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Rapid loss of the Ayles Ice Shelf, Ellesmere Island, Canada
Author(s) -
Copland Luke,
Mueller Derek R.,
Weir Laurie
Publication year - 2007
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 - 10.1029/2007gl031809
Subject(s) - ice shelf , iceberg , sea ice , oceanography , geology , antarctic sea ice , arctic ice pack , ice calving , cryosphere , arctic , climatology , physical geography , geography , pregnancy , lactation , biology , genetics
On August 13, 2005, almost the entire Ayles Ice Shelf (87.1 km 2 ) calved off within an hour and created a new 66.4 km 2 ice island in the Arctic Ocean. This loss of one of the six remaining Ellesmere Island ice shelves reduced their overall area by ∼7.5%. The ice shelf was likely weakened prior to calving by a long‐term negative mass balance related to an increase in mean annual temperatures over the past 50+ years. The weakened ice shelf then calved during the warmest summer on record in a period of high winds, record low sea ice conditions and the loss of a semi‐permanent landfast sea ice fringe. Climate reanalysis suggests that a threshold of >200 positive degree days year −1 is important in determining when ice shelf calving events occur on N. Ellesmere Island.