Correspondence. Issue 225 (2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Helanow, Christian; Meierbachtol, Toby; Jansson, Peter
• Is Part Of: Journal of Glaciology. Volume 61:Issue 225(2015)
• Page Start: 202
• Page End: 204
• Publication Date: 2015
• DOI: 10.3189/2015JoG14J197
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1430

Abstract

Abstract : Recent efforts have been made to increase our understanding of the dynamics of ice-sheet hydrology. Notably, much work has focused on the southwest sector of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS), with intense data collection on diurnal to interannual timescales (e.g. Bartholomew and others, 2012; Cowton and others, 2013; Doyle and others, 2013). Observations show a close correlation between surface meltwater production and the seasonal ice-sheet acceleration, and it is a well-accepted hypothesis that an increase in the former drives the latter via meltwater transfer through the subglacial drainage system (e.g. Zwally and others, 2002). However, due to the remote nature and complexity of the subglacial domain, a satisfactory description at the process level has remained elusive. Better understanding of the coupling of meltwater forcing on ice velocity through the subglacial component is therefore necessary to improve the physical integrity of ice-sheet models.