Glacier-surge mechanisms promoted by a hydro-thermodynamic feedback to summer melt The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-9-197-2015 5 February 2015 Here we present continuous GPS measurements and satellite synthetic-aperture-radar-based velocity maps from Basin-3, the largest drainage basin of the Austfonna ice cap, Svalbard. Our observations demonstrate strong links between surface-melt and multiannual ice-flow acceleration. Read more
Estimating the volume of glaciers in the Himalayan–Karakoram region using different methods The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-2313-2014 12 December 2014 Existing methods (area-volume relations, a slope-dependent volume estimation method, and two ice-thickness distribution models) are used to estimate the ice reserves stored in Himalayan-Karakoram glaciers. Resulting volumes range from 2955–4737 km³. Results from the ice-thickness distribution models agree well with local measurements; volume estimates from area-related relations exceed the estimates from the other approaches. Evidence on the effect of the selected method on results is provided. Read more
Detailed ice loss pattern in the northern Antarctic Peninsula: widespread decline driven by ice front retreats The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-2135-2014 24 November 2014 This study of one of the most rapidly changing glacier regions on Earth – the Antarctic Peninsula – uses two types of satellite data to measure the rates of ice loss in detail for the individual glaciers. The satellite data is laser altimetry from ICESat and stereo image DEM differences. The results show that 24..9 ± 7.8 billion tons of ice are lost from the region north of 66°S on the Peninsula each year. The majority of the data cover 2003-2008. Read more
The effect of changing sea ice on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1777-2014 26 September 2014 Sea ice provides a first-order control on the physical vulnerability of Arctic coasts to erosion, inundation, and damage to settlements and infrastructures by ocean water. This paper focuses on how the changing sea-ice cover has influenced coastal erosion over the satellite record. Read more
The length of the world’s glaciers – a new approach for the global calculation of center lines The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1741-2014 19 September 2014 Here the authors present a first global assessment of glacier length using an automated method that relies on glacier surface slope, distance to the glacier margins and a set of trade-off functions. Read more
Sensitivity of the dynamics of Pine Island Glacier, West Antarctica, to climate forcing for the next 50 years The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1699-2014 17 September 2014 The authors employ a 3D, higher-order model to simulate the evolution of Pine Island Glacier over the next 50 yr in response to changes in its surface mass balance, the position of its calving front and ocean-induced ice shelf melting. Read more
Elevation and elevation change of Greenland and Antarctica derived from CryoSat-2 The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1539-2014 20 August 2014 This study focuses on the present-day surface elevation of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets. Based on 3 years of CryoSat-2 data acquisition the authors derived new elevation models (DEMs) as well as elevation change maps and volume change estimates for both ice sheets. Read more
Ice–ocean interaction and calving front morphology at two west Greenland tidewater outlet glaciers The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1457-2014 8 August 2014 This paper presents a suite of fjord salinity, temperature, turbidity versus depth casts along with glacial runoff estimation from Rink and Store glaciers, two major marine outlets draining the western sector of the GrIS during 2009 and 2010. Read more
A spurious jump in the satellite record: has Antarctic sea ice expansion been overestimated? The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1289-2014 22 July 2014 Here, we show that much of the increase in the reported trend for Antarctic sea ice extent occurred due to the previously undocumented effect of a change in the way the satellite sea ice observations are processed for the widely used Bootstrap algorithm data set, rather than a physical increase in the rate of ice advance. Read more
A high-resolution bedrock map for the Antarctic Peninsula The Cryosphere DOI 10.5194/tc-8-1261-2014 18 July 2014 Assessing and projecting the dynamic response of glaciers on the Antarctic Peninsula to changed atmospheric and oceanic forcing requires high-resolution ice thickness data as an essential geometric constraint for ice flow models. Here, we derive a complete bedrock data set for the Antarctic Peninsula north of 70° S on a 100 m grid Read more
