Articles | Volume 15, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1587-2021
© Author(s) 2021. 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-15-1587-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
01 Apr 2021
Research article |
| 01 Apr 2021
| 01 Apr 2021
Winter drainage of surface lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet from Sentinel-1 SAR imagery
Corinne L. Benedek
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK
Ian C. Willis
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1ER, UK
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Cited
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Wintertime Supraglacial Lake Drainage Cascade Triggers Large‐Scale Ice Flow Response in Greenland N. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102251
- The drainage of glacier and ice sheet surface lakes C. Schoof et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.130
- Global seasonal dynamics of inland open water and ice A. Pickens et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112963
- Satellite monitoring of Greenland wintertime buried lake drainage and potential ice flow response J. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.115157
- Recent significant subseasonal fluctuations of supraglacial lakes on Greenland monitored by passive optical satellites J. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.114896
- Automatic Supraglacial Lake Extraction in Greenland Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images and Attention-Based U-Net D. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14194998
- Automated Detection and Mapping of Supraglacial Lakes Using Machine Learning From ICESat-2 and Sentinel-2 Data G. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3602429
- The potential of synthetic aperture radar interferometry for assessing meltwater lake dynamics on Antarctic ice shelves W. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021
- Supraglacial lake evolution on Tracy and Heilprin Glaciers in northwestern Greenland from 2014 to 2021 Y. Wang & S. Sugiyama https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114006
- A decade of winter supraglacial lake drainage across Northeast Greenland using C-band SAR C. Dean et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1559-2026
- Monitoring of Supraglacial Lake Distribution and Full-Year Changes Using Multisource Time-Series Satellite Imagery D. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15245726
- Multi-sensor imaging of winter buried lakes in the Greenland Ice Sheet L. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113688
- Contrasting regional variability of buried meltwater extent over 2 years across the Greenland Ice Sheet D. Dunmire et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2983-2021
- Detection of weekly buried meltwater in Greenland Ice Sheet with Sentinel-1 imagery L. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2025.2513045
- Supraglacial Lake Evolution over Northeast Greenland Using Deep Learning Methods K. Lutz et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15174360
- Future growth and decline of high mountain Asia's ice-dammed lakes and associated risk L. Compagno et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00520-8
- A comparison of supraglacial meltwater features throughout contrasting melt seasons: southwest Greenland E. Glen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1047-2025
- Multi-mode SAR observations of interannual frozen regimes of glacial lakes in central Himalaya M. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103870
- Supraglacial lake expansion, intensified lake drainage frequency, and first observation of coupled lake drainage, during 1985–2020 at Ryder Glacier, Northern Greenland J. Otto et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.978137
19 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Wintertime Supraglacial Lake Drainage Cascade Triggers Large‐Scale Ice Flow Response in Greenland N. Maier et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL102251
- The drainage of glacier and ice sheet surface lakes C. Schoof et al. https://doi.org/10.1017/jfm.2023.130
- Global seasonal dynamics of inland open water and ice A. Pickens et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2022.112963
- Satellite monitoring of Greenland wintertime buried lake drainage and potential ice flow response J. Wei et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.115157
- Recent significant subseasonal fluctuations of supraglacial lakes on Greenland monitored by passive optical satellites J. Qiu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.114896
- Automatic Supraglacial Lake Extraction in Greenland Using Sentinel-1 SAR Images and Attention-Based U-Net D. Jiang et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14194998
- Automated Detection and Mapping of Supraglacial Lakes Using Machine Learning From ICESat-2 and Sentinel-2 Data G. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1109/TGRS.2025.3602429
- The potential of synthetic aperture radar interferometry for assessing meltwater lake dynamics on Antarctic ice shelves W. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5309-2021
- Supraglacial lake evolution on Tracy and Heilprin Glaciers in northwestern Greenland from 2014 to 2021 Y. Wang & S. Sugiyama https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2024.114006
- A decade of winter supraglacial lake drainage across Northeast Greenland using C-band SAR C. Dean et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1559-2026
- Monitoring of Supraglacial Lake Distribution and Full-Year Changes Using Multisource Time-Series Satellite Imagery D. Zhu et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15245726
- Multi-sensor imaging of winter buried lakes in the Greenland Ice Sheet L. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2023.113688
- Contrasting regional variability of buried meltwater extent over 2 years across the Greenland Ice Sheet D. Dunmire et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2983-2021
- Detection of weekly buried meltwater in Greenland Ice Sheet with Sentinel-1 imagery L. Li et al. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538947.2025.2513045
- Supraglacial Lake Evolution over Northeast Greenland Using Deep Learning Methods K. Lutz et al. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs15174360
- Future growth and decline of high mountain Asia's ice-dammed lakes and associated risk L. Compagno et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00520-8
- A comparison of supraglacial meltwater features throughout contrasting melt seasons: southwest Greenland E. Glen et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-1047-2025
- Multi-mode SAR observations of interannual frozen regimes of glacial lakes in central Himalaya M. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103870
- Supraglacial lake expansion, intensified lake drainage frequency, and first observation of coupled lake drainage, during 1985–2020 at Ryder Glacier, Northern Greenland J. Otto et al. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2022.978137
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 26 Aug 2026
Short summary
The surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet contains thousands of surface lakes. These lakes can deliver water through cracks to the ice sheet base and influence the speed of ice flow. Here we look at instances of lakes draining in the middle of winter using the Sentinel-1 radar satellites. Winter-draining lakes can help us understand the mechanisms for lake drainages throughout the year and can point to winter movement of water that will impact our understanding of ice sheet hydrology.
The surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet contains thousands of surface lakes. These lakes can...
