A first constraint on basal melt-water production of the Greenland ice sheet

Nanna B. Karlsson (), Anne M. Solgaard, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Fabien Gillet-Chaulet, Joseph A. MacGregor, Jason E. Box, Michele Citterio, William T. Colgan, Signe H. Larsen, Kristian K. Kjeldsen, Niels J. Korsgaard, Douglas I. Benn, Ian J. Hewitt and Robert S. Fausto
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Nanna B. Karlsson: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Anne M. Solgaard: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Kenneth D. Mankoff: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Fabien Gillet-Chaulet: University of Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IGE
Joseph A. MacGregor: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jason E. Box: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Michele Citterio: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
William T. Colgan: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Signe H. Larsen: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Kristian K. Kjeldsen: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Niels J. Korsgaard: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Douglas I. Benn: University of St. Andrews
Ian J. Hewitt: University of Oxford
Robert S. Fausto: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract The Greenland ice sheet has been one of the largest sources of sea-level rise since the early 2000s. However, basal melt has not been included explicitly in assessments of ice-sheet mass loss so far. Here, we present the first estimate of the total and regional basal melt produced by the ice sheet and the recent change in basal melt through time. We find that the ice sheet’s present basal melt production is 21.4 +4.4/−4.0 Gt per year, and that melt generated by basal friction is responsible for about half of this volume. We estimate that basal melting has increased by 2.9 ± 5.2 Gt during the first decade of the 2000s. As the Arctic warms, we anticipate that basal melt will continue to increase due to faster ice flow and more surface melting thus compounding current mass loss trends, enhancing solid ice discharge, and modifying fjord circulation.

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:12:y:2021:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-021-23739-z

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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23739-z

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