IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v14y2023i1d10.1038_s41467-023-42198-2.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Rapid disintegration and weakening of ice shelves in North Greenland

Author

Listed:
  • R. Millan

    (INP)

  • E. Jager

    (INP)

  • J. Mouginot

    (INP)

  • M. H. Wood

    (San José State University)

  • S. H. Larsen

    (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS))

  • P. Mathiot

    (INP)

  • N. C. Jourdain

    (INP)

  • A. Bjørk

    (University of Copenhagen)

Abstract

The glaciers of North Greenland are hosting enough ice to raise sea level by 2.1 m, and have long considered to be stable. This part of Greenland is buttressed by the last remaining ice shelves of the ice sheet. Here, we show that since 1978, ice shelves in North Greenland have lost more than 35% of their total volume, three of them collapsing completely. For the floating ice shelves that remain we observe a widespread increase in ice shelf mass losses, that are dominated by enhanced basal melting rates. Between 2000 and 2020, there was a widespread increase in basal melt rates that closely follows a rise in the ocean temperature. These glaciers are showing a direct dynamical response to ice shelf changes with retreating grounding lines and increased ice discharge. These results suggest that, under future projections of ocean thermal forcing, basal melting rates will continue to rise or remain at high level, which may have dramatic consequences for the stability of Greenlandic glaciers.

Suggested Citation

  • R. Millan & E. Jager & J. Mouginot & M. H. Wood & S. H. Larsen & P. Mathiot & N. C. Jourdain & A. Bjørk, 2023. "Rapid disintegration and weakening of ice shelves in North Greenland," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42198-2
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-42198-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-42198-2
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-023-42198-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chad A. Greene & Alex S. Gardner & Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel & Alexander D. Fraser, 2022. "Antarctic calving loss rivals ice-shelf thinning," Nature, Nature, vol. 609(7929), pages 948-953, September.
    2. Shfaqat A. Khan & Kurt H. Kjær & Michael Bevis & Jonathan L. Bamber & John Wahr & Kristian K. Kjeldsen & Anders A. Bjørk & Niels J. Korsgaard & Leigh A. Stearns & Michiel R. van den Broeke & Lin Liu &, 2014. "Sustained mass loss of the northeast Greenland ice sheet triggered by regional warming," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 4(4), pages 292-299, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ilaria Tabone & Alexander Robinson & Marisa Montoya & Jorge Alvarez-Solas, 2024. "Holocene thinning in central Greenland controlled by the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    2. Camille Hayatte Akhoudas & Jean-Baptiste Sallée & Gilles Reverdin & F. Alexander Haumann & Etienne Pauthenet & Christopher C. Chapman & Félix Margirier & Claire Lo Monaco & Nicolas Metzl & Julie Meill, 2023. "Isotopic evidence for an intensified hydrological cycle in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Aslak Grinsted & Christine S. Hvidberg & David A. Lilien & Nicholas M. Rathmann & Nanna B. Karlsson & Tamara Gerber & Helle Astrid Kjær & Paul Vallelonga & Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, 2022. "Accelerating ice flow at the onset of the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-4, December.
    4. Maureen McHenry & Paul Dunlop, 2016. "The subglacial imprint of the last Newfoundland Ice Sheet, Canada," Journal of Maps, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 12(3), pages 462-483, May.
    5. Kyle S. Mattingly & Jenny V. Turton & Jonathan D. Wille & Brice Noël & Xavier Fettweis & Åsa K. Rennermalm & Thomas L. Mote, 2023. "Increasing extreme melt in northeast Greenland linked to foehn winds and atmospheric rivers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.
    6. Yongyang Cai, 2020. "The Role of Uncertainty in Controlling Climate Change," Papers 2003.01615, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2020.
    7. Fisher, Anthony, 2014. "Climate Science and Climate Economics," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt746627gz, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    8. Caroline V. B. Gjelstrup & Mikael K. Sejr & Laura Steur & Jørgen Schou Christiansen & Mats A. Granskog & Boris P. Koch & Eva Friis Møller & Mie H. S. Winding & Colin A. Stedmon, 2022. "Vertical redistribution of principle water masses on the Northeast Greenland Shelf," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-12, December.
    9. Daniela Jansen & Steven Franke & Catherine C. Bauer & Tobias Binder & Dorthe Dahl-Jensen & Jan Eichler & Olaf Eisen & Yuanbang Hu & Johanna Kerch & Maria-Gema Llorens & Heinrich Miller & Niklas Neckel, 2024. "Shear margins in upper half of Northeast Greenland Ice Stream were established two millennia ago," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    10. Fisher, A. C & Le, P. V, 2014. "Climate Policy: Science, Economics, and Extremes," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt6tj3j4jb, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    11. Benjamin J. Wallis & Anna E. Hogg & Michael P. Meredith & Romilly Close & Dominic Hardy & Malcolm McMillan & Jan Wuite & Thomas Nagler & Carlos Moffat, 2023. "Ocean warming drives rapid dynamic activation of marine-terminating glacier on the west Antarctic Peninsula," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-14, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:14:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-023-42198-2. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.