Pervasive glacier retreats across Svalbard from 1985 to 2023

Tian Li (), Stefan Hofer, Geir Moholdt, Adam Igneczi, Konrad Heidler, Xiao Xiang Zhu and Jonathan Bamber
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Tian Li: Technical University of Munich
Stefan Hofer: University of Bristol
Geir Moholdt: Norwegian Polar Institute
Adam Igneczi: University of Bristol
Konrad Heidler: Technical University of Munich
Xiao Xiang Zhu: Technical University of Munich
Jonathan Bamber: Technical University of Munich

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract A major uncertainty in predicting the behaviour of marine-terminating glaciers is ice dynamics driven by non-linear calving front retreat, which is poorly understood and modelled. Using 124919 calving front positions for 149 marine-terminating glaciers in Svalbard from 1985 to 2023, generated with deep learning, we identify pervasive calving front retreats for non-surging glaciers over the past 38 years. We observe widespread seasonal cycles in calving front position for over half of the glaciers. At the seasonal timescale, peak retreat rates exhibit a several-month phase lag, with changes on the west coast occurring before those on the east coast, coincident with regional ocean warming. This spatial variability in seasonal patterns is linked to different timings of warm ocean water inflow from the West Spitsbergen Current, demonstrating the dominant role of ice-ocean interaction in seasonal front changes. The interannual variability of calving front retreat shows a strong sensitivity to both atmospheric and oceanic warming, with immediate responses to large air and ocean temperature anomalies in 2016 and 2019, likely driven by atmospheric blocking that can influence extreme temperature variability. With more frequent blocking occurring and continued regional warming, future calving front retreats will likely intensify, leading to more significant glacier mass loss.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-55948-1

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