Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data

Details Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data

Mar 2012

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2012e%26psl.321...74l&link_type=abstract

Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Volume 321, p. 74-80.

Physics

Amundsen Sea Sector, Ice Mass Loss, Envisat, Grace, Firn Density

Scientific paper

Satellite altimetry and Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements have provided contemporary, but substantially different Antarctic ice sheet mass balance estimates. Altimetry provides no information about firn density while GRACE data is significantly impacted by poorly constrained glacial isostatic adjustment signals. Here, we combine Envisat radar altimetry and GRACE data over the Amundsen Sea (AS) sector, West Antarctica, to estimate the basin-wide averaged snow and firn column density over a seasonal time scale. Removing the firn variability signal from Envisat-observed ice-sheet elevation changes reveals more rapid dynamic thinning of underlying ice. We report that the net AS sector mass change rates are estimated to be - 47 ± 8 Gt yr- 1 between 2002 and 2006, and - 80 ± 4 Gt yr- 1 between2007 and 2009, equivalent to a sea level rise of 0.13 and 0.22 mm yr- 1, respectively. The acceleration is due to a combination of decreased snowfall accumulation (+ 13 Gt yr- 1 in 2002-2006, and - 6 Gt yr- 1 in 2007-2009) and enhanced ice dynamic thinning (- 60 ± 10 Gt yr- 1 in 2002-2006, and - 74 ± 11 Gt yr- 1 in 2007-2009) after 2007. Because there is no significant snowfall trend over the past 21 yr (1989-2009) and an increase in ice flow speed (2003-2010), the accelerated mass loss is likely to continue.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Continuously accelerating ice loss over Amundsen Sea catchment, West Antarctica, revealed by integrating altimetry and GRACE data will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1558635