Measurements of Iceberg Melt Rates Using High‐Resolution GPS and Iceberg Surface Scans
Name
Geophysical Research Letters - 2021 - Schild - Measurements of Iceberg Melt Rates Using High‐Resolution GPS and Iceberg.pdf
Description
Published version
Size
1.25 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
9a94cdc4c91b8d302d6752ef6211c367
Author(s)
Schild, Kristin M
Sutherland, David A
Elosegui, Pedro
Duncan, Daniel
Date Issued
January 20, 2021
Journal
Geophysical Research Letters
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Citation
Schild, K. M., Sutherland, D. A., Elosegui, P., & Duncan, D. (2021). Measurements of iceberg melt rates using high-resolution GPS and iceberg surface scans. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL089765.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Increasing freshwater input to the subpolar North Atlantic through iceberg melting can influence fjord‐scale to basin‐scale ocean circulation. However, the magnitude, timing, and distribution of this freshwater have been challenging to quantify due to minimal direct observations of subsurface iceberg geometry and melt rates. Here we present novel in situ methods capturing iceberg change at high‐temporal and ‐spatial resolution using four high‐precision GPS units deployed on two large icebergs (>500 m length). In combination with measurements of surface and subsurface geometry, we calculate iceberg melt rates between 0.10 and 0.27 m/d over the 9‐day survey. These melt rates are lower than those proposed in previous studies, likely due to using individual subsurface iceberg geometries in calculations. In combining these new measurements of iceberg geometry and melt rate with the broad spatial coverage of remote sensing, we can better predict the impact of increasing freshwater injection from the Greenland Ice Sheet.
MIT Department
Haystack Observatory
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL089765
