Quantifying iceberg melt and movement in Greenland's Sermilik Fjord
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Date
2021
Authors
Roberts, Lucinda
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The Greenland Ice Sheet contains enough freshwater to raise global sea levels by 23 feet and has lost over 3.8 trillion tons of ice from 1992-2018. As climate change accelerates the rate at which glaciers shed mass and icebergs melt, it is imperative to understand how this increased freshwater gets distributed into oceans and seas, as salinity is one of the most important variables in controlling local and global ocean circulation. In Greenland’s fjords, large icebergs have been shown to be an indicator of oceanic circulation. Providing reliable analysis of fjordic flow regimes in a specific fjord requires long-term data (e.g. spanning at least several years) in order to mitigate annual fluctuations. We have taken GPS data spanning 2012-2019 and visualize their routes and velocity through the fjord. Additionally, we have begun parsing through satellite imagery to fine remotely sensed data to measure surface area of icebergs. This allows us to generate approximations of melt rate and quantify how the iceberg's mass changes over time. As large conduits of freshwater, the movement of icebergs and their interactions with the surrounding oceans are increasingly important when analyzing the impacts of global ocean warming.
Description
1 page.
Keywords
Remote sensing, Greenland, Iceberg, spatial data, GPS