Articles | Volume 15, issue 5
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2251-2021
© 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-15-2251-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Comment/reply
| Highlight paper
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17 May 2021
Comment/reply | Highlight paper |
| 17 May 2021
| 17 May 2021
Comment on “Exceptionally high heat flux needed to sustain the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream” by Smith-Johnsen et al. (2020)
School of Earth Science and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China
Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen,
Tübingen, Germany
Tamara de Riese
Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen,
Tübingen, Germany
Steven Franke
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Maria-Gema Llorens
Geosciences Barcelona, CSIC, Barcelona, Spain
Till Sachau
Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen,
Tübingen, Germany
Nicolas Stoll
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Ilka Weikusat
Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen,
Tübingen, Germany
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine
Research, Bremerhaven, Germany
Julien Westhoff
Physics of Ice, Climate and Earth, University of Copenhagen,
Copenhagen, Denmark
Department of Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen,
Tübingen, Germany
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Cited
11 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Importance of solid earth structure for understanding the evolution of the Greenland ice sheet J. Ebbing et al. 10.1144/jgs2024-291
- ISMIP-HOM benchmark experiments using Underworld T. Sachau et al. 10.5194/gmd-15-8749-2022
- Holocene ice-stream shutdown and drainage basin reconfiguration in northeast Greenland S. Franke et al. 10.1038/s41561-022-01082-2
- Statistical appraisal of geothermal heat flow observations in the Arctic J. Freienstein et al. 10.5194/se-15-513-2024
- Shear margins in upper half of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream were established two millennia ago D. Jansen et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-45021-8
- Three-dimensional topology dataset of folded radar stratigraphy in northern Greenland S. Franke et al. 10.1038/s41597-023-02339-0
- Greenland Geothermal Heat Flow Database and Map (Version 1) W. Colgan et al. 10.5194/essd-14-2209-2022
- Upstream flow effects revealed in the EastGRIP ice core using Monte Carlo inversion of a two-dimensional ice-flow model T. Gerber et al. 10.5194/tc-15-3655-2021
- Airborne ultra-wideband radar sounding over the shear margins and along flow lines at the onset region of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream S. Franke et al. 10.5194/essd-14-763-2022
- Application of Artificial Intelligence in Online Education: Influence of Student Participation on Academic Retention in Virtual Courses W. Villegas-Ch et al. 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3403758
- Review article: AntArchitecture – building an age–depth model from Antarctica's radiostratigraphy to explore ice-sheet evolution R. Bingham et al. 10.5194/tc-19-4611-2025
11 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Importance of solid earth structure for understanding the evolution of the Greenland ice sheet J. Ebbing et al. 10.1144/jgs2024-291
- ISMIP-HOM benchmark experiments using Underworld T. Sachau et al. 10.5194/gmd-15-8749-2022
- Holocene ice-stream shutdown and drainage basin reconfiguration in northeast Greenland S. Franke et al. 10.1038/s41561-022-01082-2
- Statistical appraisal of geothermal heat flow observations in the Arctic J. Freienstein et al. 10.5194/se-15-513-2024
- Shear margins in upper half of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream were established two millennia ago D. Jansen et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-45021-8
- Three-dimensional topology dataset of folded radar stratigraphy in northern Greenland S. Franke et al. 10.1038/s41597-023-02339-0
- Greenland Geothermal Heat Flow Database and Map (Version 1) W. Colgan et al. 10.5194/essd-14-2209-2022
- Upstream flow effects revealed in the EastGRIP ice core using Monte Carlo inversion of a two-dimensional ice-flow model T. Gerber et al. 10.5194/tc-15-3655-2021
- Airborne ultra-wideband radar sounding over the shear margins and along flow lines at the onset region of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream S. Franke et al. 10.5194/essd-14-763-2022
- Application of Artificial Intelligence in Online Education: Influence of Student Participation on Academic Retention in Virtual Courses W. Villegas-Ch et al. 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3403758
- Review article: AntArchitecture – building an age–depth model from Antarctica's radiostratigraphy to explore ice-sheet evolution R. Bingham et al. 10.5194/tc-19-4611-2025
Latest update: 31 Oct 2025
Short summary
The modelling of Smith-Johnson et al. (The Cryosphere, 14, 841–854, 2020) suggests that a very large heat flux of more than 10 times the usual geothermal heat flux is required to have initiated or to control the huge Northeast Greenland Ice Stream. Our comparison with known hotspots, such as Iceland and Yellowstone, shows that such an exceptional heat flux would be unique in the world and is incompatible with known geological processes that can raise the heat flux.
The modelling of Smith-Johnson et al. (The Cryosphere, 14, 841–854, 2020) suggests that a very...
