A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland
Abstract Frontal ablation at tidewater glaciers, which comprises iceberg calving and submarine and subaerial melting, is a key boundary condition for numerical ice sheet models but remains difficult to measure in-situ. Although previous studies have provided frontal ablation estimates over a range o...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Data |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04948-3 |
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| author | Dominik Fahrner Donald A. Slater Aman KC Claudia Cenedese David A. Sutherland Ellyn Enderlin M. Femke de Jong Kristian K. Kjeldsen Michael Wood Peter Nienow Sophie Nowicki Till J. W. Wagner |
| author_facet | Dominik Fahrner Donald A. Slater Aman KC Claudia Cenedese David A. Sutherland Ellyn Enderlin M. Femke de Jong Kristian K. Kjeldsen Michael Wood Peter Nienow Sophie Nowicki Till J. W. Wagner |
| author_sort | Dominik Fahrner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Frontal ablation at tidewater glaciers, which comprises iceberg calving and submarine and subaerial melting, is a key boundary condition for numerical ice sheet models but remains difficult to measure in-situ. Although previous studies have provided frontal ablation estimates over a range of spatiotemporal scales, most use ice discharge as an approximation, thereby neglecting the influence of terminus position change. Here, we present a dataset of frontal ablation estimates for 49 tidewater glaciers in Greenland that have reliable near-terminus bathymetry data. Near-terminus volume change over the period 1987–2020 is determined using previously published datasets of terminus positions (TermPicks) together with ice thicknesses estimated from ArcticDEM, AeroDEM, and Bedmachine v5 bed topography. Assuming a vertical terminus geometry and uniform ice density, we estimate frontal ablation as the residual between mass flux towards the terminus taken from a published dataset and mass change due to changes in terminus position. The frontal ablation dataset offers opportunities for developing new insights into ice dynamics, including helping to improve numerical model hindcasting and projections. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cdff05eb0e0244c6b9e816d57aa5b4d8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2052-4463 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Data |
| spelling | doaj-art-cdff05eb0e0244c6b9e816d57aa5b4d82025-08-20T02:11:51ZengNature PortfolioScientific Data2052-44632025-04-0112111410.1038/s41597-025-04948-3A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in GreenlandDominik Fahrner0Donald A. Slater1Aman KC2Claudia Cenedese3David A. Sutherland4Ellyn Enderlin5M. Femke de Jong6Kristian K. Kjeldsen7Michael Wood8Peter Nienow9Sophie Nowicki10Till J. W. Wagner11University of Oregon, Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of Edinburgh, School of GeosciencesBoise State University, Department of GeosciencesWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Physical Oceanography DepartmentUniversity of Oregon, Department of Earth SciencesBoise State University, Department of GeosciencesRoyal Netherlands Institute for Sea ResearchGeological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Department of Glaciology and ClimateMoss Landing Marine Laboratories, San José State UniversityUniversity of Edinburgh, School of GeosciencesUniversity at Buffalo, Department of GeologyUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic SciencesAbstract Frontal ablation at tidewater glaciers, which comprises iceberg calving and submarine and subaerial melting, is a key boundary condition for numerical ice sheet models but remains difficult to measure in-situ. Although previous studies have provided frontal ablation estimates over a range of spatiotemporal scales, most use ice discharge as an approximation, thereby neglecting the influence of terminus position change. Here, we present a dataset of frontal ablation estimates for 49 tidewater glaciers in Greenland that have reliable near-terminus bathymetry data. Near-terminus volume change over the period 1987–2020 is determined using previously published datasets of terminus positions (TermPicks) together with ice thicknesses estimated from ArcticDEM, AeroDEM, and Bedmachine v5 bed topography. Assuming a vertical terminus geometry and uniform ice density, we estimate frontal ablation as the residual between mass flux towards the terminus taken from a published dataset and mass change due to changes in terminus position. The frontal ablation dataset offers opportunities for developing new insights into ice dynamics, including helping to improve numerical model hindcasting and projections.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04948-3 |
| spellingShingle | Dominik Fahrner Donald A. Slater Aman KC Claudia Cenedese David A. Sutherland Ellyn Enderlin M. Femke de Jong Kristian K. Kjeldsen Michael Wood Peter Nienow Sophie Nowicki Till J. W. Wagner A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland Scientific Data |
| title | A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland |
| title_full | A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland |
| title_fullStr | A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland |
| title_short | A Frontal Ablation Dataset for 49 Tidewater Glaciers in Greenland |
| title_sort | frontal ablation dataset for 49 tidewater glaciers in greenland |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-04948-3 |
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