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Bathymetry data reveal glaciers vulnerable to ice-ocean interaction in Uummannaq and Vaigat glacial fjords, west Greenland
- States that marine-terminating glaciers play a critical role in controlling Greenland's ice sheet mass balance
- States that such glaciers' frontal margins interact vigorously with the ocean, but our understanding of this interaction is limited, in part, by a lack of bathymetry data (which is the underwater equivalent to topography)
- Presents a multibeam echo sounding survey of 14 glacial fjords in the Uummannaq and Vaigat fjords, west Greenland, which extends from the continental shelf to the glacier fronts
- Data reveals valleys with shallow sills, overdeepenings (>1300 m) from glacial erosion, and seafloor depths 100–1000 m deeper than in existing charts
- Detects—where fjords are deep enough—the pervasive presence of warm, salty Atlantic Water (AW) (>2.5°C) with high melt potential
- Also finds numerous glaciers grounded on shallow (<200 m) sills, standing in cold (<1°C) waters in otherwise deep fjords, i.e., with reduced melt potential
- States bathymetric observations extending to the glacier fronts are critical to understand the glacier evolution
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Headline
Dec 15, 2017 | Vox
Greenland's ice sheet is driving global sea level rise. One section is melting 80% faster.
