The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
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Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6445-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-6445-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 19, issue 12
Research article
 | 
03 Dec 2025
Research article |  | 03 Dec 2025

Greenland supraglacial catchment consolidation by streams breaching drainage divides

Jessica Mejia, Jason Gulley, Celia Trunz, Charles Breithaupt, and Matthew Covington

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Cited articles

Andrews, L. C.: Spatial and temporal evolution of the glacial hydrologic system of the western Greenland ice sheet: observational and remote sensing results, Ph.D. thesis, University at Texas Austin, https://doi.org/10.15781/T2WM4V, 2015. a
Andrews, L. C., Catania, G. A., Hoffman, M. J., Gulley, J. D., Lüthi, M. P., Ryser, C., Hawley, R. L., and Neumann, T. A.: Direct observations of evolving subglacial drainage beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet, Nature, 514, 80–83, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature13796, 2014. a
Banwell, A. F., Arnold, N. S., Willis, I. C., Tedesco, M., and Ahlstrøm, A. P.: Modeling supraglacial water routing and lake filling on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Journal of Geophysical Research F: Earth Surface, 117, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JF002393, 2012. a
Banwell, A. F., Willis, I. C., and Arnold, N. S.: Modeling subglacial water routing at Paakitsoq, W Greenland, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 118, 1282–1295, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrf.20093, 2013. a, b
Banwell, A. F., Hewitt, I. J., Willis, I. C., and Arnold, N. S.: Moulin density controls drainage development beneath the Greenland ice sheet, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 121, 2248–2269, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003801, 2016. a, b
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Short summary
This study shows that drainage catchments on the Greenland Ice Sheet can change size and shape from year to year. Snow buildup in glacier rivers can reroute meltwater, merging neighboring catchments. Over three years, three catchments combined into one large 32 km2 catchment, increasing in size by 387%. These findings suggest that seasonal changes in snow and water flow can significantly affect how the ice sheet drains, with potential impacts on ice dynamics.
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