Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation

Anders Anker Bjørk; Søren Aagaard; Anine Lütt; Shfaqat Abbas Khan; Jason Box; Kristian Kjeldsen; Nicolaj Krog Larsen; Niels J. Korsgaard; John Cappelen; William Colgan; Horst Machguth; Camilla S Andresen; Yannick Peings; Kurt H. Kjær

doi:10.1038/s41558-017-0029-1

Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation

Anders Anker Bjørk, Søren Aagaard, Anine Lütt, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Jason Box, Kristian Kjeldsen, Nicolaj Krog Larsen, Niels J. Korsgaard, John Cappelen, William Colgan, Horst Machguth, Camilla S Andresen, Yannick Peings, Kurt H. Kjær

19 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Glaciers and ice caps peripheral to the main Greenland Ice Sheet contribute markedly to sea-level rise ^1-3 . Their changes and variability, however, have been difficult to quantify on multi-decadal timescales due to an absence of long-term data ⁴ . Here, using historical aerial surveys, expedition photographs, spy satellite imagery and new remote-sensing products, we map glacier length fluctuations of approximately 350 peripheral glaciers and ice caps in East and West Greenland since 1890. Peripheral glaciers are found to have recently undergone a widespread and significant retreat at rates of 12.2 m per year and 16.6 m per year in East and West Greenland, respectively; these changes are exceeded in severity only by the early twentieth century post-Little-Ice-Age retreat. Regional changes in ice volume, as reflected by glacier length, are further shown to be related to changes in precipitation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with a distinct east-west asymmetry; positive phases of the NAO increase accumulation, and thereby glacier growth, in the eastern periphery, whereas opposite effects are observed in the western periphery. Thus, with projected trends towards positive NAO in the future ^5,6, eastern peripheral glaciers may remain relatively stable, while western peripheral glaciers will continue to diminish.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature Climate Change
Volume	8
Pages (from-to)	48-53
Number of pages	6
ISSN	1758-678X
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-017-0029-1
Publication status	Published - 1 Jan 2018

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title = "Changes in Greenland{\textquoteright}s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation",

abstract = "Glaciers and ice caps peripheral to the main Greenland Ice Sheet contribute markedly to sea-level rise 1-3 . Their changes and variability, however, have been difficult to quantify on multi-decadal timescales due to an absence of long-term data 4 . Here, using historical aerial surveys, expedition photographs, spy satellite imagery and new remote-sensing products, we map glacier length fluctuations of approximately 350 peripheral glaciers and ice caps in East and West Greenland since 1890. Peripheral glaciers are found to have recently undergone a widespread and significant retreat at rates of 12.2 m per year and 16.6 m per year in East and West Greenland, respectively; these changes are exceeded in severity only by the early twentieth century post-Little-Ice-Age retreat. Regional changes in ice volume, as reflected by glacier length, are further shown to be related to changes in precipitation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with a distinct east-west asymmetry; positive phases of the NAO increase accumulation, and thereby glacier growth, in the eastern periphery, whereas opposite effects are observed in the western periphery. Thus, with projected trends towards positive NAO in the future 5,6, eastern peripheral glaciers may remain relatively stable, while western peripheral glaciers will continue to diminish.",

author = "Bj{\o}rk, {Anders Anker} and S{\o}ren Aagaard and Anine L{\"u}tt and Khan, {Shfaqat Abbas} and Jason Box and Kristian Kjeldsen and Larsen, {Nicolaj Krog} and Korsgaard, {Niels J.} and John Cappelen and William Colgan and Horst Machguth and Andresen, {Camilla S} and Yannick Peings and Kj{\ae}r, {Kurt H.}",

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doi = "10.1038/s41558-017-0029-1",

language = "English",

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T1 - Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation

AU - Bjørk, Anders Anker

AU - Aagaard, Søren

AU - Lütt, Anine

AU - Khan, Shfaqat Abbas

AU - Box, Jason

AU - Kjeldsen, Kristian

AU - Larsen, Nicolaj Krog

AU - Korsgaard, Niels J.

AU - Cappelen, John

AU - Colgan, William

AU - Machguth, Horst

AU - Andresen, Camilla S

AU - Peings, Yannick

AU - Kjær, Kurt H.

PY - 2018/1/1

Y1 - 2018/1/1

N2 - Glaciers and ice caps peripheral to the main Greenland Ice Sheet contribute markedly to sea-level rise 1-3 . Their changes and variability, however, have been difficult to quantify on multi-decadal timescales due to an absence of long-term data 4 . Here, using historical aerial surveys, expedition photographs, spy satellite imagery and new remote-sensing products, we map glacier length fluctuations of approximately 350 peripheral glaciers and ice caps in East and West Greenland since 1890. Peripheral glaciers are found to have recently undergone a widespread and significant retreat at rates of 12.2 m per year and 16.6 m per year in East and West Greenland, respectively; these changes are exceeded in severity only by the early twentieth century post-Little-Ice-Age retreat. Regional changes in ice volume, as reflected by glacier length, are further shown to be related to changes in precipitation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with a distinct east-west asymmetry; positive phases of the NAO increase accumulation, and thereby glacier growth, in the eastern periphery, whereas opposite effects are observed in the western periphery. Thus, with projected trends towards positive NAO in the future 5,6, eastern peripheral glaciers may remain relatively stable, while western peripheral glaciers will continue to diminish.

AB - Glaciers and ice caps peripheral to the main Greenland Ice Sheet contribute markedly to sea-level rise 1-3 . Their changes and variability, however, have been difficult to quantify on multi-decadal timescales due to an absence of long-term data 4 . Here, using historical aerial surveys, expedition photographs, spy satellite imagery and new remote-sensing products, we map glacier length fluctuations of approximately 350 peripheral glaciers and ice caps in East and West Greenland since 1890. Peripheral glaciers are found to have recently undergone a widespread and significant retreat at rates of 12.2 m per year and 16.6 m per year in East and West Greenland, respectively; these changes are exceeded in severity only by the early twentieth century post-Little-Ice-Age retreat. Regional changes in ice volume, as reflected by glacier length, are further shown to be related to changes in precipitation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), with a distinct east-west asymmetry; positive phases of the NAO increase accumulation, and thereby glacier growth, in the eastern periphery, whereas opposite effects are observed in the western periphery. Thus, with projected trends towards positive NAO in the future 5,6, eastern peripheral glaciers may remain relatively stable, while western peripheral glaciers will continue to diminish.

U2 - 10.1038/s41558-017-0029-1

DO - 10.1038/s41558-017-0029-1

M3 - Letter

SN - 1758-678X

VL - 8

SP - 48

EP - 53

JO - Nature Climate Change

JF - Nature Climate Change

ER -

Changes in Greenland’s peripheral glaciers linked to the North Atlantic Oscillation

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