TY - JOUR
T1 - Detailed ice loss pattern in the northern Antarctic Peninsula
T2 - Widespread decline driven by ice front retreats
AU - Scambos, T. A.
AU - Berthier, E.
AU - Haran, T.
AU - Shuman, C. A.
AU - Cook, A. J.
AU - Ligtenberg, S. R.M.
AU - Bohlander, J.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © Author(s) 2014.
The author was not affiliated to SAMS at the time of publication
PY - 2014/11/24
Y1 - 2014/11/24
N2 - The northern Antarctic Peninsula (nAP, < 66° S) is one of the most rapidly changing glaciated regions on earth, yet the spatial patterns of its ice mass loss at the glacier basin scale have to date been poorly documented. We use satellite laser altimetry and satellite stereo-image topography spanning 2001-2010, but primarily 2003-2008, to map ice elevation change and infer mass changes for 33 glacier basins covering the mainland and most large islands in the nAP. Rates of ice volume and ice mass change are 27.7 ± 8.6 km3 a-1 and 24.9±7.8Gta-1, equal to -0.73 ma-1 w.e. for the study area. Mass loss is the highest for eastern glaciers affected by major ice shelf collapses in 1995 and 2002, where twelve glaciers account for 60% of the total imbalance. However, losses at smaller rates occur throughout the nAP, at both high and low elevation, despite increased snow accumulation along the western coast and ridge crest. We interpret the widespread mass loss to be driven by decades of ice front retreats on both sides of the nAP, and extended throughout the ice sheet due to the propagation of kinematic waves triggered at the fronts into the interior.
AB - The northern Antarctic Peninsula (nAP, < 66° S) is one of the most rapidly changing glaciated regions on earth, yet the spatial patterns of its ice mass loss at the glacier basin scale have to date been poorly documented. We use satellite laser altimetry and satellite stereo-image topography spanning 2001-2010, but primarily 2003-2008, to map ice elevation change and infer mass changes for 33 glacier basins covering the mainland and most large islands in the nAP. Rates of ice volume and ice mass change are 27.7 ± 8.6 km3 a-1 and 24.9±7.8Gta-1, equal to -0.73 ma-1 w.e. for the study area. Mass loss is the highest for eastern glaciers affected by major ice shelf collapses in 1995 and 2002, where twelve glaciers account for 60% of the total imbalance. However, losses at smaller rates occur throughout the nAP, at both high and low elevation, despite increased snow accumulation along the western coast and ridge crest. We interpret the widespread mass loss to be driven by decades of ice front retreats on both sides of the nAP, and extended throughout the ice sheet due to the propagation of kinematic waves triggered at the fronts into the interior.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84912060536&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84912060536&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5194/tc-8-2135-2014
DO - 10.5194/tc-8-2135-2014
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84912060536
SN - 1994-0416
VL - 8
SP - 2135
EP - 2145
JO - Cryosphere
JF - Cryosphere
IS - 6
ER -