Journal ArticleDOI
Large and Rapid Melt-Induced Velocity Changes in the Ablation Zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet
R. S. W. van de Wal,W. Boot,M. R. van den Broeke,C. J. P. P. Smeets,Carleen Reijmer,J.J.A. Donker,Johannes Oerlemans +6 more
TLDR
Continuous Global Positioning System observations reveal rapid and large ice velocity fluctuations in the western ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet, which suggests that the englacial hydraulic system adjusts constantly to the variable meltwater input, which results in a more or less constant ice flux over the years.Abstract:
Continuous Global Positioning System observations reveal rapid and large ice velocity fluctuations in the western ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Within days, ice velocity reacts to increased meltwater production and increases by a factor of 4. Such a response is much stronger and much faster than previously reported. Over a longer period of 17 years, annual ice velocities have decreased slightly, which suggests that the englacial hydraulic system adjusts constantly to the variable meltwater input, which results in a more or less constant ice flux over the years. The positive-feedback mechanism between melt rate and ice velocity appears to be a seasonal process that may have only a limited effect on the response of the ice sheet to climate warming over the next decades.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Partitioning Recent Greenland Mass Loss
Michiel R. van den Broeke,Jonathan L. Bamber,Janneke Ettema,Eric Rignot,Eric Rignot,Ernst Schrama,Willem Jan van de Berg,Erik van Meijgaard,Isabella Velicogna,Isabella Velicogna,Bert Wouters,Bert Wouters +11 more
TL;DR: The seasonal cycle in surface mass balance fully accounts for detrended GRACE mass variations, confirming insignificant subannual variation in ice sheet discharge.
Journal ArticleDOI
Ice-sheet acceleration driven by melt supply variability
TL;DR: It is shown that channelization and glacier deceleration rather than acceleration occur above a critical rate of water flow, indicating that the melt/dynamic thinning feedback is not universally operational and higher rates of steady water supply can suppress rather than enhance dynamic thinning.
Journal ArticleDOI
Greenland flow variability from ice-sheet-wide velocity mapping
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors have mapped the flow velocity over much of the Greenland ice sheet for the winters of 2000/01 and 2005/06 using RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar data.
Journal ArticleDOI
Higher surface mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet revealed by high-resolution climate modeling.
Janneke Ettema,Michiel R. van den Broeke,Erik van Meijgaard,Willem Jan van de Berg,Jonathan L. Bamber,Jason E. Box,Roger C. Bales +6 more
TL;DR: In this article, high-resolution (∼11 km) regional climate modeling shows total annual precipitation on the Greenland ice sheet for 1958-2007 to be up to 24% and surface mass balance up to 63% higher than previously thought.
Journal ArticleDOI
Sea-level rise and its possible impacts given a 'beyond 4 ◦ C world' in the twenty-first century
Robert J. Nicholls,Natasha Marinova,Jason Lowe,Scott D. Brown,Pier Vellinga,D. de Gusmao,Jochen Hinkel,Richard S.J. Tol +7 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a pragmatic estimate of sea-level rise by 2100, for a temperature rise of 4 ◦ C or more over the same time frame, is between 0.5 m and 2 m.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Changes in the Velocity Structure of the Greenland Ice Sheet
TL;DR: Using satellite radar interferometry observations of Greenland, widespread glacier acceleration below 66° north between 1996 and 2000, which rapidly expanded to 70° north in 2005, and as more glaciers accelerate farther north, the contribution of Greenland to sea-level rise will continue to increase.
Journal ArticleDOI
Direct and inverse solutions of geodesics on the ellipsoid with application of nested equations
TL;DR: In this paper, the direct and inverse solutions of geodesics of any length were given for efficient programming to conserve space and reduce executio-exponential executability of executables.
Journal ArticleDOI
Surface melt-induced acceleration of Greenland ice-sheet flow
H. Jay Zwally,Waleed Abdalati,Thomas A. Herring,Kristine M. Larson,Jack L. Saba,Konrad Steffen +5 more
TL;DR: The near coincidence of the ice acceleration with the duration of surface melting, followed by deceleration after the melting ceases, indicates that glacial sliding is enhanced by rapid migration of surface meltwater to the ice-bedrock interface.
Journal ArticleDOI
Combined measurements of Subglacial Water Pressure and Surface Velocity of Findelengletscher, Switzerland: Conclusions about Drainage System and Sliding Mechanism
Almut Iken,Robert Bindschadler +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relationship between water pressure and velocity and found that fluctuating bed separation was responsible for the velocity variations of water pressure, such as diurnal variations, were usually similar at different locations and in phase.