Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2018-142
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2018-142
07 Aug 2018
 | 07 Aug 2018
Status: this preprint has been withdrawn by the authors.

Anomalous acceleration of mass loss in the Greenland ice sheet drainage basins and its contribution to the sea level fingerprints during 2010–2012

Linsong Wang, Liangjing Zhang, Chao Chen, Maik Thomas, and Mikhail K. Kaban

Abstract. The sea level rise contributed from ice sheet melting has been accelerating due to global warming. Continuous melting of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is a major contributor to sea level rise, which impacts directly on the surface mass balance and the instantaneous elastic response of the solid Earth. To study the sea level fingerprints (SLF) caused by the anomalous acceleration of the mass loss in GrIS can help us to understand drivers of sea level changes due to global warming and the frequently abnormal climate events. In this study, we focus on the anomalous acceleration of the mass loss in GrIS at the drainage basins from 2010 to 2012 and on its contributions to SLF and relative sea level (RSL) changes based on self-attraction and loading effects. Using GRACE monthly gravity fields and surface mass balance (SMB) data spanning 13 years between 2003 and 2015, the spatial and temporal distribution of the ice sheet balance in Greenland is estimated by mascons fitting based on six extended drainage basins and matrix scaling factors. Then the SLF spatial variations are computed by solving the sea level equation. Our results indicate that the total ice sheet mass loss is contributed from few regions only in Greenland, i.e., from the northwest, central west, southwestern and southeastern parts. Especially along the north-west coast and the south-east coast, ice was melting significantly during 2010–2012. The total mass loss rates during 2003–2015 are −288±7 Gt/yr and −275±1 Gt/yr as derived from scaled GRACE data and SMB respectively; and the magnitude of the trend increased to −456±30 Gt/yr and to −464±38 Gt/yr correspondingly over the period 2010–2012. The residuals obtained by GRACE after removing SMB show a good agreement with the surface elevation change rates derived from pervious ICESat results, which reflect a contribution from glacial dynamics to the total ice mass changes. Melting of GrIS results in decreased RSL in Scandinavia and North Europe, up to about −0.6 cm/yr. The far-field peak increase is less dependent on the precise pattern of self-attraction and loading; and the average global RSL was raised by 0.07 cm/yr only. Greenland contributes about 31 % of the total terrestrial water storage transferring to the sea level rise from 2003 to 2015. We also found that variations of the GrIS contribution to sea level have an opposite V shape (i.e., from rising to falling) during 2010–2012, while a clear global mean sea level drop also took place (i.e., from falling to rising).

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Linsong Wang, Liangjing Zhang, Chao Chen, Maik Thomas, and Mikhail K. Kaban

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Interactive discussion

Status: closed
Status: closed
AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment
Printer-friendly Version - Printer-friendly version Supplement - Supplement
  • RC1: 'Review', Anonymous Referee #1, 11 Oct 2018 Printer-friendly Version
  • RC2: 'review', Anonymous Referee #2, 05 Nov 2018 Printer-friendly Version
Linsong Wang, Liangjing Zhang, Chao Chen, Maik Thomas, and Mikhail K. Kaban
Linsong Wang, Liangjing Zhang, Chao Chen, Maik Thomas, and Mikhail K. Kaban

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Short summary
The Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) variations estimated from GRACE gravity fields and SMB data have been investigated with respect to ice melting of Greenland and its contributions to sea level changes. Greenland contributes about 31 % of the total terrestrial water storage transferring to the sea level rise from 2003 to 2015. We also found that variations of the GrIS contribution to sea level have an opposite V shape during 2010–2012, while a clear global mean sea level drop also took place.