Articles | Volume 20, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4563-2026
© 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-20-4563-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Aug 2026
Research article |
| 20 Aug 2026
| 20 Aug 2026
The multilayer ocean circulation melting the 79N Glacier ice tongue
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), Wedeler Landstr. 157, 22559 Hamburg, Germany
Claudia Wekerle
Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
Knut Klingbeil
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
Marvin Lorenz
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), Wedeler Landstr. 157, 22559 Hamburg, Germany
Hans Burchard
Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW), Seestr. 15, 18119 Rostock, Germany
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Short summary
The Greenland Ice Sheet is an important contributor to global sea level rise. In northern Greenland, floating glacier tongues are primarily melted by ocean currents. These processes are difficult to observe, so we developed a realistic numerical model to study ocean-driven melting at Greenland's largest floating ice tongue, the 79° North Glacier. Our simulation reveals the details of the oceanic currents bringing warm water toward the ice base, melting and shaping the glacier tongue from below.
The Greenland Ice Sheet is an important contributor to global sea level rise. In northern...
