Tidewater-glacier response to supraglacial lake drainage

Laura A. Stevens (), Meredith Nettles, James L. Davis, Timothy T. Creyts, Jonathan Kingslake, Ian J. Hewitt and Aaron Stubblefield
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Laura A. Stevens: University of Oxford
Meredith Nettles: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
James L. Davis: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Timothy T. Creyts: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Jonathan Kingslake: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University
Ian J. Hewitt: University of Oxford
Aaron Stubblefield: Dartmouth College

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The flow speed of the Greenland Ice Sheet changes dramatically in inland regions when surface meltwater drains to the bed. But ice-sheet discharge to the ocean is dominated by fast-flowing outlet glaciers, where the effect of increasing surface melt on annual discharge is unknown. Observations of a supraglacial lake drainage at Helheim Glacier, and a consequent velocity pulse propagating down-glacier, provide a natural experiment for assessing the impact of changes in injected meltwater, and allow us to interrogate the subglacial hydrological system. We find a highly efficient subglacial drainage system, such that summertime lake drainage has little net effect on ice discharge. Our results question the validity of common remote-sensing approaches for inferring subglacial conditions, knowledge of which is needed for improved projections of sea-level rise.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33763-2

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