Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing

Knut Christianson; Mitchell Bushuk; Pierre Dutrieux; Byron R. Parizek; Ian R. Joughin; Richard B. Alley; David E. Shean; E. Povl Abrahamsen; Sridhar Anandakrishnan; Karen J. Heywood; Tae Wan Kim; Sang Hoon Lee; Keith Nicholls; Tim Stanton; Martin Truffer; Benjamin G M Webber; Adrian Jenkins; Stan Jacobs; Robert Bindschadler; David M. Holland

doi:10.1002/2016GL070500

Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing

Knut Christianson, Mitchell Bushuk, Pierre Dutrieux, Byron R. Parizek, Ian R. Joughin, Richard B. Alley, David E. Shean, E. Povl Abrahamsen, Sridhar Anandakrishnan, Karen J. Heywood, Tae Wan Kim, Sang Hoon Lee, Keith Nicholls, Tim Stanton, Martin Truffer, Benjamin G M Webber, Adrian Jenkins, Stan Jacobs, Robert Bindschadler, David M. Holland

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

We present subannual observations (2009–2014) of a major West Antarctic glacier (Pine Island Glacier) and the neighboring ocean. Ongoing glacier retreat and accelerated ice flow were likely triggered a few decades ago by increased ocean-induced thinning, which may have initiated marine ice sheet instability. Following a subsequent 60% drop in ocean heat content from early 2012 to late 2013, ice flow slowed, but by < 4%, with flow recovering as the ocean warmed to prior temperatures. During this cold-ocean period, the evolving glacier-bed/ice shelf system was also in a geometry favorable to stabilization. However, despite a minor, temporary decrease in ice discharge, the basin-wide thinning signal did not change. Thus, as predicted by theory, once marine ice sheet instability is underway, a single transient high-amplitude ocean cooling has only a relatively minor effect on ice flow. The long-term effects of ocean temperature variability on ice flow, however, are not yet known.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	10,817-10,825
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	43
Issue number	20
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070500
State	Published - Oct 28 2016

Keywords

glacier-ocean interactions
ice dynamics
ice shelves
ice streams
marine ice sheet instability

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
General Earth and Planetary Sciences

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10.1002/2016GL070500

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Christianson, K., Bushuk, M., Dutrieux, P., Parizek, B. R., Joughin, I. R., Alley, R. B., Shean, D. E., Abrahamsen, E. P., Anandakrishnan, S., Heywood, K. J., Kim, T. W., Lee, S. H., Nicholls, K., Stanton, T., Truffer, M., Webber, B. G. M., Jenkins, A., Jacobs, S., Bindschadler, R., & Holland, D. M. (2016). Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing. Geophysical Research Letters, 43(20), 10,817-10,825. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070500

Christianson, K, Bushuk, M, Dutrieux, P, Parizek, BR, Joughin, IR, Alley, RB, Shean, DE, Abrahamsen, EP, Anandakrishnan, S, Heywood, KJ, Kim, TW, Lee, SH, Nicholls, K, Stanton, T, Truffer, M, Webber, BGM, Jenkins, A, Jacobs, S, Bindschadler, R & Holland, DM 2016, 'Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing', Geophysical Research Letters, vol. 43, no. 20, pp. 10,817-10,825. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL070500

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title = "Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing",

abstract = "We present subannual observations (2009–2014) of a major West Antarctic glacier (Pine Island Glacier) and the neighboring ocean. Ongoing glacier retreat and accelerated ice flow were likely triggered a few decades ago by increased ocean-induced thinning, which may have initiated marine ice sheet instability. Following a subsequent 60% drop in ocean heat content from early 2012 to late 2013, ice flow slowed, but by < 4%, with flow recovering as the ocean warmed to prior temperatures. During this cold-ocean period, the evolving glacier-bed/ice shelf system was also in a geometry favorable to stabilization. However, despite a minor, temporary decrease in ice discharge, the basin-wide thinning signal did not change. Thus, as predicted by theory, once marine ice sheet instability is underway, a single transient high-amplitude ocean cooling has only a relatively minor effect on ice flow. The long-term effects of ocean temperature variability on ice flow, however, are not yet known.",

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author = "Knut Christianson and Mitchell Bushuk and Pierre Dutrieux and Parizek, {Byron R.} and Joughin, {Ian R.} and Alley, {Richard B.} and Shean, {David E.} and Abrahamsen, {E. Povl} and Sridhar Anandakrishnan and Heywood, {Karen J.} and Kim, {Tae Wan} and Lee, {Sang Hoon} and Keith Nicholls and Tim Stanton and Martin Truffer and Webber, {Benjamin G M} and Adrian Jenkins and Stan Jacobs and Robert Bindschadler and Holland, {David M.}",

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AU - Christianson, Knut

AU - Bushuk, Mitchell

AU - Dutrieux, Pierre

AU - Parizek, Byron R.

AU - Joughin, Ian R.

AU - Alley, Richard B.

AU - Shean, David E.

AU - Abrahamsen, E. Povl

AU - Anandakrishnan, Sridhar

AU - Heywood, Karen J.

AU - Kim, Tae Wan

AU - Lee, Sang Hoon

AU - Nicholls, Keith

AU - Stanton, Tim

AU - Truffer, Martin

AU - Webber, Benjamin G M

AU - Jenkins, Adrian

AU - Jacobs, Stan

AU - Bindschadler, Robert

AU - Holland, David M.

PY - 2016/10/28

Y1 - 2016/10/28

N2 - We present subannual observations (2009–2014) of a major West Antarctic glacier (Pine Island Glacier) and the neighboring ocean. Ongoing glacier retreat and accelerated ice flow were likely triggered a few decades ago by increased ocean-induced thinning, which may have initiated marine ice sheet instability. Following a subsequent 60% drop in ocean heat content from early 2012 to late 2013, ice flow slowed, but by < 4%, with flow recovering as the ocean warmed to prior temperatures. During this cold-ocean period, the evolving glacier-bed/ice shelf system was also in a geometry favorable to stabilization. However, despite a minor, temporary decrease in ice discharge, the basin-wide thinning signal did not change. Thus, as predicted by theory, once marine ice sheet instability is underway, a single transient high-amplitude ocean cooling has only a relatively minor effect on ice flow. The long-term effects of ocean temperature variability on ice flow, however, are not yet known.

AB - We present subannual observations (2009–2014) of a major West Antarctic glacier (Pine Island Glacier) and the neighboring ocean. Ongoing glacier retreat and accelerated ice flow were likely triggered a few decades ago by increased ocean-induced thinning, which may have initiated marine ice sheet instability. Following a subsequent 60% drop in ocean heat content from early 2012 to late 2013, ice flow slowed, but by < 4%, with flow recovering as the ocean warmed to prior temperatures. During this cold-ocean period, the evolving glacier-bed/ice shelf system was also in a geometry favorable to stabilization. However, despite a minor, temporary decrease in ice discharge, the basin-wide thinning signal did not change. Thus, as predicted by theory, once marine ice sheet instability is underway, a single transient high-amplitude ocean cooling has only a relatively minor effect on ice flow. The long-term effects of ocean temperature variability on ice flow, however, are not yet known.

KW - glacier-ocean interactions

KW - ice dynamics

KW - ice shelves

KW - ice streams

KW - marine ice sheet instability

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Sensitivity of Pine Island Glacier to observed ocean forcing

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Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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