Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries
Abstract At least three primary iceberg calving styles have been identified in Greenland: serac collapse, which produces falling icebergs tens of meters in length; slab capsize, which produces rotating icebergs hundreds of meters in length; and tabular rifting, which produces kilometer‐scale iceberg...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2024-11-01
|
| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110224 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849705550946762752 |
|---|---|
| author | Chris Bézu Timothy C. Bartholomaus |
| author_facet | Chris Bézu Timothy C. Bartholomaus |
| author_sort | Chris Bézu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract At least three primary iceberg calving styles have been identified in Greenland: serac collapse, which produces falling icebergs tens of meters in length; slab capsize, which produces rotating icebergs hundreds of meters in length; and tabular rifting, which produces kilometer‐scale icebergs. However, calving styles are mostly undocumented across Greenland. Here, we develop a method to disentangle the sizes of individual calving events and map the dominant calving style at glaciers, using the characteristic properties of step retreats in satellite‐derived terminus positions. At glaciers known to frequently produce calving teleseisms, step retreats greater than 200 m account for >80% of net calved length since 2018. In contrast, at glaciers known to calve by serac failure, 200 m step retreats account <20% of net calving. Thus, terminus change timeseries can offer promising insight into the dominant calving styles at marine‐terminating glaciers. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8e1eaa077df649d3af1dcdb61a309dad |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-8e1eaa077df649d3af1dcdb61a309dad2025-08-20T03:16:26ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072024-11-015121n/an/a10.1029/2024GL110224Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change TimeseriesChris Bézu0Timothy C. Bartholomaus1Department of Earth and Spatial Sciences University of Idaho Moscow ID USADepartment of Earth and Spatial Sciences University of Idaho Moscow ID USAAbstract At least three primary iceberg calving styles have been identified in Greenland: serac collapse, which produces falling icebergs tens of meters in length; slab capsize, which produces rotating icebergs hundreds of meters in length; and tabular rifting, which produces kilometer‐scale icebergs. However, calving styles are mostly undocumented across Greenland. Here, we develop a method to disentangle the sizes of individual calving events and map the dominant calving style at glaciers, using the characteristic properties of step retreats in satellite‐derived terminus positions. At glaciers known to frequently produce calving teleseisms, step retreats greater than 200 m account for >80% of net calved length since 2018. In contrast, at glaciers known to calve by serac failure, 200 m step retreats account <20% of net calving. Thus, terminus change timeseries can offer promising insight into the dominant calving styles at marine‐terminating glaciers.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110224iceberg calvingcalving stylesGreenlandtidewater glaciers |
| spellingShingle | Chris Bézu Timothy C. Bartholomaus Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries Geophysical Research Letters iceberg calving calving styles Greenland tidewater glaciers |
| title | Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries |
| title_full | Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries |
| title_fullStr | Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries |
| title_short | Greenland Ice Sheet's Distinct Calving Styles Are Identified in Terminus Change Timeseries |
| title_sort | greenland ice sheet s distinct calving styles are identified in terminus change timeseries |
| topic | iceberg calving calving styles Greenland tidewater glaciers |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL110224 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT chrisbezu greenlandicesheetsdistinctcalvingstylesareidentifiedinterminuschangetimeseries AT timothycbartholomaus greenlandicesheetsdistinctcalvingstylesareidentifiedinterminuschangetimeseries |