Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift

Karina Hansen; Martin Truffer; Andy Aschwanden; Kenneth Mankoff; Michael Bevis; Angelika Humbert; Michiel R. van den Broeke; Brice Noël; Anders Bjørk; William Colgan; Kurt H. Kjær; Surendra Adhikari; Valentina Barletta; Shfaqat A. Khan

doi:10.1029/2021GL094252

Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift

Karina Hansen, Martin Truffer, Andy Aschwanden, Kenneth Mankoff, Michael Bevis, Angelika Humbert, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Brice Noël, Anders Bjørk, William Colgan, Kurt H. Kjær, Surendra Adhikari, Valentina Barletta, Shfaqat A. Khan^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

We present a novel method to estimate dynamic ice loss of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers: Jakobshavn Isbræ, Kangerlussuaq Glacier, and Helheim Glacier. We use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations attached to bedrock to measure elastic displacements of the solid Earth caused by dynamic thinning near the glacier terminus. When we compare our results with discharge, we find a time lag between glacier speedup/slowdown and onset of dynamic thinning/thickening. Our results show that dynamic thinning/thickening on Jakobshavn Isbræ occurs 0.87 ± 0.07 years before speedup/slowdown. This implies that using GNSS time series we are able to predict speedup/slowdown of Jakobshavn Isbræ by up to 10.4 months. For Kangerlussuaq Glacier the lag between thinning/thickening and speedup/slowdown is 0.37 ± 0.17 years (4.4 months). Our methodology and results could be important for studies that attempt to model and understand mechanisms controlling short-term dynamic fluctuations of outlet glaciers in Greenland.

Original language	English
Article number	e2021GL094252
Pages (from-to)	1-10
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	48
Issue number	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094252
Publication status	Published - 28 Jul 2021

Keywords

glaciers
Greenland
ice discharge
ice loss
land uplift
surface mass balance

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10.1029/2021GL094252Licence: CC BY

2021GL094252Final published version, 2.85 MBLicence: CC BY

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Hansen, K., Truffer, M., Aschwanden, A., Mankoff, K., Bevis, M., Humbert, A., van den Broeke, M. R., Noël, B., Bjørk, A., Colgan, W., Kjær, K. H., Adhikari, S., Barletta, V., & Khan, S. A. (2021). Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift. Geophysical Research Letters, 48(14), 1-10. Article e2021GL094252. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094252

@article{a5bcad2871144d10934364e86a3b4187,

title = "Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift",

abstract = "We present a novel method to estimate dynamic ice loss of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers: Jakobshavn Isbr{\ae}, Kangerlussuaq Glacier, and Helheim Glacier. We use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations attached to bedrock to measure elastic displacements of the solid Earth caused by dynamic thinning near the glacier terminus. When we compare our results with discharge, we find a time lag between glacier speedup/slowdown and onset of dynamic thinning/thickening. Our results show that dynamic thinning/thickening on Jakobshavn Isbr{\ae} occurs 0.87 ± 0.07 years before speedup/slowdown. This implies that using GNSS time series we are able to predict speedup/slowdown of Jakobshavn Isbr{\ae} by up to 10.4 months. For Kangerlussuaq Glacier the lag between thinning/thickening and speedup/slowdown is 0.37 ± 0.17 years (4.4 months). Our methodology and results could be important for studies that attempt to model and understand mechanisms controlling short-term dynamic fluctuations of outlet glaciers in Greenland.",

keywords = "glaciers, Greenland, ice discharge, ice loss, land uplift, surface mass balance",

author = "Karina Hansen and Martin Truffer and Andy Aschwanden and Kenneth Mankoff and Michael Bevis and Angelika Humbert and {van den Broeke}, {Michiel R.} and Brice No{\"e}l and Anders Bj{\o}rk and William Colgan and Kj{\ae}r, {Kurt H.} and Surendra Adhikari and Valentina Barletta and Khan, {Shfaqat A.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Jeffrey T. Freymueller and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments. S. A. Khan acknowledges support from the INTAROS GA No. 727890 funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. B. No{\"e}l was funded by the NWO VENI grant VI.Veni.192.019. A. Bj{\o}rk was funded by the Carlsberg Foundation (Grant CF17‐0529). K. D. Mankoff was funded by PROMICE. M. R. van den Broeke acknowledges support from the Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (NESSC). W. Colgan acknowledges support from the Independent Research Fund Denmark (8049‐00003B). A. Aschwanden was funded by NSF grant PLR‐1603799. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021. The Authors.",

year = "2021",

month = jul,

day = "28",

doi = "10.1029/2021GL094252",

language = "English",

volume = "48",

pages = "1--10",

journal = "Geophysical Research Letters",

issn = "0094-8276",

publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Inc.",

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Hansen, K, Truffer, M, Aschwanden, A, Mankoff, K, Bevis, M, Humbert, A, van den Broeke, MR, Noël, B, Bjørk, A, Colgan, W, Kjær, KH, Adhikari, S, Barletta, V & Khan, SA 2021, 'Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 48, no. 14, e2021GL094252, pp. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094252

TY - JOUR

T1 - Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift

AU - Hansen, Karina

AU - Truffer, Martin

AU - Aschwanden, Andy

AU - Mankoff, Kenneth

AU - Bevis, Michael

AU - Humbert, Angelika

AU - van den Broeke, Michiel R.

AU - Noël, Brice

AU - Bjørk, Anders

AU - Colgan, William

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

AU - Adhikari, Surendra

AU - Barletta, Valentina

AU - Khan, Shfaqat A.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Jeffrey T. Freymueller and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments. S. A. Khan acknowledges support from the INTAROS GA No. 727890 funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. B. Noël was funded by the NWO VENI grant VI.Veni.192.019. A. Bjørk was funded by the Carlsberg Foundation (Grant CF17‐0529). K. D. Mankoff was funded by PROMICE. M. R. van den Broeke acknowledges support from the Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (NESSC). W. Colgan acknowledges support from the Independent Research Fund Denmark (8049‐00003B). A. Aschwanden was funded by NSF grant PLR‐1603799. Publisher Copyright: © 2021. The Authors.

PY - 2021/7/28

Y1 - 2021/7/28

N2 - We present a novel method to estimate dynamic ice loss of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers: Jakobshavn Isbræ, Kangerlussuaq Glacier, and Helheim Glacier. We use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations attached to bedrock to measure elastic displacements of the solid Earth caused by dynamic thinning near the glacier terminus. When we compare our results with discharge, we find a time lag between glacier speedup/slowdown and onset of dynamic thinning/thickening. Our results show that dynamic thinning/thickening on Jakobshavn Isbræ occurs 0.87 ± 0.07 years before speedup/slowdown. This implies that using GNSS time series we are able to predict speedup/slowdown of Jakobshavn Isbræ by up to 10.4 months. For Kangerlussuaq Glacier the lag between thinning/thickening and speedup/slowdown is 0.37 ± 0.17 years (4.4 months). Our methodology and results could be important for studies that attempt to model and understand mechanisms controlling short-term dynamic fluctuations of outlet glaciers in Greenland.

AB - We present a novel method to estimate dynamic ice loss of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers: Jakobshavn Isbræ, Kangerlussuaq Glacier, and Helheim Glacier. We use Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations attached to bedrock to measure elastic displacements of the solid Earth caused by dynamic thinning near the glacier terminus. When we compare our results with discharge, we find a time lag between glacier speedup/slowdown and onset of dynamic thinning/thickening. Our results show that dynamic thinning/thickening on Jakobshavn Isbræ occurs 0.87 ± 0.07 years before speedup/slowdown. This implies that using GNSS time series we are able to predict speedup/slowdown of Jakobshavn Isbræ by up to 10.4 months. For Kangerlussuaq Glacier the lag between thinning/thickening and speedup/slowdown is 0.37 ± 0.17 years (4.4 months). Our methodology and results could be important for studies that attempt to model and understand mechanisms controlling short-term dynamic fluctuations of outlet glaciers in Greenland.

KW - glaciers

KW - Greenland

KW - ice discharge

KW - ice loss

KW - land uplift

KW - surface mass balance

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85111492929&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1029/2021GL094252

DO - 10.1029/2021GL094252

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85111492929

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 48

SP - 1

EP - 10

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 14

M1 - e2021GL094252

ER -

Estimating Ice Discharge at Greenland's Three Largest Outlet Glaciers Using Local Bedrock Uplift

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Keywords

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