The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 20, issue 2
Articles | Volume 20, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1071-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-1071-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 2
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
13 Feb 2026
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 13 Feb 2026

Exploring the conditions conducive to convection within the Greenland Ice Sheet

Robert Law, Andreas Born, Philipp Voigt, Joseph A. MacGregor, and Claire Marie Guimond

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Editorial statement
This paper investigates a puzzling and still-unresolved phenomenon: the presence of large plume-like features visible in the layers of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Although previous studies have proposed various explanations for these features, none have been confirmed to date. In this study, the authors investigate an unconventional and debated hypothesis: That local thermal convection may be responsible for the observed layer disruptions. This work opens new avenues for research and provides a fresh perspective on an intriguing scientific problem.
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Short summary
Convection has been previously, yet contentiously, suggested for ice sheets, but never before comprehensively explored using numerical models. We use mantle dynamics code to test the hypothesis that convection gives rise to enigmatic plume-like features observed in radio-stratigraphy observations of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Our results provide very good agreement with field observations, but could imply that ice in northern Greenland is significantly softer than commonly thought.
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