Mass loss of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps 2003-2008 revealed from ICES at laser altimetry data
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Material Information

Title:
Mass loss of Greenland's glaciers and ice caps 2003-2008 revealed from ICES at laser altimetry data
Series Title:
Geophysical Research Letters Volume 40
Creator:
Bolch, T.
Sandberg Sorensen, L.
Simonsen, S.B.
Molg, N.
Machguth, H.
Rastner, P.
Paul, F.
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union
Publication Date:
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Climate Change ( lcsh )
Greenland ( lcsh )
Glaciers ( lcsh )
Ice caps ( lcsh )

Notes

Abstract:
The recently finalized inventory of Greenland’s glaciers and ice caps (GIC) allows for the first time to determine the mass changes of the GIC separately from the ice sheet using space-borne laser altimetry data. Corrections for firn compaction and density that are based on climatic conditions are applied for the conversion from volume to mass changes. The GIC which are clearly separable from the icesheet (i.e., have a distinct ice divide or no connection) lost 27.9 [plus or minus] 10.7 Gt a [-1] or 0.08 [plus or minus] 0.03 mm a [-1] sea-level equivalent (SLE) between October 2003 and March 2008. All GIC (including those with strong but hydrologically separable connections) lost 40.9 [plus or minus] 16.5 Gt a [-1] (0.12 [plus or minus] 0.05 mm a [-1] SLE). This is a significant fraction ([approximately]14 or 20 [percent]) of the reported overall mass loss of Greenland and up to 10 [percent] of the estimated contribution from the world’s GIC to sea level rise. The loss was highest in southeastern and lowest in northern Greenland. ( English )

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
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Aggregations:
Sea Level Rise