Quantitative analysis of Arctic ice flow acceleration with increasing temperature

Zemin Wang; Boya Yan; Songtao Ai; Kim Holmén; Jiachun An; Hongmei Ma

doi:10.1007/s13131-021-1718-1

Volume 40 Issue 1

Feb. 2021

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2021 > 40(1): 22-32

Zemin Wang, Boya Yan, Songtao Ai, Kim Holmén, Jiachun An, Hongmei Ma. Quantitative analysis of Arctic ice flow acceleration with increasing temperature[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2021, 40(1): 22-32. doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1718-1

Citation:

Zemin Wang, Boya Yan, Songtao Ai, Kim Holmén, Jiachun An, Hongmei Ma. Quantitative analysis of Arctic ice flow acceleration with increasing temperature[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2021, 40(1): 22-32. doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1718-1

Citation:

PDF( 1194 KB)

Quantitative analysis of Arctic ice flow acceleration with increasing temperature

doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1718-1

1.
Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China
2.
Norwegian Polar Institute, Longyearbyen 9170, Norway
3.
Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136, China

Funds: The National Key R&D Program of China under contract No. 2016YFC1402701; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41941010, 41531069 and 41476162.

More Information

Corresponding author: E-mail: ast@whu.edu.cn; jcan@whu.edu.cn
Received Date: 2020-08-14
Accepted Date: 2020-09-17

Available Online: 2021-04-21

Publish Date: 2021-01-25

Abstract

Abstract

This study explores the ice flow acceleration (21.1%) of Pedersenbreen during 2016–2017 after the extremely warm winter throughout the whole Arctic in 2015/2016 using in situ data and quantitatively analyses the factors contributing to this acceleration. Several data sets, including 2008–2018 air temperature data from Ny-Ålesund, ten-year in situ GPS measurements and Elmer/Ice ice flow modelling under different ice temperature scenarios, suggest that the following factors contributed to the ice flow acceleration: the softened glacier ice caused by an increase in the air temperature (1.5°C) contributed 2.7%–30.5%, while basal lubrication contributed 69.5%–97.3%. The enhanced basal sliding was mostly due to the increased surface meltwater penetrating to the bedrock under the rising air temperature conditions; consequently, the glacier ice flow acceleration was caused mainly by an increase in subglacial water. For Pedersenbreen, there was an approximately one-year time lag between the change in air temperature and the change in glacier ice flow velocity.
- ice flow velocity,
- Arctic temperature rising,
- Pedersenbreen,
- Elmer/Ice,
- meltwater

FullText(HTML)

References(39)

References

[1]	Ai Songtao, E Dongchen, Yan Ming, et al. 2006. Arctic glacier movement monitoring with GPS method in 2005. Chinese Journal of Polar Research (in Chinese), 18(1): 1–8
[2]	Ai Songtao, Wang Zemin, E Dongchen, et al. 2012. Surface movement research of Arctic glaciers using GPS method. Geomatics and Information Science of Wuhan University (in Chinese), 37(11): 1337–1340
[3]	Ai Songtao, Wang Zemin, E Dongchen, et al. 2014. Topography, ice thickness and ice volume of the glacier Pedersenbreen in Svalbard, using GPR and GPS. Polar Research, 33: 18533. doi: 10.3402/polar.v33.18533
[4]	Ai Songtao, Wang Zemin, Tan Zhi, et al. 2013. Mass change study on Arctic glacier Pedersenbreen, during 1936–1990–2009. Chinese Science Bulletin, 58(25): 3148–3154. doi: 10.1007/s11434-013-5772-8
[5]	Ai Songtao, Yan Boya, Wang Zemin, et al. 2019. A decadal record of inter-annual surface ice flow from Pedersenbreen, Svalbard (2005–15). Polar Science, 22: 100485. doi: 10.1016/j.polar.2019.100485
[6]	Bartholomew I, Nienow P, Mair D, et al. 2010. Seasonal evolution of subglacial drainage and acceleration in a Greenland outlet glacier. Nature Geoscience, 3(6): 408–411. doi: 10.1038/ngeo863
[7]	Braithwaite R J. 1995. Positive degree-day factors for ablation on the Greenland ice sheet studied by energy-balance modelling. Journal of Glaciology, 41(137): 153–160. doi: 10.1017/S0022143000017846
[8]	Cohen J, Screen J A, Furtado J C, et al. 2014. Recent Arctic amplification and extreme mid-latitude weather. Nature Geoscience, 7(9): 627–637. doi: 10.1038/ngeo2234
[9]	Cuffey K M, Paterson W S B. 2010. The Physics of Glaciers. 4th ed. Burlington: Elsevier, 163–362
[10]	Das S B, Joughin I, Behn M D, et al. 2008. Fracture propagation to the base of the Greenland ice sheet during supraglacial lake drainage. Science, 320(5877): 778–781. doi: 10.1126/science.1153360
[11]	Everett A, Murray T, Selmes N, et al. 2016. Annual down-glacier drainage of lakes and water-filled crevasses at Helheim Glacier, southeast Greenland. Journal of Geophysical Research, 121(10): 1819–1833
[12]	Gardner A S, Fahnestock M A, Scambos T A. 2019. ITS_LIVE regional glacier and ice sheet surface velocities. Data archived at National Snow and Ice Data Center, doi: 10.5067/6Ⅱ6VW8LLWJ7
[13]	Gardner A S, Moholdt G, Scambos T, et al. 2018. Increased West Antarctic and unchanged East Antarctic ice discharge over the last 7 years. The Cryosphere, 12(2): 521–547. doi: 10.5194/tc-12-521-2018
[14]	Hewitt I J. 2013. Seasonal changes in ice sheet motion due to melt water lubrication. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 371–372: 16–25. doi: 10.1016/j.jpgl.2013.04.022
[15]	How P, Benn D I, Hulton N R J, et al. 2017. Rapidly changing subglacial hydrological pathways at a tidewater glacier revealed through simultaneous observations of water pressure, supraglacial lakes, meltwater plumes and surface velocities. The Cryosphere, 11(6): 2691–2710. doi: 10.5194/tc-11-2691-2017
[16]	Huss M, Hock R. 2015. A new model for global glacier change and sea-level rise. Frontiers in Earth Science, 3: 54
[17]	Iken A, Bindschadler R A. 1986. Combined measurements of subglacial water pressure and surface velocity of findelengletscher, Switzerland: Conclusions about drainage system and sliding mechanism. Journal of Glaciology, 32(110): 101–119. doi: 10.1017/S0022143000006936
[18]	IPCC. 2013. Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 4
[19]	Joughin I, Das S B, King M A, et al. 2008. Seasonal speedup along the western flank of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Science, 320(5877): 781–783. doi: 10.1126/science.1153288
[20]	Kim B M, Hong J Y, Jun S Y, et al. 2017. Major cause of unprecedented Arctic warming in January 2016: Critical role of an Atlantic windstorm. Scientific Reports, 7: 40051. doi: 10.1038/srep40051
[21]	Lei Ruibo, Wei Zexun. 2020. Exploring the Arctic Ocean under Arctic amplification. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 39(9): 1–4. doi: 10.1007/s13131-020-1642-9
[22]	Li Peng, Yan Ming, Ai Songtao, et al. 2015. Characteristics of surface movement on the Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen glaciers, Svalbard, the Arctic. Chinese Journal of Polar Research (in Chinese), 27(4): 402–411
[23]	Linderholm H W, Nicolle M, Francus P, et al. 2018. Arctic hydroclimate variability during the last 2000 years: Current understanding and research challenges. Climate of the Past, 14(4): 473–514. doi: 10.5194/cp-14-473-2018
[24]	Moore G W K. 2016. The December 2015 north pole warming event and the increasing occurrence of such events. Scientific Reports, 6: 39084. doi: 10.1038/srep39084
[25]	Overland J E, Wang Muyin. 2016. Recent extreme Arctic temperatures are due to a split polar vortex. Journal of Climate, 29(15): 5609–5616. doi: 10.1175/JCLI-D-16-0320.1
[26]	Palmer S, Shepherd A, Nienow P, et al. 2011. Seasonal speedup of the Greenland ice sheet linked to routing of surface water. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 302(3–4): 423–428. doi: 10.1016/j.jpgl.2010.12.037
[27]	Ren Jiawen, Yan Ming. 2005. Glaciological investigation during the first scientific expedition of Chinese Arctic Yellow River Station, 2004. Journal of Glaciology and Geocryology (in Chinese), 27(1): 124–127
[28]	Rogers J C, Yang Lei, Li Lin. 2005. The role of Fram Strait winter cyclones on sea ice flux and on Spitsbergen air temperatures. Geophysical Research Letters, 32(6): L06709
[29]	Screen J A, Simmonds I. 2010. The central role of diminishing sea ice in recent Arctic temperature amplification. Nature, 464(7293): 1334–1337. doi: 10.1038/nature09051
[30]	Serreze M C, Barrett A P, Stroeve J C, et al. 2009. The emergence of surface-based Arctic amplification. The Cryosphere, 3(1): 11–19. doi: 10.5194/tc-3-11-2009
[31]	Shepherd A, Hubbard A, Nienow P, et al. 2009. Greenland ice sheet motion coupled with daily melting in late summer. Geophysical Research Letters, 36(1): L01501
[32]	Slater D A, Nienow P W, Cowton T R, et al. 2015. Effect of near-terminus subglacial hydrology on tidewater glacier submarine melt rates. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(8): 2861–2868. doi: 10.1002/2014GL062494
[33]	Sun Weijun, Yan Ming, Ai Songtao, et al. 2016. Ice temperature characteristics of the Austre lovénbreen glacier in NY-Ålesund, arctic region. Geomatics and Information Science of Wuhan University (in Chinese), 41(1): 79–85
[34]	van de Wal R S W, Boot W, van den Broeke M R, et al. 2008. Large and rapid melt-induced velocity changes in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. Science, 321(5885): 111–113. doi: 10.1126/science.1158540
[35]	Wang Zemin, Lin Guobiao, Ai Songtao. 2019. How long will an Arctic mountain glacier survive? A case study of Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. Polar Research, 38: 3519
[36]	Xu Mingxing, Yan Ming, Ren Jiawen, et al. 2010. The studies of surface mass balance and ice flow on glaciers Austre Lovénbreen and Pedersenbreen, Svalbard, Arctic. Chinese Journal of Polar Research (in Chinese), 22(1): 10–22. doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1084.2010.00010
[37]	Yamanouchi T. 2019. Arctic warming by cloud radiation enhanced by moist air intrusion observed at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard. Polar Science, 21: 110–116. doi: 10.1016/j.polar.2018.10.009
[38]	Zwally H J, Abdalati W, Herring T, et al. 2002. Surface melt-induced acceleration of Greenland ice-sheet flow. Science, 297(5579): 218–222. doi: 10.1126/science.1072708
[39]	Zwinger T, Moore J C. 2009. Diagnostic and prognostic simulations with a full Stokes model accounting for superimposed ice of Midtre Lovénbreen, Svalbard. The Cryosphere, 3(2): 217–229. doi: 10.5194/tc-3-217-2009