MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords
The freshwater flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to the North Atlantic Ocean carries extensive but poorly documented volumes of sediment. We develop a suspended sediment concentration (SSC) retrieval algorithm using a large Greenland specific in situ data set. This algorithm is applied to all...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2014-07-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1161/2014/tc-8-1161-2014.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818466134100279296 |
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| author | B. Hudson I. Overeem D. McGrath J. P. M. Syvitski A. Mikkelsen B. Hasholt |
| author_facet | B. Hudson I. Overeem D. McGrath J. P. M. Syvitski A. Mikkelsen B. Hasholt |
| author_sort | B. Hudson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The freshwater flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to the North
Atlantic Ocean carries extensive but poorly documented volumes of sediment.
We develop a suspended sediment concentration (SSC) retrieval algorithm
using a large Greenland specific in situ data set. This algorithm is applied
to all cloud-free NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS)
Terra images from 2000 to 2012 to monitor SSC dynamics at six river plumes
in three fjords in southwest Greenland. Melt-season mean plume SSC increased
at all but one site, although these trends were primarily not statistically
significant. Zones of sediment concentration > 50 mg L<sup>−1</sup>
expanded in three river plumes, with potential consequences for biological
productivity. The high SSC cores of sediment plumes ( > 250 mg L<sup>−1</sup> expanded in one-third of study locations. At a regional scale,
higher volumes of runoff were associated with higher melt-season mean plume
SSC values, but this relationship did not hold for individual rivers. High
spatial variability between proximal plumes highlights the complex processes
operating in Greenland's glacio–fluvial–fjord systems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:54:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4817beddb4634eb592df760103bdbf89 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T20:54:23Z |
| publishDate | 2014-07-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-4817beddb4634eb592df760103bdbf892022-12-22T02:30:22ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242014-07-01841161117610.5194/tc-8-1161-2014MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjordsB. Hudson0I. Overeem1D. McGrath2J. P. M. Syvitski3A. Mikkelsen4B. Hasholt5University of Colorado, Department of Geological Sciences, Boulder, CO, USAUniversity of Colorado, Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System, INSTAAR, Boulder, CO, USAUniversity of Colorado, CIRES, Boulder, CO, USAUniversity of Colorado, Department of Geological Sciences, Boulder, CO, USAUniversity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkUniversity of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkThe freshwater flux from the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) to the North Atlantic Ocean carries extensive but poorly documented volumes of sediment. We develop a suspended sediment concentration (SSC) retrieval algorithm using a large Greenland specific in situ data set. This algorithm is applied to all cloud-free NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) Terra images from 2000 to 2012 to monitor SSC dynamics at six river plumes in three fjords in southwest Greenland. Melt-season mean plume SSC increased at all but one site, although these trends were primarily not statistically significant. Zones of sediment concentration > 50 mg L<sup>−1</sup> expanded in three river plumes, with potential consequences for biological productivity. The high SSC cores of sediment plumes ( > 250 mg L<sup>−1</sup> expanded in one-third of study locations. At a regional scale, higher volumes of runoff were associated with higher melt-season mean plume SSC values, but this relationship did not hold for individual rivers. High spatial variability between proximal plumes highlights the complex processes operating in Greenland's glacio–fluvial–fjord systems.http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1161/2014/tc-8-1161-2014.pdf |
| spellingShingle | B. Hudson I. Overeem D. McGrath J. P. M. Syvitski A. Mikkelsen B. Hasholt MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords The Cryosphere |
| title | MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords |
| title_full | MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords |
| title_fullStr | MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords |
| title_full_unstemmed | MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords |
| title_short | MODIS observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in Greenland fjords |
| title_sort | modis observed increase in duration and spatial extent of sediment plumes in greenland fjords |
| url | http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/1161/2014/tc-8-1161-2014.pdf |
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