Bathymetry of Southeast Greenland From Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) Data

Lu An, Eric Rignot, Nolwenn Chauche, David M. Holland, Denise Holland, Martin Jakobsson, Emily Kane, Michael Wood, Ingo Klaucke, Mathieu Morlighem, Isabella Velicogna, Wilhelm Weinrebe, Josh K. Willis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Southeast Greenland has been a major participant in the ice sheet mass loss over the last several decades. Interpreting the evolution of glacier fronts requires information about their depth below sea level and ocean thermal forcing, which are incompletely known in the region. Here, we combine airborne gravity and multibeam echo sounding data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) mission with ocean probe and fishing boat depth data to reconstruct the bathymetry extending from the glacier margins to the edges of the continental shelf. We perform a three-dimensional inversion of the gravity data over water and merge the solution with a mass conservation reconstruction of bed topography over land. In contrast with other parts of Greenland, we find few deep troughs connecting the glaciers to the sources of warm Atlantic Water, amidst a relatively uniform, shallow (350 m) continental shelf. The deep channels include the Kangerlugssuaq, Sermilik, Gyldenløve, and Tingmiarmiut Troughs.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)11197-11205
Number of pages9
JournalGeophysical Research Letters
Volume46
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 28 2019

Keywords

  • Greenland
  • bathymetry
  • climate change
  • gravity
  • oceanography
  • remote sensing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geophysics
  • General Earth and Planetary Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Bathymetry of Southeast Greenland From Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) Data'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this