Articles | Volume 15, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5785-2021
© 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-15-5785-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
22 Dec 2021
Research article |
| 22 Dec 2021
| 22 Dec 2021
Automated mapping of the seasonal evolution of surface meltwater and its links to climate on the Amery Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Peter A. Tuckett
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7ND, UK
Jeremy C. Ely
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7ND, UK
Andrew J. Sole
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7ND, UK
James M. Lea
Department of Geography, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
Stephen J. Livingstone
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7ND, UK
Julie M. Jones
Department of Geography, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S3 7ND, UK
J. Melchior van Wessem
Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University,
Utrecht, the Netherlands
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Ian Simpson, Edward Hanna, Ryan S. Williams, Linh Luu, Andrew Orr, Julie Jones, Xavier Fettweis, Jose Abraham Torres Alavez, Ole Bøssing Christensen, Ella Gilbert, Sid Gumber, Christoph Kittel, Sihan Li, Damien Maure, Ruth Mottram, Tony Phillips, Willem Jan van de Berg, and Kristiina Verro
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2270, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2270, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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The warming trend in global temperatures has potential to result in accelerated break up of the Antarctic ice shelves, which would contribute to rising sea levels. Here we present a novel database of Antarctic extreme weather events over a selection of the Antarctic ice shelves. We examine air temperature, precipitation, wind and surface pressure. In addition, we examine trends in the frequency of extreme events and the links with weather patterns around Antarctica.
Ruijie Chang, Xi Lu, Ronggang Huang, Andrew J. Sole, Stephen J. Livingstone, Zhen Dong, Liming Jiang, Hansheng Wang, and Bisheng Yang
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2598, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2598, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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Surface crevasses play an important role in glacier flow, iceberg calving, and meltwater routing, yet their depths remain poorly quantified at catchment or larger scales. We use ICESat-2 laser altimetry to estimate crevasse depths on Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ) in 2019. Over ten thousand crevasses are mapped from along-track detection. Results show deepest crevasses occur ~20 km inland, demonstrating the potential of ICESat-2 for high-resolution crevasse depth mapping.
Robert S. Fausto, Penelope How, Baptiste Vandecrux, Mads C. Lund, Jason E. Box, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Signe B. Andersen, Dirk van As, Rasmus Bahbah, Michele Citterio, William Colgan, Henrik T. Jakobsgaard, Nanna B. Karlsson, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Signe H. Larsen, Charlotte Olsen, Falk M. Oraschewski, Anja Rutishauser, Christopher L. Shields, Anne M. Solgaard, Ian T. Stevens, Synne H. Svendsen, Kirsty Langley, Alexandra Messerli, Anders A. Bjørk, Jonas K. Andersen, Jakob Abermann, Jakob Steiner, Rainer Prinz, Berhard Hynek, James M. Lea, Stephen Brough, and Andreas P. Ahlstrøm
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 2829–2873, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2829-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2829-2026, 2026
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In summary, the PROMICE (Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet ) | GC-NET AWS (Greenland Climate Network automatic weather station) data product update represents a significant advancement in Arctic climate monitoring. Through enhanced station designs, state-of-the-art instrumentation, and a transparent, automated data processing workflow, the dataset offers an essential resource for studying the Greenland Ice Sheet and its periphery, validating climate models, and supporting global assessments of cryospheric change.
Benjamin J. Davison, Andrew J. Sole, Gregoire Guillet, Douglas I. Benn, Jonathan Kingslake, Jeremy C. Ely, Stephen J. Livingstone, Christopher D. Stringer, Jonathan L. Carrivick, and Anna E. Hogg
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1894, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1894, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for The Cryosphere (TC).
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Some glaciers flow slowly for many years before dramatically accelerating. This is usually a sign of a surge. Theory and observations suggest that surges occur in certain climates. The Antarctic Peninsula has such a climate yet only one surge has been observed there. We present detailed observations of three glaciers that surged recently. We explore how climate change over the past hundred years, and projected climate change up to 2150, has and will affecting surging behaviour in Antarctic.
Xi Lu, Liming Jiang, Daan Li, Yi Liu, Andrew J. Sole, and Stephen J. Livingstone
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 18, 2635–2652, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2635-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-2635-2026, 2026
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Greenland Terminus Position Dataset (GrTPD) is a new manually delineated dataset of glacier terminus positions for the Greenland Ice Sheet, providing spatially extensive and seasonally targeted coverage across marine-, land-, and lake-terminating glaciers. The dataset includes 19 171 terminus delineations for 465 glaciers spanning 2002–2021, derived from multi-source optical and SAR satellite imagery using standardized workflows.
Ethan Lee, Jeremy C. Ely, Sarah L. Bradley, Tamsin L. Edwards, and Bethan J. Davies
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6169, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6169, 2026
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The South American Andes are the least well known in their futures. We can use numerical models to estimate the change of these glaciers to future climate change. However, options within the numerical model which effect the results are unknown. We vary these options of selected important options to understand their effect on the numerical model output across the South American Andes. We find that how the model approximates sediment friction, and sliding, to be important on model output.
Penelope How, Dorthe Petersen, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Katrine Raundrup, Nanna B. Karlsson, Alexandra Messerli, Anja Rutishauser, Jonathan L. Carrivick, James M. Lea, Robert S. Fausto, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, and Signe B. Andersen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 17, 6331–6351, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6331-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-6331-2025, 2025
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We mapped 2918 ice-marginal lakes across Greenland (2016–2023), revealing changes in size, abundance and temperature. This open dataset improves understanding of terrestrial water storage, glacier dynamics, and Arctic ecology, supporting research on sea level rise, glacier-lake interactions, and sustainable resource planning including hydropower development under Greenland’s climate commitments.
Tancrède P. M. Leger, Jeremy C. Ely, Christopher D. Clark, Sarah L. Bradley, Rosie E. Archer, and Jiang Zhu
The Cryosphere, 19, 5719–5761, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5719-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-5719-2025, 2025
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This study uses state-of-the-art computer simulations to better constrain the Greenland-Ice-Sheet's evolution over the past 24,000 years. By comparing model results with geological data, it reveals when and why the ice sheet grew and shrank, helping to improve future predictions of sea level rise and climate change.
Laura J. Larocca, James M. Lea, Michael P. Erb, Nicholas P. McKay, Megan Phillips, Kara A. Lamantia, and Darrell S. Kaufman
The Cryosphere, 18, 3591–3611, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3591-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3591-2024, 2024
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Here we present summer snowline altitude (SLA) time series for 269 Arctic glaciers. Between 1984 and 2022, SLAs rose ∼ 150 m, equating to a ∼ 127 m shift per 1 °C of summer warming. SLA is most strongly correlated with annual temperature variables, highlighting their dual effect on ablation and accumulation processes. We show that SLAs are rising fastest on low-elevation glaciers and that > 50 % of the studied glaciers could have SLAs that exceed the maximum ice elevation by 2100.
Izabela Szuman, Jakub Z. Kalita, Christiaan R. Diemont, Stephen J. Livingstone, Chris D. Clark, and Martin Margold
The Cryosphere, 18, 2407–2428, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2407-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-2407-2024, 2024
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A Baltic-wide glacial landform-based map is presented, filling in a geographical gap in the record that has been speculated about by palaeoglaciologists for over a century. Here we used newly available bathymetric data and provide landform evidence of corridors of fast ice flow that we interpret as ice streams. Where previous ice-sheet-scale investigations inferred a single ice source, our mapping identifies flow and ice margin geometries from both Swedish and Bothnian sources.
Tancrède P. M. Leger, Christopher D. Clark, Carla Huynh, Sharman Jones, Jeremy C. Ely, Sarah L. Bradley, Christiaan Diemont, and Anna L. C. Hughes
Clim. Past, 20, 701–755, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-701-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-20-701-2024, 2024
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Projecting the future evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet is key. However, it is still under the influence of past climate changes that occurred over thousands of years. This makes calibrating projection models against current knowledge of its past evolution (not yet achieved) important. To help with this, we produced a new Greenland-wide reconstruction of ice sheet extent by gathering all published studies dating its former retreat and by mapping its past margins at the ice sheet scale.
Oliver G. Pollard, Natasha L. M. Barlow, Lauren J. Gregoire, Natalya Gomez, Víctor Cartelle, Jeremy C. Ely, and Lachlan C. Astfalck
The Cryosphere, 17, 4751–4777, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4751-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4751-2023, 2023
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We use advanced statistical techniques and a simple ice-sheet model to produce an ensemble of plausible 3D shapes of the ice sheet that once stretched across northern Europe during the previous glacial maximum (140,000 years ago). This new reconstruction, equivalent in volume to 48 ± 8 m of global mean sea-level rise, will improve the interpretation of high sea levels recorded from the Last Interglacial period (120 000 years ago) that provide a useful perspective on the future.
Lauren D. Rawlins, David M. Rippin, Andrew J. Sole, Stephen J. Livingstone, and Kang Yang
The Cryosphere, 17, 4729–4750, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4729-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4729-2023, 2023
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We map and quantify surface rivers and lakes at Humboldt Glacier to examine seasonal evolution and provide new insights of network configuration and behaviour. A widespread supraglacial drainage network exists, expanding up the glacier as seasonal runoff increases. Large interannual variability affects the areal extent of this network, controlled by high- vs. low-melt years, with late summer network persistence likely preconditioning the surface for earlier drainage activity the following year.
Yubin Fan, Chang-Qing Ke, Xiaoyi Shen, Yao Xiao, Stephen J. Livingstone, and Andrew J. Sole
The Cryosphere, 17, 1775–1786, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1775-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1775-2023, 2023
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We used the new-generation ICESat-2 altimeter to detect and monitor active subglacial lakes in unprecedented spatiotemporal detail. We created a new inventory of 18 active subglacial lakes as well as their elevation and volume changes during 2019–2020, which provides an improved understanding of how the Greenland subglacial water system operates and how these lakes are fed by water from the ice surface.
Inès N. Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Erik R. Ivins, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Charles Amory, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Martin Horwath, Ian Joughin, Michalea D. King, Gerhard Krinner, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony J. Payne, Eric Rignot, Ted Scambos, Karen M. Simon, Benjamin E. Smith, Louise S. Sørensen, Isabella Velicogna, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Geruo A, Cécile Agosta, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Alejandro Blazquez, William Colgan, Marcus E. Engdahl, Xavier Fettweis, Rene Forsberg, Hubert Gallée, Alex Gardner, Lin Gilbert, Noel Gourmelen, Andreas Groh, Brian C. Gunter, Christopher Harig, Veit Helm, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Christoph Kittel, Hannes Konrad, Peter L. Langen, Benoit S. Lecavalier, Chia-Chun Liang, Bryant D. Loomis, Malcolm McMillan, Daniele Melini, Sebastian H. Mernild, Ruth Mottram, Jeremie Mouginot, Johan Nilsson, Brice Noël, Mark E. Pattle, William R. Peltier, Nadege Pie, Mònica Roca, Ingo Sasgen, Himanshu V. Save, Ki-Weon Seo, Bernd Scheuchl, Ernst J. O. Schrama, Ludwig Schröder, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Thomas Slater, Giorgio Spada, Tyler C. Sutterley, Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma, Jan Melchior van Wessem, David Wiese, Wouter van der Wal, and Bert Wouters
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1597–1616, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1597-2023, 2023
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By measuring changes in the volume, gravitational attraction, and ice flow of Greenland and Antarctica from space, we can monitor their mass gain and loss over time. Here, we present a new record of the Earth’s polar ice sheet mass balance produced by aggregating 50 satellite-based estimates of ice sheet mass change. This new assessment shows that the ice sheets have lost (7.5 x 1012) t of ice between 1992 and 2020, contributing 21 mm to sea level rise.
Ryan N. Ing, Jeremy C. Ely, Julie M. Jones, and Bethan J. Davies
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-33, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2023-33, 2023
Preprint withdrawn
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Many of the glaciers in Alaska are losing ice, contributing to sea-level rise. Here, we study the inputs and outputs for the Juneau Icefield. We first model the historical changes to snowfall and melt, constraining our model with observations. We then project future changes to the icefield, which show that icefield-wide loss of ice is likely. Losses are driven by rising temperatures, and less snowfall. The exposure of ice, and the break-up of glaciers due to thinning may accelerate ice loss.
Jeremy Carter, Amber Leeson, Andrew Orr, Christoph Kittel, and J. Melchior van Wessem
The Cryosphere, 16, 3815–3841, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3815-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3815-2022, 2022
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Climate models provide valuable information for studying processes such as the collapse of ice shelves over Antarctica which impact estimates of sea level rise. This paper examines variability across climate simulations over Antarctica for fields including snowfall, temperature and melt. Significant systematic differences between outputs are found, occurring at both large and fine spatial scales across Antarctica. Results are important for future impact assessments and model development.
Sophie Goliber, Taryn Black, Ginny Catania, James M. Lea, Helene Olsen, Daniel Cheng, Suzanne Bevan, Anders Bjørk, Charlie Bunce, Stephen Brough, J. Rachel Carr, Tom Cowton, Alex Gardner, Dominik Fahrner, Emily Hill, Ian Joughin, Niels J. Korsgaard, Adrian Luckman, Twila Moon, Tavi Murray, Andrew Sole, Michael Wood, and Enze Zhang
The Cryosphere, 16, 3215–3233, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3215-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3215-2022, 2022
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Terminus traces have been used to understand how Greenland's glaciers have changed over time; however, manual digitization is time-intensive, and a lack of coordination leads to duplication of efforts. We have compiled a dataset of over 39 000 terminus traces for 278 glaciers for scientific and machine learning applications. We also provide an overview of an updated version of the Google Earth Engine Digitization Tool (GEEDiT), which has been developed specifically for the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Matthew K. Laffin, Charles S. Zender, Melchior van Wessem, and Sebastián Marinsek
The Cryosphere, 16, 1369–1381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1369-2022, 2022
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The collapses of the Larsen A and B ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) occurred while the ice shelves were covered with large melt lakes, and ocean waves damaged the ice shelf fronts, triggering collapse. Observations show föhn winds were present on both ice shelves and increased surface melt and drove sea ice away from the ice front. Collapsed ice shelves experienced enhanced surface melt driven by föhn winds, whereas extant ice shelves are affected less by föhn-wind-induced melt.
Benjamin Joseph Davison, Tom Cowton, Andrew Sole, Finlo Cottier, and Pete Nienow
The Cryosphere, 16, 1181–1196, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1181-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1181-2022, 2022
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The ocean is an important driver of Greenland glacier retreat. Icebergs influence ocean temperature in the vicinity of glaciers, which will affect glacier retreat rates, but the effect of icebergs on water temperature is poorly understood. In this study, we use a model to show that icebergs cause large changes to water properties next to Greenland's glaciers, which could influence ocean-driven glacier retreat around Greenland.
Nicolaj Hansen, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Fredrik Boberg, Christoph Kittel, Andrew Orr, Niels Souverijns, J. Melchior van Wessem, and Ruth Mottram
The Cryosphere, 16, 711–718, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-711-2022, 2022
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We investigate the impact of different ice masks when modelling surface mass balance over Antarctica. We used ice masks and data from five of the most used regional climate models and a common mask. We see large disagreement between the ice masks, which has a large impact on the surface mass balance, especially around the Antarctic Peninsula and some of the largest glaciers. We suggest a solution for creating a new, up-to-date, high-resolution ice mask that can be used in Antarctic modelling.
David W. Ashmore, Douglas W. F. Mair, Jonathan E. Higham, Stephen Brough, James M. Lea, and Isabel J. Nias
The Cryosphere, 16, 219–236, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-219-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-219-2022, 2022
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In this paper we explore the use of a transferrable and flexible statistical technique to try and untangle the multiple influences on marine-terminating glacier dynamics, as measured from space. We decompose a satellite-derived ice velocity record into ranked sets of static maps and temporal coefficients. We present evidence that the approach can identify velocity variability mainly driven by changes in terminus position and velocity variation mainly driven by subglacial hydrological processes.
Izabela Szuman, Jakub Z. Kalita, Marek W. Ewertowski, Chris D. Clark, Stephen J. Livingstone, and Leszek Kasprzak
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 4635–4651, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4635-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-4635-2021, 2021
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The Baltic Ice Stream Complex was the most prominent ice stream of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet, controlling ice sheet drainage and collapse. Our mapping effort, based on a lidar DEM, resulted in a dataset containing 5461 landforms over an area of 65 000 km2, which allows for reconstruction of the last Scandinavian Ice Sheet extent and dynamics from the Middle Weichselian ice sheet advance, 50–30 ka, through the Last Glacial Maximum, 25–21 ka, and Young Baltic advances, 18–15 ka.
Ruth Mottram, Nicolaj Hansen, Christoph Kittel, J. Melchior van Wessem, Cécile Agosta, Charles Amory, Fredrik Boberg, Willem Jan van de Berg, Xavier Fettweis, Alexandra Gossart, Nicole P. M. van Lipzig, Erik van Meijgaard, Andrew Orr, Tony Phillips, Stuart Webster, Sebastian B. Simonsen, and Niels Souverijns
The Cryosphere, 15, 3751–3784, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3751-2021, 2021
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We compare the calculated surface mass budget (SMB) of Antarctica in five different regional climate models. On average ~ 2000 Gt of snow accumulates annually, but different models vary by ~ 10 %, a difference equivalent to ± 0.5 mm of global sea level rise. All models reproduce observed weather, but there are large differences in regional patterns of snowfall, especially in areas with very few observations, giving greater uncertainty in Antarctic mass budget than previously identified.
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Short summary
Lakes form on the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the summer. These lakes can generate further melt, break up floating ice shelves and alter ice dynamics. Here, we describe a new automated method for mapping surface lakes and apply our technique to the Amery Ice Shelf between 2005 and 2020. Lake area is highly variable between years, driven by large-scale climate patterns. This technique will help us understand the role of Antarctic surface lakes in our warming world.
Lakes form on the surface of the Antarctic Ice Sheet during the summer. These lakes can generate...
