Mass Balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet at Dye 3

AbstractThe mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet at Dye 3 is estimated on the basis of observations of ice thickness, accumulation rate, surface velocities, and surface strain-rates. The calculations indicate a rate of increase of surface elevation of 3 cm/year, with 95% confidence limits of −3 cm/year and +9 cm/year. Previous estimates of the mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet by the same method reported large imbalances; these are most probably due to lack of precise data and the use of quantities measured at the surface as representative of depth-averaged quantities. The most reliable observations indicate that the interior regions of the Greenland ice sheet are at present thickening at a rate of a few centimetres per year; a contributing cause for this may be the slow thinning of a bottom layer of relatively soft Wisconsin ice.

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Mass Balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet at Dye 3

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0022143000006493 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 31 (108) ◽

pp. 198-200 ◽

Cited By ~ 42

Author(s):

Niels Reeh ◽

Niels S. Gundestrup

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Bottom Layer ◽

Surface Strain ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Strain Rates ◽

Confidence Limits ◽

Rate Of Increase

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The Age-Depth Profile in the Upper Part of a Steady-State Ice Sheet

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/s0022143000009345 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 35 (121) ◽

pp. 406-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Niels Reeh

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Layer Thickness ◽

Flow Line ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Western Slope ◽

Simple Models

AbstractSimple analytical models are developed in order to study how up-stream variations in accumulation rate and ice thickness, and horizontal convergence/ divergence of the flow influence the age and annual layer-thickness profiles in a steady-state ice sheet. Generally, a decrease/increase of the accumulation rate and an increase/decrease of the ice thickness in the up-stream direction (i.e. opposite to the flow direction) results in older/younger ice at a given depth in the ice sheet than would result if the up-stream accumulation rate and ice thickness were constant along the flow line.Convergence/divergence of the up-stream flow will decrease/increase the effect of the accumulation-rate and ice-thickness gradients, whereas convergence/divergence has no influence at all on the age and layer-thickness profiles if the up-stream accumulation rate and ice thickness are constant along the flow line.A modified column-flow model, i.e. a model for which the strain-rate profile (or, equivalently, the horizontal velocity profile) is constant down to the depth corresponding to the Holocene/Wisconsinan transition 10 750 year BP., seems to work well for dating the ice back to 10 000–11 000 year B P. at sites in the slope regions of the Greenland ice sheet. For example, the model predicts the experimentally determined age profile at Dye 3 on the south Greenland ice sheet with a relative root-mean-square error of only 3% back to c. 10 700 year B.P. As illustrated by the Milcent location on the western slope of the central Greenland ice sheet, neglecting up-stream accumulation-rate and ice-thickness gradients, may lead to dating errors as large as 3000–000 years for c. 10 000 year old ice.However, even if these gradients are taken into account, the simple model fails to give acceptable ages for 10 000 year old ice at locations on slightly sloping ice ridges with strongly divergent flow, as for example the Camp Century location. The main reason for this failure is that the site of origin of the ice cannot be determined accurately enough by the simple models, if the flow is strongly divergent.With this exception, the simple models are well suited for dating the ice at locations where the available data or the required accuracy do not justify application of elaborate numerical models. The formulae derived for the age-depth profiles can easily be worked out on a pocket calculator, and in many cases will be a sensible alternative to using numerical flow models.

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High-resolution ice thickness and bed topography of a land-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Earth System Science Data Discussions ◽

10.5194/essdd-7-129-2014 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 129-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

K. Lindbäck ◽

R. Pettersson ◽

S. H. Doyle ◽

C. Helanow ◽

P. Jansson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Sea Level ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Airborne Radar ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Equilibrium Line Altitude ◽

Bed Topography ◽

Ice Surface ◽

Ice Sheet Dynamics

Abstract. We present ice thickness and bed topography maps with high spatial resolution (250 to 500 m) of a and-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet derived from combined ground-based and airborne radar surveys. The data have a total area of ~12000 km2 and cover the whole ablation area of the outlet glaciers of Isunnguata Sermia, Russell, Leverett, Ørkendalen and Isorlersuup up to the long-term mass balance equilibrium line altitude at ~1600 m above sea level. The bed topography shows highly variable subglacial trough systems, and the trough of the Isunnguata Sermia Glacier is over-deepened and reaches an elevation of several hundreds of meters below sea level. The ice surface is smooth and only reflects the bedrock topography in a subtle way, resulting in a highly variable ice thickness. The southern part of our study area consists of higher bed elevations compared to the northern part. The covered area is one of the most studied regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet with studies of mass balance, dynamics, and supraglacial lakes, and our combined dataset can be valuable for detailed studies of ice sheet dynamics and hydrology. The compiled datasets of ground-based and airborne radar surveys are accessible for reviewers (password protected) at doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/pangaea.830314 and will be freely available in the final revised paper.

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Modelling snow accumulation on Greenland in Eemian, glacial inception and modern climates in a GCM

Climate of the Past Discussions ◽

10.5194/cpd-8-1523-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 1523-1565 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

H. J. Punge ◽

H. Gallée ◽

M. Kageyama ◽

G. Krinner

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Ocean Circulation ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

High Surface ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Snow Accumulation ◽

Local Climate ◽

North East ◽

Surface Climate

Abstract. Changing climate conditions on Greenland influence the snow accumulation rate and surface mass balance (SMB) on the ice sheet and, ultimately, its shape. This can in turn affect local climate via orography and albedo variations and, potentially, remote areas via changes in ocean circulation triggered by melt water or calving from the ice sheet. Examining these issues in the IPSL global model requires improving the representation of snow at the ice sheet surface. In this paper, we present the new snow scheme implemented in LMDZ, the atmospheric component of the IPSL coupled model. We analyze surface climate and SMB on the Greenland ice sheet under insolation and oceanic boundary conditions for modern, but also for two different past climates, the last glacial inception (115 kyr BP) and the Eemian (126 kyr BP). While being limited by the low resolution of the GCM, present-day SMB is on the same order of magnitude as recent regional model findings. It is affected by a moist bias of the GCM in Western Greenland and a dry bias in the north-east. Under Eemian conditions, the SMB diminishes largely, and melting affects areas with today high surface altitude including recent ice core drilling sites as NEEM. In contrast, glacial inception conditions lead to a higher mass balance overall due to the reduced melting in the colder summer climate. Compared to the widely applied positive degree day (PDD) parameterization of SMB, our direct modelling results suggest a weaker sensitivity of SMB to changing climatic forcing. In addition, significant differences in surface climate and SMB are found between simulations using monthly climatological mean and actual interannually varying monthly mean forcings for the ocean surface temperature and sea ice cover, in particular for the Eemian.

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Modelling snow accumulation on Greenland in Eemian, glacial inception, and modern climates in a GCM

Climate of the Past ◽

10.5194/cp-8-1801-2012 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 8 (6) ◽

pp. 1801-1819 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

H. J. Punge ◽

H. Gallée ◽

M. Kageyama ◽

G. Krinner

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Ocean Circulation ◽

General Circulation ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Circulation Model ◽

Snow Accumulation ◽

Sheet Surface ◽

North East

Abstract. Changing climate conditions on Greenland influence the snow accumulation rate and surface mass balance (SMB) on the ice sheet and, ultimately, its shape. This can in turn affect local climate via orography and albedo variations and, potentially, remote areas via changes in ocean circulation triggered by melt water or calving from the ice sheet. Examining these interactions in the IPSL global model requires improving the representation of snow at the ice sheet surface. In this paper, we present a new snow scheme implemented in LMDZ, the atmospheric component of the IPSL coupled model. We analyse surface climate and SMB on the Greenland ice sheet under insolation and oceanic boundary conditions for modern, but also for two different past climates, the last glacial inception (115 kyr BP) and the Eemian (126 kyr BP). While being limited by the low resolution of the general circulation model (GCM), present-day SMB is on the same order of magnitude as recent regional model findings. It is affected by a moist bias of the GCM in Western Greenland and a dry bias in the north-east. Under Eemian conditions, the SMB decreases largely, and melting affects areas in which the ice sheet surface is today at high altitude, including recent ice core drilling sites as NEEM. In contrast, glacial inception conditions lead to a higher mass balance overall due to the reduced melting in the colder summer climate. Compared to the widely applied positive degree-day (PDD) parameterization of SMB, our direct modelling results suggest a weaker sensitivity of SMB to changing climatic forcing. For the Eemian climate, our model simulations using interannually varying monthly mean forcings for the ocean surface temperature and sea ice cover lead to significantly higher SMB in southern Greenland compared to simulations forced with climatological monthly means.

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Mass balance and ice flow along the north-northwest ridge of the Greenland ice sheet at NorthGRIP

Annals of Glaciology ◽

10.3189/172756402781816500 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 521-526 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Christine Schøtt Hvidberg ◽

Kristian Keller ◽

Niels S. Gundestrup

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

High Elevation ◽

Surface Strain ◽

Surface Velocity ◽

Ice Flow ◽

The North ◽

Ice Flows ◽

Drilling Site

AbstractThe North Greenland Icecore Project (NorthGRIP) deep drilling site (75˚05’47’’N, 42˚19’42’’ W) is located at the north-northwest ridge of the Greenland ice sheet, 320 km from Summit. A strain net has been established around the NorthGRIP site and surveyed with global positioning system. Our results show that ice flows with a horizontal surface velocity of 1.329 ±0.015ma–1 along the ridge. Estimated principal surface strain rates at NorthGRIP are and in the directions along and transverse to the north-northwest ridge, respectively, i.e. ice is compressed along the ridge but stretched transverse to the ridge. Possible implications of the observed flow pattern for the stratigraphy are discussed. the average thickening rate in the strain-net area is found to be ∂H/∂t = 0.00 ±0.04ma– 1, in agreement with previous estimates of mass balance in high-elevation areas of Greenland.

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Forty-year Simulations of Firn Processes over the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets

10.5194/tc-2020-266 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Brooke Medley ◽

Thomas A. Neumann ◽

H. Jay Zwally ◽

Benjamin E. Smith

Keyword(s):

Mass Balance ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheets ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Surface Mass Balance ◽

Surface Mass ◽

Air Content ◽

Semi Empirical ◽

Antarctic Ice Sheets

Abstract. Conversion of altimetry-derived ice-sheet volume change to mass requires an understanding of the evolution of the combined ice and air content within the firn column. In the absence of suitable techniques to observe the changes to the firn column across the entirety of an ice sheet, the firn column processes are typically modelled. Here, we present new 40-year simulations of firn processes over the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets using the Community Firn Model and atmospheric reanalysis variables. A dataset of more than 250 measured depth-density profiles from both ice sheets provides the basis of the calibration of the dry-snow densification scheme. The resulting scheme results in a reduction in the rate of densification, relative to a commonly used semi-empirical model, through a decreased dependence on the accumulation rate, a proxy for overburden stress. The modelled firn column runoff, when combined with atmospheric variables from MERRA-2, generates realistic mean integrated surface mass balance values for the Greenland (+361 Gt yr−1) and Antarctic (+2623 Gt yr−1) ice sheets when compared to published model-ensemble means. We find that seasonal volume changes associated with firn air content are approximately 3 times larger than those associated with surface mass balance; however, when averaged over multiple years, ice and air-volume fluctuations within the firn column are of comparable magnitudes. Between 1996 and 2019, the Greenland Ice Sheet lost more than 5 % of its firn air content indicating a reduction in the total meltwater retention capability. Nearly all (>98 %) of the meltwater produced over the Antarctic Ice Sheet is retained within the firn column through infiltration and refreezing.

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Recent precipitation decrease across the western Greenland ice sheet percolation zone

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-13-2797-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (11) ◽

pp. 2797-2815 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gabriel Lewis ◽

Erich Osterberg ◽

Robert Hawley ◽

Hans Peter Marshall ◽

Tate Meehan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mass Loss ◽

Mass Balance ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Snow Accumulation ◽

Accumulation Rates ◽

The Past ◽

Precipitation Decrease ◽

Percolation Zone

Abstract. The mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) in a warming climate is of critical interest in the context of future sea level rise. Increased melting in the GrIS percolation zone due to atmospheric warming over the past several decades has led to increased mass loss at lower elevations. Previous studies have hypothesized that this warming is accompanied by a precipitation increase, as would be expected from the Clausius–Clapeyron relationship, compensating for some of the melt-induced mass loss throughout the western GrIS. This study tests that hypothesis by calculating snow accumulation rates and trends across the western GrIS percolation zone, providing new accumulation rate estimates in regions with sparse in situ data or data that do not span the recent accelerating surface melt. We present accumulation records from sixteen 22–32 m long firn cores and 4436 km of ground-penetrating radar, covering the past 20–60 years of accumulation, collected across the western GrIS percolation zone as part of the Greenland Traverse for Accumulation and Climate Studies (GreenTrACS) project. Trends from both radar and firn cores, as well as commonly used regional climate models, show decreasing accumulation rates of 2.4±1.5 % a−1 over the 1996–2016 period, which we attribute to shifting storm tracks related to stronger atmospheric summer blocking over Greenland. Changes in atmospheric circulation over the past 20 years, specifically anomalously strong summertime blocking, have reduced GrIS surface mass balance through both an increase in surface melting and a decrease in accumulation rates.

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The Age-Depth Profile in the Upper Part of a Steady-State Ice Sheet

Journal of Glaciology ◽

10.1017/s0022143000009345 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 35 (121) ◽

pp. 406-417 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Niels Reeh

Keyword(s):

Steady State ◽

Layer Thickness ◽

Flow Line ◽

Numerical Models ◽

Accumulation Rate ◽

Ice Sheet ◽

Greenland Ice Sheet ◽

Ice Thickness ◽

Western Slope ◽

Simple Models

AbstractSimple analytical models are developed in order to study how up-stream variations in accumulation rate and ice thickness, and horizontal convergence/ divergence of the flow influence the age and annual layer-thickness profiles in a steady-state ice sheet. Generally, a decrease/increase of the accumulation rate and an increase/decrease of the ice thickness in the up-stream direction (i.e. opposite to the flow direction) results in older/younger ice at a given depth in the ice sheet than would result if the up-stream accumulation rate and ice thickness were constant along the flow line.Convergence/divergence of the up-stream flow will decrease/increase the effect of the accumulation-rate and ice-thickness gradients, whereas convergence/divergence has no influence at all on the age and layer-thickness profiles if the up-stream accumulation rate and ice thickness are constant along the flow line.A modified column-flow model, i.e. a model for which the strain-rate profile (or, equivalently, the horizontal velocity profile) is constant down to the depth corresponding to the Holocene/Wisconsinan transition 10 750 year BP., seems to work well for dating the ice back to 10 000–11 000 year B P. at sites in the slope regions of the Greenland ice sheet. For example, the model predicts the experimentally determined age profile at Dye 3 on the south Greenland ice sheet with a relative root-mean-square error of only 3% back toc. 10 700 year B.P. As illustrated by the Milcent location on the western slope of the central Greenland ice sheet, neglecting up-stream accumulation-rate and ice-thickness gradients, may lead to dating errors as large as 3000–000 years forc. 10 000 year old ice.However, even if these gradients are taken into account, the simple model fails to give acceptable ages for 10 000 year old ice at locations on slightly sloping ice ridges with strongly divergent flow, as for example the Camp Century location. The main reason for this failure is that the site of origin of the ice cannot be determined accurately enough by the simple models, if the flow is strongly divergent.With this exception, the simple models are well suited for dating the ice at locations where the available data or the required accuracy do not justify application of elaborate numerical models. The formulae derived for the age-depth profiles can easily be worked out on a pocket calculator, and in many cases will be a sensible alternative to using numerical flow models.

Download Full-text