Print Email Facebook Twitter Dynamic ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet driven by sustained glacier retreat Title Dynamic ice loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet driven by sustained glacier retreat Author King, Michalea D. (Ohio State University) Howat, Ian M. (Ohio State University) Candela, Salvatore G. (Ohio State University) Noh, Myoung J. (Ohio State University) Jeong, Seongsu (University of California) Noël, Brice P. Y. (Universiteit Utrecht) van den Broeke, Michiel R. (Universiteit Utrecht) Wouters, B. (TU Delft Physical and Space Geodesy; Universiteit Utrecht) Negrete, Adelaide (Ohio State University) Date 2020 Abstract The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at accelerated rates in the 21st century, making it the largest single contributor to rising sea levels. Faster flow of outlet glaciers has substantially contributed to this loss, with the cause of speedup, and potential for future change, uncertain. Here we combine more than three decades of remotely sensed observational products of outlet glacier velocity, elevation, and front position changes over the full ice sheet. We compare decadal variability in discharge and calving front position and find that increased glacier discharge was due almost entirely to the retreat of glacier fronts, rather than inland ice sheet processes, with a remarkably consistent speedup of 4–5% per km of retreat across the ice sheet. We show that widespread retreat between 2000 and 2005 resulted in a step-increase in discharge and a switch to a new dynamic state of sustained mass loss that would persist even under a decline in surface melt. To reference this document use: http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:738e0194-5b67-4d69-9193-b01d88c1985d DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-020-0001-2 ISSN 2662-4435 Source Communications Earth & Environment, 1 (1), 1-7 Part of collection Institutional Repository Document type journal article Rights © 2020 Michalea D. King, Ian M. Howat, Salvatore G. Candela, Myoung J. Noh, Seongsu Jeong, Brice P. Y. Noël, Michiel R. van den Broeke, B. Wouters, Adelaide Negrete Files PDF s43247_020_0001_2.pdf 1.57 MB Close viewer /islandora/object/uuid:738e0194-5b67-4d69-9193-b01d88c1985d/datastream/OBJ/view