Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet
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Material Information

Title:
Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet
Series Title:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Volume 111 Number 22
Creator:
Keegan, Kaitlin M.
Albert, Mary R.
McConnell, Joseph R.
Baker, Ian
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Ice Sheets ( lcsh )
Greenland ( lcsh )
Forest fires ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
In July 2012, over 97% of the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced surface melt, the first widespread melt during the era of satellite remote sensing. Analysis of six Greenland shallow firn cores from the dry snow region confirms that the most recent prior widespread melt occurred in 1889. A firn core from the center of the ice sheet demonstrated that exceptionally warm temperatures combined with black carbon sediments from Northern Hemisphere forest fires reduced albedo below a critical threshold in the dry snow region, and caused the melting events in both 1889 and 2012. We use these data to project the frequency of widespread melt into the year 2100. Since Arctic temperatures and the frequency of forest fires are both expected to rise with climate change, our results suggest that widespread melt events on the Greenland Ice Sheet may begin to occur almost annually by the end of century. These events are likely to alter the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, leaving the surface susceptible to further melting. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Sea Level Rise