Articles | Volume 16, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4305-2022
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4305-2022
Research article
 | 
13 Oct 2022
Research article |  | 13 Oct 2022

Observed mechanism for sustained glacier retreat and acceleration in response to ocean warming around Greenland

Evan Carnahan, Ginny Catania, and Timothy C. Bartholomaus

Model code and software

ecFlo/greenlandForceBalance: grlInitialSubmission (Version v1) ecFlo https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5722398

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Short summary
The Greenland Ice Sheet primarily loses mass through increased ice discharge. We find changes in discharge from outlet glaciers are initiated by ocean warming, which causes a change in the balance of forces resisting gravity and leads to acceleration. Vulnerable conditions for sustained retreat and acceleration are predetermined by the glacier-fjord geometry and exist around Greenland, suggesting increases in ice discharge may be sustained into the future despite a pause in ocean warming.