Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation

Malcolm Mcmillan; Andrew Shepherd; Noel Gourmelen; Amaury Dehecq; Amber Leeson; Andrew Ridout; Thomas Flament; Anna Hogg; Lin Gilbert; Toby Benham; Michiel Van Den Broeke; Julian A. Dowdeswell; Xavier Fettweis; Brice No??l; Tazio Strozzi

doi:10.1002/2014GL062255

Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation

Malcolm Mcmillan, Andrew Shepherd, Noel Gourmelen, Amaury Dehecq, Amber Leeson, Andrew Ridout, Thomas Flament, Anna Hogg, Lin Gilbert, Toby Benham, Michiel Van Den Broeke, Julian A. Dowdeswell, Xavier Fettweis, Brice No??l, Tazio Strozzi

School of Geosciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We use satellite observations to document rapid acceleration and ice loss from a formerly slow-flowing, marine-based sector of Austfonna, the largest ice cap in the Eurasian Arctic. During the past two decades, the sector ice discharge has increased 45-fold, the velocity regime has switched from predominantly slow (~ 101 m/yr) to fast (~ 103 m/yr) flow, and rates of ice thinning have exceeded 25 m/yr. At the time of widespread dynamic activation, parts of the terminus may have been near floatation. Subsequently, the imbalance has propagated 50 km inland to within 8 km of the ice cap summit. Our observations demonstrate the ability of slow-flowing ice to mobilize and quickly transmit the dynamic imbalance inland; a process that we show has initiated rapid ice loss to the ocean and redistribution of ice mass to locations more susceptible to melt, yet which remains poorly understood.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	8902–8909
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	41
Issue number	24
Early online date	23 Dec 2014
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062255
Publication status	Published - 27 Jan 2015

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http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/2014GL062255

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Mcmillan, M., Shepherd, A., Gourmelen, N., Dehecq, A., Leeson, A., Ridout, A., Flament, T., Hogg, A., Gilbert, L., Benham, T., Van Den Broeke, M., Dowdeswell, J. A., Fettweis, X., No??l, B., & Strozzi, T. (2015). Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation. Geophysical Research Letters, 41(24), 8902–8909. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062255

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title = "Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation",

abstract = "We use satellite observations to document rapid acceleration and ice loss from a formerly slow-flowing, marine-based sector of Austfonna, the largest ice cap in the Eurasian Arctic. During the past two decades, the sector ice discharge has increased 45-fold, the velocity regime has switched from predominantly slow (~ 101 m/yr) to fast (~ 103 m/yr) flow, and rates of ice thinning have exceeded 25 m/yr. At the time of widespread dynamic activation, parts of the terminus may have been near floatation. Subsequently, the imbalance has propagated 50 km inland to within 8 km of the ice cap summit. Our observations demonstrate the ability of slow-flowing ice to mobilize and quickly transmit the dynamic imbalance inland; a process that we show has initiated rapid ice loss to the ocean and redistribution of ice mass to locations more susceptible to melt, yet which remains poorly understood.",

author = "Malcolm Mcmillan and Andrew Shepherd and Noel Gourmelen and Amaury Dehecq and Amber Leeson and Andrew Ridout and Thomas Flament and Anna Hogg and Lin Gilbert and Toby Benham and {Van Den Broeke}, Michiel and Dowdeswell, {Julian A.} and Xavier Fettweis and Brice No??l and Tazio Strozzi",

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doi = "10.1002/2014GL062255",

language = "English",

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Mcmillan, M, Shepherd, A, Gourmelen, N, Dehecq, A, Leeson, A, Ridout, A, Flament, T, Hogg, A, Gilbert, L, Benham, T, Van Den Broeke, M, Dowdeswell, JA, Fettweis, X, No??l, B & Strozzi, T 2015, 'Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 41, no. 24, pp. 8902–8909. https://doi.org/10.1002/2014GL062255

TY - JOUR

T1 - Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap

T2 - Ice cap dynamic activation

AU - Mcmillan, Malcolm

AU - Shepherd, Andrew

AU - Gourmelen, Noel

AU - Dehecq, Amaury

AU - Leeson, Amber

AU - Ridout, Andrew

AU - Flament, Thomas

AU - Hogg, Anna

AU - Gilbert, Lin

AU - Benham, Toby

AU - Van Den Broeke, Michiel

AU - Dowdeswell, Julian A.

AU - Fettweis, Xavier

AU - No??l, Brice

AU - Strozzi, Tazio

PY - 2015/1/27

Y1 - 2015/1/27

N2 - We use satellite observations to document rapid acceleration and ice loss from a formerly slow-flowing, marine-based sector of Austfonna, the largest ice cap in the Eurasian Arctic. During the past two decades, the sector ice discharge has increased 45-fold, the velocity regime has switched from predominantly slow (~ 101 m/yr) to fast (~ 103 m/yr) flow, and rates of ice thinning have exceeded 25 m/yr. At the time of widespread dynamic activation, parts of the terminus may have been near floatation. Subsequently, the imbalance has propagated 50 km inland to within 8 km of the ice cap summit. Our observations demonstrate the ability of slow-flowing ice to mobilize and quickly transmit the dynamic imbalance inland; a process that we show has initiated rapid ice loss to the ocean and redistribution of ice mass to locations more susceptible to melt, yet which remains poorly understood.

AB - We use satellite observations to document rapid acceleration and ice loss from a formerly slow-flowing, marine-based sector of Austfonna, the largest ice cap in the Eurasian Arctic. During the past two decades, the sector ice discharge has increased 45-fold, the velocity regime has switched from predominantly slow (~ 101 m/yr) to fast (~ 103 m/yr) flow, and rates of ice thinning have exceeded 25 m/yr. At the time of widespread dynamic activation, parts of the terminus may have been near floatation. Subsequently, the imbalance has propagated 50 km inland to within 8 km of the ice cap summit. Our observations demonstrate the ability of slow-flowing ice to mobilize and quickly transmit the dynamic imbalance inland; a process that we show has initiated rapid ice loss to the ocean and redistribution of ice mass to locations more susceptible to melt, yet which remains poorly understood.

U2 - 10.1002/2014GL062255

DO - 10.1002/2014GL062255

M3 - Article

SN - 0094-8276

VL - 41

SP - 8902

EP - 8909

JO - Geophysical Research Letters

JF - Geophysical Research Letters

IS - 24

ER -

Rapid dynamic activation of a marine-based Arctic ice cap: Ice cap dynamic activation

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