Calving at Ryder Glacier, Northern Greenland. Issue 4 (28th April 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Holmes, F. A.; Kirchner, N.; Prakash, A.; Stranne, C.; Dijkstra, S.; Jakobsson, M.
• Is Part Of: Journal of geophysical research. Volume 126:Issue 4(2021)
• Page Start: n/a
• Page End: n/a
• Publication Date: 2021-04-28
• Subjects: calving -- Greenland -- ice‐ocean interactions; Geomorphology -- Periodicals; 551.3
• DOI: 10.1029/2020JF005872
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2169-9003

Abstract

Abstract: Recent evidence has shown increasing mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet, with a general trend of accelerated mass losses extending northwards. However, different glaciers have been shown to respond differently to similar external forcings, constituting a problem for extrapolating and upscaling data. Specifically, whilst some outlet glaciers have accelerated, thinned, and retreated in response to atmospheric and oceanic warming, the behavior of other marine terminating glaciers appears to be less sensitive to climate forcing. Ryder glacier, for which only a few studies have been conducted, is located in North Greenland and terminates with a floating ice tongue in Sherard Osborn Fjord. The persistence or disintegration of floating ice tongues has impacts on glacier dynamics and stability, with ramifications beyond, including sea level rise. This study focuses on understanding the controls on calving and frontal ablation of the Ryder glacier through the use of time‐lapse imagery and satellite data. The results suggest that Ryder glacier has behaved independently of climate forcing during recent decades, with fjord geometry exerting a first order control on its calving. Plain Language Summary: Many glaciers around the world are losing ice at an accelerating rate as a result of global climatic changes. The Greenland ice sheet, an important contributor to sea‐level rise, is losing increasing amounts of mass, with regions in the North has become impacted. However, each glacier is responding differently to the climatic changes due to different local settings. All glaciers can lose mass due to surface melt. On top of this, marine terminating glaciers lose mass as a result of submarine melt and calving (the breaking off of icebergs at the front). With increasing ocean temperatures, marine terminating glaciers can be particularly sensitive to climatic changes and be important contributors to sea‐level rise. This article focuses on the Ryder glacier, a marine terminating glacier in North Greenland, to investigate controls on glacier behavior in this region. The results show that the Ryder glacier has been stable over recent decades, with periodic large calving events controlled by the shape of the fjord. Key Points: Understanding controls on individual glaciers has relevance for the whole Greenland ice sheet and associated sea level rise estimates The behavior of Ryder glacier seems to be controlled by fjord geometry, rather than climatic forcing Large calving events at Ryder glacier correspond with frontal acceleration, but velocity increases do not propagate to the grounding line