Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation
In Antarctica, uncertainties in mass input and output translate directly into uncertainty in glacier mass balance and thus in sea level impact. While remotely sensed observations of ice velocity and thickness over the major outlet glaciers have improved our understanding of ice loss to the ocean, sn...
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doaj-2bd483aa3b2b4a9c9bc690290d96ddc32020-11-24T23:15:17ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242014-07-01841375139210.5194/tc-8-1375-2014Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulationB. Medley0I. Joughin1B. E. Smith2S. B. Das3E. J. Steig4H. Conway5S. Gogineni6C. Lewis7A. S. Criscitiello8J. R. McConnell9M. R. van den Broeke10J. T. M. Lenaerts11D. H. Bromwich12J. P. Nicolas13C. Leuschen14Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAPolar Science Center, Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAPolar Science Center, Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAGeology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USAEarth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USAEarth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USACenter for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USACenter for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USAGeology and Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USADesert Research Institute, Nevada System of Higher Education, Reno, NV, USAInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsInstitute for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the NetherlandsPolar Meteorology Group, Byrd Polar Research Center, and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USAPolar Meteorology Group, Byrd Polar Research Center, and Atmospheric Sciences Program, Department of Geography, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USACenter for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USAIn Antarctica, uncertainties in mass input and output translate directly into uncertainty in glacier mass balance and thus in sea level impact. While remotely sensed observations of ice velocity and thickness over the major outlet glaciers have improved our understanding of ice loss to the ocean, snow accumulation over the vast Antarctic interior remains largely unmeasured. Here, we show that an airborne radar system, combined with ice-core glaciochemical analysis, provide the means necessary to measure the accumulation rate at the catchment-scale along the Amundsen Sea coast of West Antarctica. We used along-track radar-derived accumulation to generate a 1985–2009 average accumulation grid that resolves moderate- to large-scale features (>25 km) over the Pine Island–Thwaites glacier drainage system. Comparisons with estimates from atmospheric models and gridded climatologies generally show our results as having less accumulation in the lower-elevation coastal zone but greater accumulation in the interior. Ice discharge, measured over discrete time intervals between 1994 and 2012, combined with our catchment-wide accumulation rates provide an 18-year mass balance history for the sector. While Thwaites Glacier lost the most ice in the mid-1990s, Pine Island Glacier's losses increased substantially by 2006, overtaking Thwaites as the largest regional contributor to sea-level rise. The trend of increasing discharge for both glaciers, however, appears to have leveled off since 2008.http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1375/2014/tc-8-1375-2014.pdf |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
B. Medley I. Joughin B. E. Smith S. B. Das E. J. Steig H. Conway S. Gogineni C. Lewis A. S. Criscitiello J. R. McConnell M. R. van den Broeke J. T. M. Lenaerts D. H. Bromwich J. P. Nicolas C. Leuschen |
spellingShingle |
B. Medley I. Joughin B. E. Smith S. B. Das E. J. Steig H. Conway S. Gogineni C. Lewis A. S. Criscitiello J. R. McConnell M. R. van den Broeke J. T. M. Lenaerts D. H. Bromwich J. P. Nicolas C. Leuschen Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation The Cryosphere |
author_facet |
B. Medley I. Joughin B. E. Smith S. B. Das E. J. Steig H. Conway S. Gogineni C. Lewis A. S. Criscitiello J. R. McConnell M. R. van den Broeke J. T. M. Lenaerts D. H. Bromwich J. P. Nicolas C. Leuschen |
author_sort |
B. Medley |
title |
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
title_short |
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
title_full |
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
title_fullStr |
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Constraining the recent mass balance of Pine Island and Thwaites glaciers, West Antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
title_sort |
constraining the recent mass balance of pine island and thwaites glaciers, west antarctica, with airborne observations of snow accumulation |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
series |
The Cryosphere |
issn |
1994-0416 1994-0424 |
publishDate |
2014-07-01 |
description |
In Antarctica, uncertainties in mass input and output translate directly
into uncertainty in glacier mass balance and thus in sea level impact. While
remotely sensed observations of ice velocity and thickness over the major
outlet glaciers have improved our understanding of ice loss to the ocean,
snow accumulation over the vast Antarctic interior remains largely
unmeasured. Here, we show that an airborne radar system, combined with
ice-core glaciochemical analysis, provide the means necessary to measure the
accumulation rate at the catchment-scale along the Amundsen Sea coast of
West Antarctica. We used along-track radar-derived accumulation to generate
a 1985–2009 average accumulation grid that resolves moderate- to
large-scale features (>25 km) over the Pine Island–Thwaites
glacier drainage system. Comparisons with estimates from atmospheric models
and gridded climatologies generally show our results as having less
accumulation in the lower-elevation coastal zone but greater accumulation in the
interior. Ice discharge, measured over discrete time intervals between 1994
and 2012, combined with our catchment-wide accumulation rates provide an
18-year mass balance history for the sector. While Thwaites Glacier lost the
most ice in the mid-1990s, Pine Island Glacier's losses increased
substantially by 2006, overtaking Thwaites as the largest regional
contributor to sea-level rise. The trend of increasing discharge for both
glaciers, however, appears to have leveled off since 2008. |
url |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1375/2014/tc-8-1375-2014.pdf |
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