Rapid ablation zone expansion amplifies north Greenland mass loss.

Ablation area; Atmospheric circulation; Atmospheric warming; Enhanced absorption; Greenland Ice Sheet; Long waves; North greenland; Relative contribution; Multidisciplinary

Abstract :

[en] Since the early 1990s, the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) has been losing mass at an accelerating rate, primarily due to enhanced meltwater runoff following atmospheric warming. Here, we show that a pronounced latitudinal contrast exists in the GrIS response to recent warming. The ablation area in north Greenland expanded by 46%, almost twice as much as in the south (+25%), significantly increasing the relative contribution of the north to total GrIS mass loss. This latitudinal contrast originates from a different response to the recent change in large-scale Arctic summertime atmospheric circulation, promoting southwesterly advection of warm air toward the GrIS. In the southwest, persistent high atmospheric pressure reduced cloudiness, increasing runoff through enhanced absorption of solar radiation; in contrast, increased early-summer cloudiness in north Greenland enhanced atmospheric warming through decreased longwave heat loss. This triggered a rapid snowline retreat, causing early bare ice exposure, amplifying northern runoff.

Disciplines :

Earth sciences & physical geography

Author, co-author :

Noël, Brice ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département de géographie > Climatologie et Topoclimatologie ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

van de Berg, Willem Jan ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

Lhermitte, Stef ; Department of Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands

van den Broeke, Michiel R ; Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

Language :

English

Title :

Rapid ablation zone expansion amplifies north Greenland mass loss.

Publication date :

September 2019

Journal title :

Science Advances

eISSN :

2375-2548

Publisher :

American Association for the Advancement of Science, United States

Volume :

Issue :

Pages :

eaaw0123

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aaw0123

Funders :

NWO - Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek [NL]

Funding text :

B.N., W.J.v.d.B., and M.R.v.d.B. acknowledge funding from the Polar Program of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO; grant no. 866.15.202) and the Netherlands Earth System Science Centre (NESSC). Author contributions: B.N. prepared the manuscript, carried out the RACMO2.3p2 simulation, and produced the downscaled dataset at 1 km. B.N., W.J.v.d.B., and M.R.v.d.B. designed the study and analyzed the data. S.L. processed the MODIS albedo data and produced MODIS BIE estimates. All authors commented on the

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