Greenland and Antarctica Ice Sheet Mass Changes and Effects on Global Sea Level

Thirteen years of GRACE data provide an excellent picture of the current mass changes of Greenland and Antarctica, with mass loss in the GRACE period 2002–2015 amounting to 265 ± 25 GT/year for Greenland (including peripheral ice caps), and 95 ± 50 GT/year for Antarctica, corresponding to 0.72 and 0.26 mm/year average global sea level change. A significant acceleration in mass loss rate is found, especially for Antarctica, while Greenland mass loss, after a corresponding acceleration period, and a record mass loss in the summer of 2012, has seen a slight decrease in short-term mass loss trend. The yearly mass balance estimates, based on point mass inversion methods, have relatively large errors, both due to uncertainties in the glacial isostatic adjustment processes, especially for Antarctica, leakage from unmodelled ocean mass changes, and (for Greenland) difficulties in separating mass signals from the Greenland ice sheet and the adjacent Canadian ice caps. The limited resolution of GRACE affects the uncertainty of total mass loss to a smaller degree; we illustrate the “real” sources of mass changes by including satellite altimetry elevation change results in a joint inversion with GRACE, showing that mass change occurs primarily associated with major outlet glaciers, as well as a narrow coastal band. For Antarctica, the primary changes are associated with the major outlet glaciers in West Antarctica (Pine Island and Thwaites Glacier systems), as well as on the Antarctic Peninsula, where major glacier accelerations have been observed after the 2002 collapse of the Larsen B Ice Shelf.     

Preserved landscapes underneath the Antarctic Ice Sheet reveal the geomorphological history of Jutulstraumen Basin

The landscape of Antarctica, hidden beneath kilometre-thick ice in most places, has been shaped by the interactions between tectonic and erosional processes. The flow dynamics of the thick ice cover deepened pre-formed topographic depressions by glacial erosion, but also preserved the subglacial landscapes in regions with moderate to slow ice flow. Mapping the spatial variability of these structures provides the basis for reconstruction of the evolution of subglacial morphology. This study focuses on the Jutulstraumen Glacier drainage system in Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica. The Jutulstraumen Glacier reaches the ocean via the Jutulstraumen Graben, which is the only significant passage for draining the East Antarctic Ice Sheet through the western part of the Dronning Maud Land mountain chain. We acquired new bed topography data during an airborne radar campaign in the region upstream of the Jutulstraumen Graben to characterise the source area of the glacier. The new data show a deep relief to be generally under-represented in available bed topography compilations. Our analysis of the bed topography, valley characteristics and bed roughness leads to the conclusion that much more of the alpine landscape that would have formed prior to the Antarctic Ice Sheet is preserved than previously anticipated. We identify an active and deeply eroded U-shaped valley network next to largely preserved passive fluvial and glacial modified landscapes. Based on the landscape classification, we reconstruct the temporal sequence by which ice flow modified the topography since the beginning of the glaciation of Antarctica.     

南极冰盖物质平衡变化的卫星遥感监测现状与发展趋势

南极冰盖物质平衡对全球海平面变化影响巨大,提高南极冰盖物质平衡估算精度对实现全球海平面变化趋势准确预测至关重要.卫星遥感技术的发展,特别是极地卫星对南极冰盖系统监测能力的提升,有助于认识、保护和利用南极,解决极地科学国际前沿难题.揭示南极冰盖对全球气候环境的响应及其反馈机制,对深化人类对南极的科学认知也具有重要意义.本文首先系统总结了用于南极冰盖监测卫星的发展现状及现有的卫星遥感数据产品序列,然后讨论了运用遥感卫星监测南极物质平衡的主要方法和研究进展,并对南极卫星遥感技术的最新进展进行了分析.最后在我国极地遥感卫星发展方面提出了建议,旨在进一步提升我国对极地冰盖变化和全球海平面上升的长期观测及预测能力,为相关应对策略的制定提供有力的科学支撑.

     

A one-dimensional heat transfer model of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and modeling of snow temperatures at Dome A, the summit of Antarctic Plateau

A vertical one-dimensional numerical model for heat transferring within the near-surface snow layer of the Antarctic Ice Sheet was developed based on simplified parameterizations of associated physical processes for the atmosphere, radiation, and snow/ice systems. Using the meteorological data of an automatic weather station (AWS) at Dome A (80°22′S, 70°22′E), we applied the model to simulate the seasonal temperature variation within a depth of 20 m. Comparison of modeled results with observed snow temperat...     

Observed Mass Balance of Mountain Glaciers and Greenland Ice Sheet in the 20th Century and the Present Trends

Glacier mass balance and secular changes in mountain glaciers and ice caps are evaluated from the annual net balance of 137 glaciers from 17 glacierized regions of the world. Further, the winter and summer balances for 35 glaciers in 11 glacierized regions are analyzed. The global means are calculated by weighting glacier and regional surface areas. The area-weighted global mean net balance for the period 1960?C2000 is ?270 ± 34 mm a^?1 w.e. (water equivalent, in mm per year) or (?149 ± 19 km³ a^?1 w.e.), with a winter balance of 890 ± 24 mm a^?1 w.e. (490 ± 13 km³ a^?1 w.e.) and a summer balance of ?1,175 ± 24 mm a^?1 w.e. (?647 ± 13 km³ a^?1 w.e.). The linear-fitted global net balance is accelerating at a rate of ?9 ± 2.1 mm a^?2. The main driving force behind this change is the summer balance with an acceleration of ?10 ± 2.0 mm a^?2. The decadal balance, however, shows significant fluctuations: summer melt reached its peak around 1945, followed by a decrease. The negative trend in the annual net balance is interrupted by a period of stagnation from 1960s to 1980s. Some regions experienced a period of positive net balance during this time, for example, Europe. The balance has become strongly negative since the early 1990s. These decadal fluctuations correspond to periods of global dimming (for smaller melt) and global brightening (for larger melt). The total radiation at the surface changed as a result of an imbalance between steadily increasing greenhouse gases and fluctuating aerosol emissions. The mass balance of the Greenland ice sheet and the surrounding small glaciers, averaged for the period of 1950?C2000, is negative at ?74 ± 10 mm a^?1 w.e. (?128 ± 18 km³ a^?1 w.e.) with an accumulation of 297 ± 33 mm a^?1 w.e. (519 ± 58 km³ a^?1 w.e.), melt ablation ?169 ± 18 mm a^?1 w.e. (?296 ± 31 km³ a^?1 w.e.), calving ablation ?181 ± 19 mm a^?1 w.e. (?316 ± 33 km³ a^?1 w.e.) and the bottom melt-21 ± 2 mm a^?1 w.e. (?35 ± 4 km³ a^?1 w.e.). Almost half (?60 ± 3 km³ a^?1) of the net mass loss comes from mountain glaciers and ice caps around the ice sheet. At present, it is difficult to detect any statistically significant trends for these components. The total mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet is considered to be too premature to evaluate. The estimated sea-level contributions in the twentieth Century are 5.7 ± 0.5 cm by mountain glaciers and ice caps outside Antarctica, 1.9 ± 0.5 cm by the Greenland ice sheet, and 2 cm by ocean thermal expansion. The difference of 7 cm between these components and the estimated value with tide-gage networks (17 cm) must result from other sources such as the mass balance of glaciers of Antarctica, especially small glaciers separated from the ice sheet.     

GOCE, Satellite Gravimetry and Antarctic Mass Transports

In 2009 the European Space Agency satellite mission GOCE (Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) was launched. Its objectives are the precise and detailed determination of the Earth’s gravity field and geoid. Its core instrument, a three axis gravitational gradiometer, measures the gravity gradient components V _xx , V _yy , V _zz and V _xz (second-order derivatives of the gravity potential V) with high precision and V _xy , V _yz with low precision, all in the instrument reference frame. The long wavelength gravity field is recovered from the orbit, measured by GPS (Global Positioning System). Characteristic elements of the mission are precise star tracking, a Sun-synchronous and very low (260 km) orbit, angular control by magnetic torquing and an extremely stiff and thermally stable instrument environment. GOCE is complementary to GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), another satellite gravity mission, launched in 2002. While GRACE is designed to measure temporal gravity variations, albeit with limited spatial resolution, GOCE is aiming at maximum spatial resolution, at the expense of accuracy at large spatial scales. Thus, GOCE will not provide temporal variations but is tailored to the recovery of the fine scales of the stationary field. GRACE is very successful in delivering time series of large-scale mass changes of the Antarctic ice sheet, among other things. Currently, emphasis of respective GRACE analyses is on regional refinement and on changes of temporal trends. One of the challenges is the separation of ice mass changes from glacial isostatic adjustment. Already from a few months of GOCE data, detailed gravity gradients can be recovered. They are presented here for the area of Antarctica. As one application, GOCE gravity gradients are an important addition to the sparse gravity data of Antarctica. They will help studies of the crustal and lithospheric field. A second area of application is ocean circulation. The geoid surface from the gravity field model GOCO01S allows us now to generate rather detailed maps of the mean dynamic ocean topography and of geostrophic flow velocities in the region of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current.     

Chemical depletion of sediment under the Greenland Ice Sheet

The chemical composition of sediment sampled from a network of ice boreholes contacting the bed of the ablation zone of the Greenland Ice Sheet is compared to the composition of intact bedrock clasts. This sediment is enriched in silica and depleted in reactive cations compared to the underlying bedrock. In order to test whether these differences result from grain size biases either in sample collection or due to natural sorting, sediment samples were analyzed by grain size aliquots. Enrichment of silicon and depletion of cations is consistent across grain size classes and the compositions of bedrock and subglacial sediment are statistically separate. The difference in composition between subglacial sediment and rock aligns closely with the composition of dissolved solutes in waters sampled from the same field sites and is dissimilar to the composition of the sites' suspended sediment. This implies that chemical weathering rather than disproportionate physical removal of friable minerals is responsible for the compositional differences between rock and sediment. Mass balance analysis implies 3–10% of the sediment's mass is lost to solute dissolution, with approximately double that amount precipitated as clay minerals (a large portion of which may have been physically expelled). This result implies that temperate ice sheet subglacial environments may be more chemically active than previously realized. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Present State and Prospects of Ice Sheet and Glacier Modelling

Since the late 1970s, numerical modelling has become established as an important technique for the understanding of ice sheet and glacier dynamics, and several models have been developed over the years. Ice sheet models are particularly relevant for predicting the possible response of ice sheets to climate change. Recent observations suggest that ice dynamics could play a crucial role for the contribution of ice sheets to future sea level rise under global warming conditions, and the need for further research into the matter was explicitly stated in the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In this paper, we review the state of the art and current problems of ice sheet and glacier modelling. An outline of the underlying theory is given, and crucial processes (basal sliding, calving, interaction with the solid Earth) are discussed. We summarise recent progress in the development of ice sheet and glacier system models and their coupling to climate models, and point out directions for future work.     

Representing Grounding Line Dynamics in Numerical Ice Sheet Models: Recent Advances and Outlook

Recent satellite observations of the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets show accelerated ice flow and associated ice sheet thinning along coastal outlet glaciers in contact with the ocean. Both processes are the result of grounding line retreat due to melting at the grounding line (the grounding line is the contact of the ice sheet with the ocean, where it starts to float and forms an ice shelf or ice tongue). Such rapid ice loss is not yet included in large-scale ice sheet models used for IPCC projections, as most of the complex processes are poorly understood. Here we report on the state-of-the art of grounding line migration in marine ice sheets and address different ways in which grounding line migration can be attributed and represented in ice sheet models. Using one-dimensional ice flow models of the ice sheet/ice shelf system we carried out a number of sensitivity experiments with different spatial resolutions and stress approximations. These are verified with semi-analytical steady state solutions. Results show that, in large-scale finite-difference models, grounding line migration is dependent on the numerical treatment (e.g. staggered/non-staggered grid) and the level of physics involved (e.g. shallow-ice/shallow-shelf approximation).     

Factors that contribute to the elongation of drumlins beneath the Green Bay Lobe,Laurentide Ice Sheet

Drumlin shape has been hypothesized to correlate with ice-flow duration and slip speed, but modern-day analogues and the Coulomb nature of till render the basis of these correlations in question. The evolution of flow-parallel subglacial landforms is of importance for ice flow because the form drag they provide may be a dominant factor in regulating glacier slip speeds. Here we examine the relationship between drumlin shape and cumulative slip displacement (i.e. time-integrated slip speed) as a dominant glaciological control on drumlin shape. First, a new method is developed that allows slip speed to be estimated for deformable bedded glaciers along a flow line from an ice surface profile. Then, reconstructed surface profiles for ice margin chronologies of the Green Bay Lobe (GBL) are used to construct and estimate the spatially varying cumulative slip displacement for use in comparison with drumlin elongation ratios. We focus on a sector of the GBL near the central flow line where the geology is simple and glaciological controls are likely to dominate bedform development. Using Bayesian statistical analysis, a positive and statistically robust relationship between cumulative slip displacement and drumlin elongation ratio is found. Our analysis indicates that drumlin shape could be used to infer palaeo glacier slip speeds if time under the ice can be well constrained and geologic influences are minimal. These findings also suggest that drumlin-supplied drag could decrease with increased cumulative slip displacement in the absence of rigid geologic features that fix drumlin positions.     

Long-term ocean simulations in FESOM: evaluation and application in studying the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

The Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) is formulated on unstructured meshes and offers geometrical flexibility which is difficult to achieve on traditional structured grids. In this work, the performance of FESOM in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean on large time scales is evaluated in a hindcast experiment. A water-hosing experiment is also conducted to study the model sensitivity to increased freshwater input from Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melting in a 0.1-Sv discharge rate scenario. The variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the hindcast experiment can be explained by the variability of the thermohaline forcing over deep convection sites. The model also reproduces realistic freshwater content variability and sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean. The anomalous freshwater in the water-hosing experiment leads to significant changes in the ocean circulation and local dynamical sea level (DSL). The most pronounced DSL rise is in the northwest North Atlantic as shown in previous studies, and also in the Arctic Ocean. The released GrIS freshwater mainly remains in the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and the west South Atlantic after 120 model years. The pattern of ocean freshening is similar to that of the GrIS water distribution, but changes in ocean circulation also contribute to the ocean salinity change. The changes in Arctic and sub-Arctic sea level modify exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and subpolar seas, and hence the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global climate. Not only the strength of the AMOC, but also the strength of its decadal variability is notably reduced by the anomalous freshwater input. A comparison of FESOM with results from previous studies shows that FESOM can simulate past ocean state and the impact of increased GrIS melting well.

     

Long-term ocean simulations in FESOM: evaluation and application in studying the impact of Greenland Ice Sheet melting

The Finite Element Sea-ice Ocean Model (FESOM) is formulated on unstructured meshes and offers geometrical flexibility which is difficult to achieve on traditional structured grids. In this work, the performance of FESOM in the North Atlantic and Arctic Ocean on large time scales is evaluated in a hindcast experiment. A water-hosing experiment is also conducted to study the model sensitivity to increased freshwater input from Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melting in a 0.1-Sv discharge rate scenario. The variability of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) in the hindcast experiment can be explained by the variability of the thermohaline forcing over deep convection sites. The model also reproduces realistic freshwater content variability and sea ice extent in the Arctic Ocean. The anomalous freshwater in the water-hosing experiment leads to significant changes in the ocean circulation and local dynamical sea level (DSL). The most pronounced DSL rise is in the northwest North Atlantic as shown in previous studies, and also in the Arctic Ocean. The released GrIS freshwater mainly remains in the North Atlantic, Arctic Ocean and the west South Atlantic after 120 model years. The pattern of ocean freshening is similar to that of the GrIS water distribution, but changes in ocean circulation also contribute to the ocean salinity change. The changes in Arctic and sub-Arctic sea level modify exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and subpolar seas, and hence the role of the Arctic Ocean in the global climate. Not only the strength of the AMOC, but also the strength of its decadal variability is notably reduced by the anomalous freshwater input. A comparison of FESOM with results from previous studies shows that FESOM can simulate past ocean state and the impact of increased GrIS melting well.     

Assessing the Current Evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet by Means of Satellite and Ground-Based Observations

The present study utilises different satellite and ground-based geodetic observations in order to assess the current evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS). Satellite gravimetry data acquired by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment are used to derive ice-mass changes for the period from 2003 to 2012. The inferred time series are investigated regarding long-term, seasonal and interannual variations. Laser altimetry data acquired by the Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) are utilised to solve for linear and seasonal changes in the ice-surface height and to infer independent mass-change estimates for the entire GIS and its major drainage basins. We demonstrate that common signals can be identified in the results of both sensors. Moreover, the analysis of a Global Positioning System (GPS) campaign network in West Greenland for the period 1995–2007 allows us to derive crustal deformation caused by glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) and by present-day ice-mass changes. ICESat-derived elastic crustal deformations are evaluated comparing them with GPS-observed uplift rates which were corrected for the GIA effect inferred by model predictions. Existing differences can be related to the limited resolution of ICESat. Such differences are mostly evident in dynamical regions such as the Disko Bay region including the rapidly changing Jakobshavn Isbræ, which is investigated in more detail. Glacier flow velocities are inferred from satellite imagery yielding an accelerated flow from 1999 to 2012. Since our GPS observations cover a period of more than a decade, changes in the vertical uplift rates can also be investigated. It turns out that the increased mass loss of the glacier is also reflected by an accelerated vertical uplift.     

利用ICESat数据确定格陵兰冰盖高程和体积变化

两极冰盖消融是造成海平面上升的重要原因,作为世界第二大冰盖,格陵兰冰盖消融速度在进入21世纪以后明显加快,引起了广泛关注.本文利用ICESat卫星激光测高数据,探讨了坡度改正的方法,通过改进平差模型解决了病态问题,并采用重复轨道方法计算了2003年9月至2009年10月间格陵兰冰盖的体积和高程变化趋势,对格陵兰冰盖各冰川流域系统的变化情况进行了详细分析.结果表明,格陵兰冰盖在这6年间平均高程变化趋势为-16.79±0.84 cm·a^-1,体积变化速率为-301.37±15.16 km³·a^-1,体积流失主要发生在冰盖边缘,其中DS1、DS8等流域的体积损失正在加剧,而高程在2000 m以上的冰盖内陆地区表现出高程积聚的状态,但增长速度明显减缓.与现有研究成果的对比表明,算法优化后的本文结果更具可靠性.

     

Ice thickness,internal layers,and surface and subglacial topography in the vicinity of Chinese Antarctic Taishan station in Princess Elizabeth Land,East Antarctica

We present the results of two ground-based radio-echo-sounding (RES) and GPS surveys performed in the vicinity of new Chinese Taishan station, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, obtained in two austral summers during CHINARE 21 (2004/2005) and CHINARE 29 (2012/2013). The radar surveys measured ice thickness and internal layers using 60- and 150-MHz radar systems, and GPS measurements showed smooth surface slopes around the station with altitudes of 2607–2636 m above sea level (a.s.l.). Radar profiles indicate an average ice thickness of 1900 m, with a maximum of 1949 m and a minimum of 1856 m, within a square area measuring approximately 2 km × 2 km in the vicinity of the station. The ice thickness beneath the station site is 1870 m. The subglacial landscape beneath the station is quiet sharp and ranges from 662 to 770 m a.s.l., revealing part of a mountainous topography. The ice volume in the grid is estimated to be 7.6 km³. Along a 60-MHz radar profile with a length of 17.6 km at the region covering the station site, some disturbed internal layers are identified and traced; the geometry of internal layers within the englacial stratigraphy may imply a complex depositional process in the area.     

利用ICESat数据解算南极冰盖冰雪质量变化

南极冰盖冰雪质量变化反映了全球气候变化,并且直接影响着全球海平面变化.ICESat测高卫星的主要任务之一就是要确定南北两极冰盖的质量变化情况并评估其对全球海平面变化的影响.本文利用2003年10月至2008年12月的ICESat测高数据,针对南极DEM分辨率有限的特殊性,通过求解坡度改正值,解决重复轨道地面脚点不重合的问题,计算了南极大陆(86°S以北区域,后文所述南极冰盖均不包括86°S以南区域)在这5年里的冰雪质量变化情况,得到东南极冰盖的质量变化为-18±20 Gt/a,西南极-26±6 Gt/a,南极冰盖的冰雪质量变化为-44±21 Gt/a,对全球海平面上升的影响约为0.12 mm·a-1.解算结果表明,南极冰盖质量亏损主要集中在西南极阿蒙森海岸附近冰川以及东南极波因塞特角区域.     

Mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor and Fisher Glaciers and basal fluxes beneath their flowbands on Amery Ice Shelf

We used in situ measurements and remote-sensing data sets to evaluate the mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor and Fisher Glaciers and the basal melting and freezing rates beneath their flowbands on the Amery Ice Shelf. Our findings show the Lambert and Mellor Glaciers upstream of the ANARE Lambert Glacier Basin (LGB) traverse may have positive imbalances of 3.9±2.1 Gt a-1 and 2.1±2.4 Gt a-1, respectively, while the Fisher Glacier is approximately in balance. The upstream region as a whole has a positive imbalance of 5.9±4.9 Gt a-1. The three same glaciers downstream of the ANARE LGB traverse line are in negative imbalance, where the whole downstream region has a negative imbalance of -8.5±5.8 Gt a-1. Overall the mass budgets of the Lambert, Mellor, and Fisher Glaciers are close to bal-ance, and the collective three-glacier system is also nearly in balance with a mass budget of -2.6±6.5 Gt a-1. The significant positive imbalances for the interior basin upstream of the ice-movement stations established in the early 1970s (GL line) reported previously are possibly due to an overestimate of the total accumulation and an underestimate of the ice flux through the GL line. The mean melting rate is -23.0±3.5 m ice a-1 near the southern grounding line, which decreases rapidly downstream, and transitions to refreezing at around 300 km from the southern extremity of the Amery Ice Shelf. Freezing rates along the flowbands are around 0.5±0.1 to 1.5±0.2 m ice a-1. The per-centage of ice lost from the interior by basal melting beneath the flowbands is about 80%±5%. The total basal melting and refreezing beneath the three flowbands is 50.3±7.5 Gt ice a-1 and 7.0±1.1 Gt ice a-1, respectively. We find a much larger total basal melting and net melting than the results for the whole Amery Ice Shelf derived from previous modeling and oceanographic measurements.     

Effect of Present-Day Climate Changes and Agricultural Activities on Spring Overland Runoff in Forest-Steppe and Steppe Regions of the Russian Plain

Space and time analysis of the formation of spring overland runoff in forest-steppe and steppe regions of the Russian Plain has been carried out. It has been shown that, in addition to zonal climate conditions, its distribution over the area is largely determined by the agricultural load on river catchment areas, primarily, the structure of agricultural lands—the proportions of areas under winter tillage and consolidated tillage. The character of overland runoff response to present-day climate changes and agricultural activity has been identified, and quantitative estimates have been given to the manifold hydrological role of these factors.