes dominate the freshwater budget in Greenland's
iceberg-congested glacial fjords, Geophys. Res. Lett., 43,
11287–11294, https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070718, 2016.
Fountain, A. G. and Walder, J. S.: Water flow through temperate glaciers,
Rev. Geophys., 36, 299–328, https://doi.org/10.1029/97RG03579, 1998.
Fried, M. J., Catania, G. A., Bartholomaus, T. C., Duncan, D., Davis, M.,
Stearns, L. A., Nash, J., Shroyer, E., and Sutherland, D.: Distributed
subglacial discharge drives significant submarine melt at a Greenland
tidewater glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 9328–9336,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2015GL065806, 2015.
Gladish, C. V., Holland, D. M., Rosing-Asvid, A., Behrens, J. W., and Boje,
J.: Oceanic Boundary Conditions for Jakobshavn Glacier. Part I: Variability
and Renewal of Ilulissat Icefjord Waters, 2001–14, J. Phys. Oceanogr.,
45, 3–32, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-14-0044.1, 2015a.
Gladish, C. V., Holland, D. M., and Lee, C. M.: Oceanic Boundary Conditions
for Jakobshavn Glacier. Part II: Provenance and Sources of Variability of
Disko Bay and Ilulissat Icefjord Waters, 1990–2011, J. Phys. Oceanogr.,
45, 33–63, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-14-0045.1, 2015b.
Greenwood, S. L., Clason, C. C., Helanow, C. and Margold, M.: Theoretical,
contemporary observational and palaeo-perspectives on ice sheet hydrology:
Processes and products, Earth-Sci. Rev., 155, 1–27,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2016.01.010, 2016.
Holland, D. M. and Jenkins, A.: Modeling Thermodynamic Ice–Ocean
Interactions at the Base of an Ice Shelf, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 29,
1787–1800, https://doi.org/10.1175/1520-0485(1999)029<1787:MTIOIA>2.0.CO;2, 1999.
Hopwood, M. J., Carroll, D., Browning, T. J., Meire, L., Mortensen, J.,
Krisch, S., and Achterberg, E. P.: Non-linear response of summertime marine
productivity to increased meltwater discharge around Greenland, Nat.
Commun., 9, 3256, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05488-8, 2018.
How, P., Schild, K. M., Benn, D. I., Noormets, R., Kirchner, N., Luckman,
A., Vallot, D., Hulton, N. R. J., and Borstad, C.: Calving controlled by
melt-under-cutting: detailed calving styles revealed through time-lapse
observations, Ann. Glaciol., 60, 20–31, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2018.28, 2019.
IOC, SCOR and IAPSO: The international thermodynamic equation of
seawater–2010: Calculation and use of thermodynamic properties,
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, Manuals and Guides No. 56,
UNESCO, 166 pp., 2010.
Jackson, R. H., Straneo, F., and Sutherland, D. A.: Externally forced
fluctuations in ocean temperature at Greenland glaciers in non-summer
months, Nat. Geosci., 7, 503–508, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2186, 2014.
Jackson, R. H., Shroyer, E. L., Nash, J. D., Sutherland, D. A., Carroll, D.,
Fried, M. J., Catania, G. A., Bartholomaus, T. C., and Stearns, L. A.:
Near-glacier surveying of a subglacial discharge plume: Implications for
plume parameterizations, Geophys. Res. Lett., 44, 6886–6894,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073602, 2017.
Jenkins, A.: Convection-Driven Melting near the Grounding Lines of Ice
Shelves and Tidewater Glaciers, J. Phys. Oceanogr., 41, 2279–2294,
https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-11-03.1, 2011.
Jirka, G. H.: Integral Model for Turbulent Buoyant Jets in Unbounded
Stratified Flows. Part I: Single Round Jet, Environ. Fluid Mech., 4,
1–56, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025583110842, 2004.
Jiskoot, H., Juhlin, D., St Pierre, H., and Citterio, M.: Tidewater glacier
fluctuations in central East Greenland coastal and fjord regions
(1980s–2005), Ann. Glaciol., 53, 35–44, https://doi.org/10.3189/2012AoG60A030,
2012.
Kimura, S., Holland, P. R., Jenkins, A., and Piggott, M.: The Effect of
Meltwater Plumes on the Melting of a Vertical Glacier Face, J. Phys.
Oceanogr., 44, 3099–3117, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-13-0219.1, 2014.
Korsun, S. and Hald, M.: Seasonal dynamics of benthic foraminifera in a
glacially fed fjord of Svalbard, European Arctic, J. Foramin. Res.,
30, 251–271, https://doi.org/10.2113/0300251, 2000.
List, E. J.: Turbulent Jets and Plumes, Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech., 14,
189–212, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.fl.14.010182.001201, 1982.
Lliboutry, L.: Modifications to the Theory of Intraglacial Waterways for the
Case of Subglacial Ones, J. Glaciol., 29, 216–226,
https://doi.org/10.3189/S0022143000008273, 1983.
Luckman, A., Benn, D. I., Cottier, F., Bevan, S., Nilsen, F., and Inall, M.:
Calving rates at tidewater glaciers vary strongly with ocean temperature,
Nat. Commun., 6, 1–7, https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9566, 2015.
Luo, H., Castelao, R. M., Rennermalm, A. K., Tedesco, M., Bracco, A., Yager,
P. L., and Mote, T. L.: Oceanic transport of surface meltwater from the
southern Greenland ice sheet, Nat. Geosci., 9, 528–532,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2708, 2016.
Mankoff, K. D., Straneo, F., Cenedese, C., Das, S. B., Richards, C. G., and
Singh, H.: Structure and dynamics of a subglacial discharge plume in a
Greenlandic fjord, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 121, 8670–8688,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC011764, 2016.
McDougall, T. J. and Barker, P. M.: Getting started with TEO-10 and the
Gibbs Seawarer Oceanographic Toolbox, v3.05, 28 pp., edited by: SCOR/IAPSO
WG127, 2011.
Meire, L., Søgaard, D. H., Mortensen, J., Meysman, F. J. R., Soetaert, K., Arendt, K. E., Juul-Pedersen, T., Blicher, M. E., and Rysgaard, S.: Glacial meltwater and primary production are drivers of strong CO2 uptake in fjord and coastal waters adjacent to the Greenland Ice Sheet, Biogeosciences, 12, 2347–2363, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-2347-2015, 2015.
Meire, L., Mortensen, J., Meire, P., Juul-Pedersen, T., Sejr, M. K.,
Rysgaard, S., Nygaard, R., Huybrechts, P., and Meysman, F. J. R.:
Marine-terminating glaciers sustain high productivity in Greenland fjords,
Glob. Change Biol., 23, 5344–5357, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13801, 2017.
Moon, T., Joughin, I., Smith, B., and Howat, I.: 21st-Century Evolution of
Greenland Outlet Glacier Velocities, Science, 336, 576–578,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1219985, 2012.
Moon, T., Sutherland, D. A., Carroll, D., Felikson, D., Kehrl, L., and
Straneo, F.: Subsurface iceberg melt key to Greenland fjord freshwater
budget, Nat. Geosci., 11, 49–54, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-017-0018-z, 2018.
Mortensen, J., Bendtsen, J., Motyka, R. J., Lennert, K., Truffer, M.,
Fahnestock, M., and Rysgaard, S.: On the seasonal freshwater stratification
in the proximity of fast-flowing tidewater outlet glaciers in a sub-Arctic
sill fjord, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 118, 1382–1395,
https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrc.20134, 2013.
Morton, B. R., Taylor, G., and Turner, J. S.: Turbulent Gravitational
Convection from Maintained and Instantaneous Sources, P. R. Soc. A, 234, 1–23, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1956.0011, 1956.
Motyka, R. J., Dryer, W. P., Amundson, J., Truffer, M., and Fahnestock, M.:
Rapid submarine melting driven by subglacial discharge, LeConte Glacier,
Alaska, Geophys. Res. Lett., 40, 5153–5158, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.51011,
2013.
Mugford, R. I. and Dowdeswell, J. A.: Modeling glacial meltwater plume
dynamics and sedimentation in high-latitude fjords, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 116, F01023, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JF001735, 2011.
Nghiem, S. V., Hall, D. K., Mote, T. L., Tedesco, M., Albert, M. R., Keegan,
K., Shuman, C. A., DiGirolamo, N. E., and Neumann, G.: The extreme melt
across the Greenland ice sheet in 2012, Geophys. Res. Lett., 39, L20502,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2012GL053611, 2012.
O'Leary, M. and Christoffersen, P.: Calving on tidewater glaciers amplified by submarine frontal melting, The Cryosphere, 7, 119–128, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-119-2013, 2013.
Oliver, H., Luo, H., Castelao, R. M., van Dijken, G. L., Mattingly, K. S.,
Rosen, J. J., Mote, T. L., Arrigo, K. R., Rennermalm, Å. K., Tedesco, M.,
and Yager, P. L.: Exploring the Potential Impact of Greenland Meltwater on
Stratification, Photosynthetically Active Radiation, and Primary Production
in the Labrador Sea, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 123, 2570–2591,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2018JC013802, 2018.
Rabe, B., Karcher, M., Schauer, U., Toole, J. M., Krishfield, R. A.,
Pisarev, S., Kauker, F., Gerdes, R., and Kikuchi, T.: An assessment of Arctic
Ocean freshwater content changes from the 1990s to the 2006–2008 period,
Deep-Sea Res. Pt. I, 58, 173–185,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2010.12.002, 2011.
Rignot, E., Velicogna, I., van den Broeke, M. R., Monaghan, A., and Lenaerts,
J. T. M.: Acceleration of the contribution of the Greenland and Antarctic
ice sheets to sea level rise, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L05503,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL046583, 2011.
Saenko, O. A., Yang, D., and Myers, P. G.: Response of the North Atlantic
dynamic sea level and circulation to Greenland meltwater and climate change
in an eddy-permitting ocean model, Clim. Dynam., 49, 2895–2910,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00382-016-3495-7, 2017.
Schild, K. M., Hawley, R. L., and Morriss, B. F.: Subglacial hydrology at
Rink Isbræ, West Greenland inferred from sediment plume appearance, Ann.
Glaciol., 57, 118–127, https://doi.org/10.1017/aog.2016.1, 2016.
Schild, K. M., Renshaw, C. E., Benn, D. I., Luckman, A., Hawley, R. L., How,
P., Trusel, L., Cottier, F. R., Pramanik, A., and Hulton, N. R. J.: Glacier
Calving Rates Due to Subglacial Discharge, Fjord Circulation, and Free
Convection, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 123, 2189–2204,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004520, 2018.
Sciascia, R., Straneo, F., Cenedese, C., and Heimbach, P.: Seasonal
variability of submarine melt rate and circulation in an East Greenland
fjord, J. Geophys. Res.-Oceans, 118, 2492–2506, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrc.20142,
2013.
Shepherd, A., Ivins, E. R., A, G., Barletta, V. R., Bentley, M. J.,
Bettadpur, S., Briggs, K. H., Bromwich, D. H., Forsberg, R., Galin, N.,
Horwath, M., Jacobs, S., Joughin, I., King, M. A., Lenaerts, J. T. M., Li,
J., Ligtenberg, S. R. M., Luckman, A., Luthcke, S. B., McMillan, M.,
Meister, R., Milne, G., Mouginot, J., Muir, A., Nicolas, J. P., Paden, J.,
Payne, A. J., Pritchard, H., Rignot, E., Rott, H., Sorensen, L. S., Scambos,
T. A., Scheuchl, B., Schrama, E. J. O., Smith, B., Sundal, A. V., van
Angelen, J. H., van de Berg, W. J., van den Broeke, M. R., Vaughan, D. G.,
Velicogna, I., Wahr, J., Whitehouse, P. L., Wingham, D. J., Yi, D., Young,
D., and Zwally, H. J.: A Reconciled Estimate of Ice-Sheet Mass Balance,
Science, 338, 1183–1189, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1228102, 2012.
Slater, D., Nienow, P., Sole, A., Cowton, T., Mottram, R., Langen, P., and
Mair, D.: Spatially distributed runoff at the grounding line of a large
Greenlandic tidewater glacier inferred from plume modelling, J. Glaciol.,
63, 309–323, https://doi.org/10.1017/jog.2016.139, 2017.
Slater, D. A., Nienow, P. W., Cowton, T. R., Goldberg, D. N., and Sole, A.
J.: Effect of near-terminus subglacial hydrology on tidewater glacier
submarine melt rates, Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2861–2868,
https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062494, 2015.
Slater, D. A., Goldberg, D. N., Nienow, P. W., and Cowton, T. R.: Scalings
for Submarine Melting at Tidewater Glaciers from Buoyant Plume Theory, J.
Phys. Oceanogr., 46, 1839–1855, https://doi.org/10.1175/JPO-D-15-0132.1, 2016.
Slater, D. A., Straneo, F., Das, S. B., Richards, C. G., Wagner, T. J. W.,
and Nienow, P. W.: Localized Plumes Drive Front-Wide Ocean Melting of A
Greenlandic Tidewater Glacier, Geophys. Res. Lett., 45, 12350–12358,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GL080763, 2018.
Slater, D. A., Straneo, F., Felikson, D., Little, C. M., Goelzer, H., Fettweis, X., and Holte, J.: Estimating Greenland tidewater glacier retreat driven by submarine melting, The Cryosphere, 13, 2489–2509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2489-2019, 2019.
Smith, L. C., Chu, V. W., Yang, K., Gleason, C. J., Pitcher, L. H.,
Rennermalm, A. K., Legleiter, C. J., Behar, A. E., Overstreet, B. T.,
Moustafa, S. E., Tedesco, M., Forster, R. R., LeWinter, A. L., Finnegan, D.
C., Sheng, Y., and Balog, J.: Efficient meltwater drainage through
supraglacial streams and rivers on the southwest Greenland ice sheet, P.
Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 112, 1001–1006, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1413024112, 2015.
Stevens, L. A., Straneo, F., Das, S. B., Plueddemann, A. J., Kukulya, A. L., and Morlighem, M.: Linking glacially modified waters to catchment-scale subglacial discharge using autonomous underwater vehicle observations, The Cryosphere, 10, 417–432, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-417-2016, 2016.
Straneo, F.: Temperature and salinity profiles adjacent to a tidewater glacier in Sarqardleq Fjord, West Greenland, collected during July 2013, Arctic Data Center, https://doi.org/10.18739/A2B853H78, 2019.
Straneo, F.: Water temperature, salinity, and velocity taken by CTD and ADCP from a small boat and remote-controlled surface vehicle from 2012-07-16 to 2012-07-25 in Sarqardleq Fjord, Greenland (NCEI Accession 0210572), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Dataset, available at: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0210572 (last access: 15 June 2020), 2020.
Straneo, F. and Cenedese, C.: The Dynamics of Greenland's Glacial Fjords and
Their Role in Climate, Annu. Rev. Mar. Sci., 7, 89–112,
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-010213-135133, 2015.
Straneo, F., Curry, R. G., Sutherland, D. A., Hamilton, G. S., Cenedese, C.,
Våge, K., and Stearns, L. A.: Impact of fjord dynamics and glacial runoff
on the circulation near Helheim Glacier, Nat. Geosci., 4, 322–327,
https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo1109, 2011.
Straneo, F., Sutherland, D. A., Holland, D., Gladish, C., Hamilton, G. S.,
Johnson, H. L., Rignot, E., Xu, Y., and Koppes, M.: Characteristics of ocean
waters reaching Greenland's glaciers, Ann. Glaciol., 53, 202–210,
https://doi.org/10.3189/2012AoG60A059, 2012.
Straneo, F., Richards, C., and Holte, J.: Eastward and northward components of ocean current profiles from ADCP taken from small boat in Sarqardleq Fjord adjacent to a tidewater glacier, West Greenland from 2013-07-25 to 2013-07-27 (NCEI Accession 0177127), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Dataset, available at: https://accession.nodc.noaa.gov/0177127 (last access: 12 June 2020), 2018.
Tedesco, M., Fettweis, X., Mote, T., Wahr, J., Alexander, P., Box, J. E., and Wouters, B.: Evidence and analysis of 2012 Greenland records from spaceborne observations, a regional climate model and reanalysis data, The Cryosphere, 7, 615–630, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-615-2013, 2013.
Vallot, D., Åström, J., Zwinger, T., Pettersson, R., Everett, A., Benn, D. I., Luckman, A., van Pelt, W. J. J., Nick, F., and Kohler, J.: Effects of undercutting and sliding on calving: a global approach applied to Kronebreen, Svalbard, The Cryosphere, 12, 609–625, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-609-2018, 2018.
van den Broeke, M., Bamber, J., Ettema, J., Rignot, E., Schrama, E., van de
Berg, W. J., van Meijgaard, E., Velicogna, I., and Wouters, B.: Partitioning
Recent Greenland Mass Loss, Science, 326, 984–986,
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1178176, 2009.
Wagner, T. J. W., Straneo, F., Richards, C. G., Slater, D. A., Stevens, L. A., Das, S. B., and Singh, H.: Large spatial variations in the flux balance along the front of a Greenland tidewater glacier, The Cryosphere, 13, 911–925, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-911-2019, 2019.
Xu, Y., Rignot, E., Fenty, I., Menemenlis, D., and Flexas, M. M.: Subaqueous
melting of Store Glacier, west Greenland from three-dimensional,
high-resolution numerical modeling and ocean observations, Geophys. Res.
Lett., 40, 4648–4653, https://doi.org/10.1002/grl.50825, 2013.
Short summary
Buoyant plumes at tidewater glaciers result from localized subglacial discharges of surface melt. They promote glacier submarine melting and influence the delivery of nutrients to the fjord's surface waters. Combining plume theory with observations, we have found that increased fjord stratification, which is due to larger meltwater content, prevents the vertical growth of the plume and buffers submarine melting. We discuss the implications for nutrient fluxes, CO2 trapping and water export.
Buoyant plumes at tidewater glaciers result from localized subglacial discharges of surface...
