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Impact of Subglacial Freshwater Discharge on Pine Island Ice Shelf
Author(s) -
Nakayama Yoshihiro,
Cai Cilan,
Seroussi Helene
Publication year - 2021
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 - 10.1029/2021gl093923
Subject(s) - ice shelf , geology , meltwater , shelf ice , oceanography , iceberg , glacier , isopycnal , antarctic sea ice , current (fluid) , cryosphere , sea ice , geomorphology
Satellite‐based estimates of ice shelf melt rates reach ∼ 200 m y r − 1close to the grounding line of Pine Island Glacier, in West Antarctica. However, ocean simulations have not yet been able to reproduce such high melt rates, even with high‐resolution models. Here, we use a regional model of Pine Island ice shelf cavity and study the impact of subglacial freshwater discharge on simulated ice shelf melt rates and ocean circulation in the cavity. We show that subglacial freshwater discharge substantially enhances ice shelf melting close to the grounding line, successfully simulating high ice shelf melt rates suggested by observations. The buoyant mixture of glacial meltwater plume rises to ∼ 27.4 isopycnal surfaces, following topographically constrained current, and spreads into mid‐depths at the ice shelf front. The role of freshwater discharge is likely to remain unchanged over the coming decades given the projected evolution of runoff and rainfall over Pine Island basin.