Mar 31, 2016
A sensitivity study of annual area change for Greenland ice sheet marine terminating outlet glaciers: 1999–2013
by
,
Journal of Glaciology
- States the mass flux from marine terminating glacier outlets from the Greenland ice sheet is a significant mass budget term, yet, glacier calving sensitivity to climate parameters is not well understood
- Measures the front area changes of 42 marine terminating Greenland outlet glaciers annually from 1999 to 2013 using optical satellite imagery
- Finds that 35 glaciers retreated, while seven remained stable
- Finds the average front position change was −240 m a−1 and the total rate of front area change was −114 km2 a−1
- Compares the yearly average area changes of all measured glaciers with interannual variations in sea surface temperature (SST), sea-ice concentration (SIC), surface melt, Northern Hemisphere (NH) surface air temperatures and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index
- Finds:
- (1) northwestern glaciers area change have a significant correlation with surface melt and NH land temperature variations;
- (2) southeastern glaciers have a significant correlation with local SST, SIC and NH temperatures; and
- (3) southwestern glaciers area change correlate significantly with local SST and NAO index. We conclude that a climate sensitivity signal emerges considering a population of glaciers
- Finds a significant correlation between the date of minimum extent and glacier latitude