Articles | Volume 20, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3875-2026
© Author(s) 2026. 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-20-3875-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Jul 2026
Research article |
| 14 Jul 2026
| 14 Jul 2026
Compounding sub-seasonal variations in Greenland outlet glacier dynamics revealed by high-resolution observations
Enze Zhang
Institute of Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
Ginny Catania
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Ben Smith
Applied Physics Laboratory, Polar Science Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Denis Felikson
Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
Beata Csatho
Department of Geological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
Daniel T. Trugman
Nevada Seismological Laboratory, Nevada Geosciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
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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
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John Erich Christian, Alexander A. Robel, and Ginny Catania
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Christian J. Taubenberger, Denis Felikson, and Thomas Neumann
The Cryosphere, 16, 1341–1348, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1341-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1341-2022, 2022
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Outlet glaciers are projected to account for half of the total ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet over the 21st century. We classify patterns of seasonal dynamic thickness changes of outlet glaciers using new observations from the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2). Our results reveal seven distinct patterns that differ across glaciers even within the same region. Future work can use our results to improve our understanding of processes that drive seasonal ice sheet changes.
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Short summary
Understanding seasonal changes in Greenland glaciers is vital for studying long-term trends. We use a simple model and high-resolution observation to reveal how multiple processes influence seasonal glacier velocity either alternately or simultaneously each year. Additional tests suggest a steepening glacier surface increases sensitivity of the surface velocity to terminus changes. Our approach can be applied to other glaciers decompose seasonal changes of glacier velocity.
Understanding seasonal changes in Greenland glaciers is vital for studying long-term trends. We...
