Affiliation:
1. Université Grenoble Alpes CNRS IGE Grenoble France
2. Now at Los Alamos National Laboratory NM Los Alamos USA
3. DTU Space Technical University of Denmark Lyngby Denmark
4. Department of Earth System Science University of California‐Irvine Irvine CA USA
Abstract
AbstractSurface melt forces summertime ice‐flow accelerations on glaciers and ice sheets. Here, we show that large meltwater‐forced accelerations also occur during wintertime in Greenland. We document supraglacial lakes (SGLs) draining in cascades at unusually high elevation, causing an expansive flow acceleration over a ∼5,200 km2 region during winter. The three‐component interferometric surface velocity field and decomposition modeling reveal the underlying flood propagation with unprecedented detail as it traveled over 160 km from the drainage site to the margin, providing novel constraints on subglacial water pathways, drainage morphology, and links with basal sliding. The triggering SGLs continuously grew over 40 years and suddenly released decades of stored meltwater, demonstrating surface melting can impact dynamics well beyond melt production. We show these events are likely common and thus their cumulative impact on dynamics should be further evaluated.
Funder
Agence Nationale de la Recherche
Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales
Publisher
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Subject
General Earth and Planetary Sciences,Geophysics
Cited by
4 articles.
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