The Dynamics of Greenland's Glacial Fjords and Their Role in Climate

Abstract

Rapid mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet has sparked interest in its glacial fjords for two main reasons: Increased submarine melting of glaciers terminating in fjords is a plausible trigger for glacier retreat, and the anomalous freshwater discharged from Greenland is transformed by fjord processes before being released into the large-scale ocean. Knowledge of the fjords' dynamics is thus key to understanding ice sheet variability and its impact on climate. Although Greenland's fjords share some commonalities with other fjords, their deep sills and deeply grounded glaciers, the presence of Atlantic and Polar Waters on the continental shelves outside the fjords' mouths, and the seasonal discharge at depth of large amounts of surface melt make them unique systems that do not fit existing paradigms. Major gaps in understanding include the interaction of the buoyancy-driven circulation (forced by the glacier) and shelf-driven circulation, and the dynamics in the near-ice zone. These must be addressed before appropriate forcing conditions can be supplied to ice sheet and ocean/climate models.