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Iceberg meltwater fluxes dominate the freshwater budget in Greenland's iceberg‐congested glacial fjords
Author(s) -
Enderlin Ellyn M.,
Hamilton Gordon S.,
Straneo Fiammetta,
Sutherland David A.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/2016gl070718
Subject(s) - meltwater , fjord , iceberg , greenland ice sheet , geology , oceanography , glacier , glacial period , sea ice , ice sheet , ice shelf , flux (metallurgy) , ice stream , climatology , cryosphere , geomorphology , materials science , metallurgy
Freshwater fluxes from the Greenland ice sheet have increased over the last two decades due to increases in liquid (i.e., surface and submarine meltwater) and solid ice (i.e., iceberg) fluxes. To predict potential ice sheet‐ocean‐climate feedbacks, we must know the partitioning of freshwater fluxes from Greenland, including the conversion of icebergs to liquid (i.e., meltwater) fluxes within glacial fjords. Here we use repeat ~0.5 m‐resolution satellite images from two major fjords to provide the first observation‐based estimates of the meltwater flux from the dense matrix of floating ice called mélange. We find that because of its expansive submerged area (>100 km 2 ) and rapid melt rate (~0.1–0.8 m d −1 ), the ice mélange meltwater flux can exceed that from glacier surface and submarine melting. Our findings suggest that iceberg melt within the fjords must be taken into account in studies of glacial fjord circulation and the impact of Greenland melt on the ocean.