Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland

Kurt H. Kjær; Shfaqat Abbas Khan; Niels Jákup Korsgaard; John Wahr; Jonathan L. Bamber; Ruud Hurkmans; Michiel van den Broeke; Lars Hjortborg Timm; Kristian Kjellerup Kjeldsen; Anders Anker Bjørk; Nicolaj Krog Larsen; Lars Tyge Jørgensen; Anders Færch-Jensen; Eske Willerslev

doi:10.1126/science.1220614

Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland

Kurt H. Kjær, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Niels Jákup Korsgaard, John Wahr, Jonathan L. Bamber, Ruud Hurkmans, Michiel van den Broeke, Lars Hjortborg Timm, Kristian Kjellerup Kjeldsen, Anders Anker Bjørk, Nicolaj Krog Larsen, Lars Tyge Jørgensen, Anders Færch-Jensen, Eske Willerslev

67 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Global warming is predicted to have a profound impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Recent mass loss in the northwest of Greenland has been substantial. Using aerial photographs, we produced digital elevation models and extended the time record of recent observed marginal dynamic thinning back to the mid-1980s. We reveal two independent dynamic ice loss events on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet margin: from 1985 to 1993 and 2005 to 2010, which were separated by limited mass changes. Our results suggest that the ice mass changes in this sector were primarily caused by short-lived dynamic ice loss events rather than changes in the surface mass balance. This finding challenges predictions about the future response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to increasing global temperatures.

Original language	English
Journal	Science
Volume	337
Issue number	6094
Pages (from-to)	569-573
Number of pages	5
ISSN	0036-8075
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1220614
Publication status	Published - 3 Aug 2012

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Kjær, K. H., Khan, S. A., Korsgaard, N. J., Wahr, J., Bamber, J. L., Hurkmans, R., van den Broeke, M., Timm, L. H., Kjeldsen, K. K., Bjørk, A. A., Larsen, N. K., Jørgensen, L. T., Færch-Jensen, A., & Willerslev, E. (2012). Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland. Science, 337(6094), 569-573. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1220614

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title = "Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland",

abstract = "Global warming is predicted to have a profound impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Recent mass loss in the northwest of Greenland has been substantial. Using aerial photographs, we produced digital elevation models and extended the time record of recent observed marginal dynamic thinning back to the mid-1980s. We reveal two independent dynamic ice loss events on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet margin: from 1985 to 1993 and 2005 to 2010, which were separated by limited mass changes. Our results suggest that the ice mass changes in this sector were primarily caused by short-lived dynamic ice loss events rather than changes in the surface mass balance. This finding challenges predictions about the future response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to increasing global temperatures.",

author = "Kj{\ae}r, {Kurt H.} and Khan, {Shfaqat Abbas} and Korsgaard, {Niels J{\'a}kup} and John Wahr and Bamber, {Jonathan L.} and Ruud Hurkmans and {van den Broeke}, Michiel and Timm, {Lars Hjortborg} and Kjeldsen, {Kristian Kjellerup} and Bj{\o}rk, {Anders Anker} and Larsen, {Nicolaj Krog} and J{\o}rgensen, {Lars Tyge} and Anders F{\ae}rch-Jensen and Eske Willerslev",

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T1 - Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

AU - Khan, Shfaqat Abbas

AU - Korsgaard, Niels Jákup

AU - Wahr, John

AU - Bamber, Jonathan L.

AU - Hurkmans, Ruud

AU - van den Broeke, Michiel

AU - Timm, Lars Hjortborg

AU - Kjeldsen, Kristian Kjellerup

AU - Bjørk, Anders Anker

AU - Larsen, Nicolaj Krog

AU - Jørgensen, Lars Tyge

AU - Færch-Jensen, Anders

AU - Willerslev, Eske

PY - 2012/8/3

Y1 - 2012/8/3

N2 - Global warming is predicted to have a profound impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Recent mass loss in the northwest of Greenland has been substantial. Using aerial photographs, we produced digital elevation models and extended the time record of recent observed marginal dynamic thinning back to the mid-1980s. We reveal two independent dynamic ice loss events on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet margin: from 1985 to 1993 and 2005 to 2010, which were separated by limited mass changes. Our results suggest that the ice mass changes in this sector were primarily caused by short-lived dynamic ice loss events rather than changes in the surface mass balance. This finding challenges predictions about the future response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to increasing global temperatures.

AB - Global warming is predicted to have a profound impact on the Greenland Ice Sheet and its contribution to global sea-level rise. Recent mass loss in the northwest of Greenland has been substantial. Using aerial photographs, we produced digital elevation models and extended the time record of recent observed marginal dynamic thinning back to the mid-1980s. We reveal two independent dynamic ice loss events on the northwestern Greenland Ice Sheet margin: from 1985 to 1993 and 2005 to 2010, which were separated by limited mass changes. Our results suggest that the ice mass changes in this sector were primarily caused by short-lived dynamic ice loss events rather than changes in the surface mass balance. This finding challenges predictions about the future response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to increasing global temperatures.

U2 - 10.1126/science.1220614

DO - 10.1126/science.1220614

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 337

SP - 569

EP - 573

JO - Science

JF - Science

IS - 6094

ER -

Aerial photographs reveal late–20th-century dynamic ice loss in Northwestern Greenland

Abstract

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