Open AccessContext for the Recent Massive Petermann Glacier Calving Event
Author(s) -
Falkner Kelly K.,
Melling Humfrey,
Münchow Andreas M.,
Box Jason E.,
Wohlleben Trudy,
Johnson Helen L.,
Gudmandsen Preben,
Samelson Roger,
Copland Luke,
Steffen Konrad,
Rignot Eric,
Higgins Anthony K.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2011eo140001
Subject(s) - glacier , tidewater glacier cycle , context (archaeology) , geology , iceberg , ice calving , climate change , arctic , physical geography , glacier morphology , oceanography , ice sheet , geography , arctic ice pack , geomorphology , antarctic sea ice , paleontology , pregnancy , lactation , genetics , biology
On 4 August 2010, about one fifth of the floating ice tongue of Petermann Glacier (also known as “Petermann Gletscher”) in northwestern Greenland calved (Figure 1). The resulting “ice island” had an area approximately 4 times that of Manhattan Island (about 253±17 square kilometers). The ice island garnered much attention from the media, politicians, and the public, who raised concerns about downstream implications for shipping, offshore oil and gas operations, and possible connections to Arctic and global warming. Does this event signal a change in the glacier's dynamics? Or can it be characterized as part of the glacier's natural variability? Understanding the known historical context of this event allows scientists and the public to judge its significance.