Laser altimetry reveals complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics

Beata M. Csatho; Anton F. Schenk; Cornelis J. van der Veen; Gregory Babonis; Kyle Duncan; Soroush Rezvanbehbahani; Michiel R. van den Broeke; Sebastian Bjerregaard Simonsen; Sudhagar Nagarajan; Jan H. van Angelen

doi:10.1073/pnas.1411680112

Laser altimetry reveals complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics

Beata M. Csatho, Anton F. Schenk, Cornelis J. van der Veen, Gregory Babonis, Kyle Duncan, Soroush Rezvanbehbahani, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Sebastian Bjerregaard Simonsen, Sudhagar Nagarajan, Jan H. van Angelen

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

Significance We present the first detailed reconstruction of surface elevation changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASA’s laser altimetry data. Time series at nearly 100,000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins and the entire ice sheet. Our record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial contribution to Greenland mass loss. The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate forcing, strongly enforcing the need for continued monitoring at high spatial resolution and for improving numerical ice sheet models.

Original language	English
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume	111
Issue number	52
Pages (from-to)	18478-18483
Number of pages	6
ISSN	0027-8424
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1411680112
Publication status	Published - 2014

Keywords

Physical Sciences
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

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title = "Laser altimetry reveals complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics",

abstract = "Significance We present the first detailed reconstruction of surface elevation changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASA{\textquoteright}s laser altimetry data. Time series at nearly 100,000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins and the entire ice sheet. Our record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial contribution to Greenland mass loss. The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate forcing, strongly enforcing the need for continued monitoring at high spatial resolution and for improving numerical ice sheet models.",

keywords = "Physical Sciences, Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences",

author = "Csatho, {Beata M.} and Schenk, {Anton F.} and {van der Veen}, {Cornelis J.} and Gregory Babonis and Kyle Duncan and Soroush Rezvanbehbahani and {van den Broeke}, {Michiel R.} and Simonsen, {Sebastian Bjerregaard} and Sudhagar Nagarajan and {van Angelen}, {Jan H.}",

year = "2014",

doi = "10.1073/pnas.1411680112",

language = "English",

volume = "111",

pages = "18478--18483",

journal = "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Laser altimetry reveals complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics

AU - Csatho, Beata M.

AU - Schenk, Anton F.

AU - van der Veen, Cornelis J.

AU - Babonis, Gregory

AU - Duncan, Kyle

AU - Rezvanbehbahani, Soroush

AU - van den Broeke, Michiel R.

AU - Simonsen, Sebastian Bjerregaard

AU - Nagarajan, Sudhagar

AU - van Angelen, Jan H.

PY - 2014

Y1 - 2014

N2 - Significance We present the first detailed reconstruction of surface elevation changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASA’s laser altimetry data. Time series at nearly 100,000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins and the entire ice sheet. Our record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial contribution to Greenland mass loss. The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate forcing, strongly enforcing the need for continued monitoring at high spatial resolution and for improving numerical ice sheet models.

AB - Significance We present the first detailed reconstruction of surface elevation changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet from NASA’s laser altimetry data. Time series at nearly 100,000 locations allow the characterization of ice sheet changes at scales ranging from individual outlet glaciers to larger drainage basins and the entire ice sheet. Our record shows that continuing dynamic thinning provides a substantial contribution to Greenland mass loss. The large spatial and temporal variations of dynamic mass loss and widespread intermittent thinning indicate the complexity of ice sheet response to climate forcing, strongly enforcing the need for continued monitoring at high spatial resolution and for improving numerical ice sheet models.

KW - Physical Sciences

KW - Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.1411680112

DO - 10.1073/pnas.1411680112

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25512537

VL - 111

SP - 18478

EP - 18483

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

SN - 0027-8424

IS - 52

ER -

Laser altimetry reveals complex pattern of Greenland Ice Sheet dynamics

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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