Ice discharge from north and northeast Greenland using ERS dataIce discharge from north and northeast Greenland glaciers was calculated at the grounding line using ERS radar interferometry data acquired during the tandem phase. The resulting estimates exceed the production of icebergs at the glacier fronts by a factor of 3.5. This large decrease in ice flux is attributed to extensive melting at the underside of the floating sections. When compared to the predicted grounding line ice discharge of an ice sheet in balance, the results show an excess of 28 cubic km/yr of ice lost to the ocean. The north and northeast sectors of the Greenland ice sheet are therefore thinning and contributing positively to sea-level rise.
Document ID
19990078369
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Rignot, Eric (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
May 1, 1997
Publication Information
Publication: Proceedings of the 3rd ERS Symposium on Space at the Service of Our Environment