The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula
<p>In the 2019/2020 austral summer, the surface melt duration and extent on the northern George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) was exceptional compared to the 31 previous summers of distinctly lower melt. This finding is based on analysis of near-continuous 41-year satellite microwave radiometer and sca...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Copernicus Publications
2021-02-01
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| Series: | The Cryosphere |
| Online Access: | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/909/2021/tc-15-909-2021.pdf |
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| author | A. F. Banwell A. F. Banwell R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. L. Dell M. Moussavi M. Moussavi L. Brucker L. Brucker G. Picard C. A. Shuman C. A. Shuman L. A. Stevens L. A. Stevens |
| author_facet | A. F. Banwell A. F. Banwell R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. L. Dell M. Moussavi M. Moussavi L. Brucker L. Brucker G. Picard C. A. Shuman C. A. Shuman L. A. Stevens L. A. Stevens |
| author_sort | A. F. Banwell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>In the 2019/2020 austral summer, the surface melt duration and
extent on the northern George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) was exceptional compared
to the 31 previous summers of distinctly lower melt. This finding is based
on analysis of near-continuous 41-year satellite microwave radiometer and
scatterometer data, which are sensitive to meltwater on the ice shelf
surface and in the near-surface snow. Using optical satellite imagery from
Landsat 8 (2013 to 2020) and Sentinel-2 (2017 to 2020), record volumes of
surface meltwater ponding were also observed on the northern GVIIS in
2019/2020, with 23 % of the surface area covered by 0.62 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>3</sup></span> of ponded meltwater on 19 January. These exceptional melt and
surface ponding conditions in 2019/2020 were driven by sustained air
temperatures <span class="inline-formula">≥0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C for anomalously long periods (55 to 90 h)
from late November onwards, which limited meltwater refreezing.
The sustained warm periods were likely driven by warm, low-speed (<span class="inline-formula">≤7.5</span> m s<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>) northwesterly and northeasterly winds and not by foehn wind
conditions, which were only present for 9 h total in the 2019/2020 melt
season. Increased surface ponding on ice shelves may threaten their
stability through increased potential for hydrofracture initiation; a risk
that may increase due to firn air content depletion in response to
near-surface melting.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T17:07:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69fe458baca24008a5c798ccda13e9f0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1994-0416 1994-0424 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T17:07:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Cryosphere |
| spelling | doaj.art-69fe458baca24008a5c798ccda13e9f02022-12-21T22:53:41ZengCopernicus PublicationsThe Cryosphere1994-04161994-04242021-02-011590992510.5194/tc-15-909-2021The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic PeninsulaA. F. Banwell0A. F. Banwell1R. T. Datta2R. T. Datta3R. T. Datta4R. L. Dell5M. Moussavi6M. Moussavi7L. Brucker8L. Brucker9G. Picard10C. A. Shuman11C. A. Shuman12L. A. Stevens13L. A. Stevens14Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USAScott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKCryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USAEarth System Science Interdisciplinary Center, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USADepartment of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (ATOC), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USAScott Polar Research Institute (SPRI), University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UKCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USANational Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), University of Colorado Boulder, CO, USACryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USAGoddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research Studies and Investigations, Universities Space Research Association, Columbia, MD, USAInstitut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE), CNRS, Univ. Grenoble Alpes, UMR 5001, 38041 Grenoble, FranceCryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USAJoint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Greenbelt, MD, USADepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UKLamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, NY, USA<p>In the 2019/2020 austral summer, the surface melt duration and extent on the northern George VI Ice Shelf (GVIIS) was exceptional compared to the 31 previous summers of distinctly lower melt. This finding is based on analysis of near-continuous 41-year satellite microwave radiometer and scatterometer data, which are sensitive to meltwater on the ice shelf surface and in the near-surface snow. Using optical satellite imagery from Landsat 8 (2013 to 2020) and Sentinel-2 (2017 to 2020), record volumes of surface meltwater ponding were also observed on the northern GVIIS in 2019/2020, with 23 % of the surface area covered by 0.62 km<span class="inline-formula"><sup>3</sup></span> of ponded meltwater on 19 January. These exceptional melt and surface ponding conditions in 2019/2020 were driven by sustained air temperatures <span class="inline-formula">≥0</span> <span class="inline-formula"><sup>∘</sup></span>C for anomalously long periods (55 to 90 h) from late November onwards, which limited meltwater refreezing. The sustained warm periods were likely driven by warm, low-speed (<span class="inline-formula">≤7.5</span> m s<span class="inline-formula"><sup>−1</sup></span>) northwesterly and northeasterly winds and not by foehn wind conditions, which were only present for 9 h total in the 2019/2020 melt season. Increased surface ponding on ice shelves may threaten their stability through increased potential for hydrofracture initiation; a risk that may increase due to firn air content depletion in response to near-surface melting.</p>https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/909/2021/tc-15-909-2021.pdf |
| spellingShingle | A. F. Banwell A. F. Banwell R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. T. Datta R. L. Dell M. Moussavi M. Moussavi L. Brucker L. Brucker G. Picard C. A. Shuman C. A. Shuman L. A. Stevens L. A. Stevens The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula The Cryosphere |
| title | The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full | The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_fullStr | The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_full_unstemmed | The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_short | The 32-year record-high surface melt in 2019/2020 on the northern George VI Ice Shelf, Antarctic Peninsula |
| title_sort | 32 year record high surface melt in 2019 2020 on the northern george vi ice shelf antarctic peninsula |
| url | https://tc.copernicus.org/articles/15/909/2021/tc-15-909-2021.pdf |
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