| 1. |
- Bentham, James, et al.
(author)
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A century of trends in adult human height
- 2016
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In: eLIFE. - 2050-084X. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Being taller is associated with enhanced longevity, and higher education and earnings. We reanalysed 1472 population-based studies, with measurement of height on more than 18.6 million participants to estimate mean height for people born between 1896 and 1996 in 200 countries. The largest gain in adult height over the past century has occurred in South Korean women and Iranian men, who became 20.2 cm (95% credible interval 17.522.7) and 16.5 cm (13.319.7) taller, respectively. In contrast, there was little change in adult height in some sub-Saharan African countries and in South Asia over the century of analysis. The tallest people over these 100 years are men born in the Netherlands in the last quarter of 20th century, whose average heights surpassed 182.5 cm, and the shortest were women born in Guatemala in 1896 (140.3 cm; 135.8144.8). The height differential between the tallest and shortest populations was 19-20 cm a century ago, and has remained the same for women and increased for men a century later despite substantial changes in the ranking of countries.
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| 2. |
- Charalampidis, Charalampos, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Changing surface-atmosphere energy exchange and refreezing capacity of the lower accumulation area, West Greenland
- 2015
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In: The Cryosphere. - : Copernicus GmbH. - 1994-0416 .- 1994-0424. ; 9:6, s. 2163-2181
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present 5 years (2009-2013) of automatic weather station measurements from the lower accumulation area (1840 m a.s.l. - above sea level) of the Greenland ice sheet in the Kangerlussuaq region. Here, the summers of 2010 and 2012 were both exceptionally warm, but only 2012 resulted in a strongly negative surface mass budget (SMB) and surface meltwater run-off. The observed run-off was due to a large ice fraction in the upper 10 m of firn that prevented meltwater from percolating to available pore volume below. Analysis reveals an anomalously low 2012 summer-averaged albedo of 0.71 (typically similar to 0.78), as meltwater was present at the ice sheet surface. Consequently, during the 2012 melt season, the ice sheet surface absorbed 28% (213 MJ m-2) more solar radiation than the average of all other years. A surface energy balance model is used to evaluate the seasonal and interannual variability of all surface energy fluxes. The model reproduces the observed melt rates as well as the SMB for each season. A sensitivity analysis reveals that 71% of the additional solar radiation in 2012 was used for melt, corresponding to 36% (0.64 m) of the 2012 surface lowering. The remaining 64% (1.14 m) of surface lowering resulted from high atmospheric temperatures, up to a + 2.6 degrees C daily average, indicating that 2012 would have been a negative SMB year at this site even without the melt-albedo feedback. Longer time series of SMB, regional temperature, and remotely sensed albedo (MODIS) show that 2012 was the first strongly negative SMB year, with the lowest albedo, at this elevation on record. The warm conditions of recent years have resulted in enhanced melt and reduction of the refreezing capacity in the lower accumulation area. If high temperatures continue, the current lower accumulation area will turn into a region with superimposed ice in coming years.
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| 3. |
- Doyle, Samuel H., et al.
(author)
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Amplified melt and flow of the Greenland ice sheet driven by late-summer cyclonic rainfall
- 2015
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In: Nature Geoscience. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 8:8, s. 647-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Intense rainfall events significantly affect Alpine and Alaskan glaciers through enhanced melting, ice-flow acceleration and subglacial sediment erosion, yet their impact on the Greenland ice sheet has not been assessed. Here we present measurements of ice velocity, subglacial water pressure and meteorological variables from the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet during a week of warm, wet cyclonic weather in late August and early September 2011. We find that extreme surface runoff from melt and rainfall led to a widespread acceleration in ice flow that extended 140 km into the ice-sheet interior. We suggest that the late-season timing was critical in promoting rapid runoff across an extensive bare ice surface that overwhelmed a subglacial hydrological system in transition to a less-efficient winter mode. Reanalysis data reveal that similar cyclonic weather conditions prevailed across southern and western Greenland during this time, and we observe a corresponding ice-flow response at all land- and marine-terminating glaciers in these regions for which data are available. Given that the advection of warm, moist air masses and rainfall over Greenland is expected to become more frequent in the coming decades, our findings portend a previously unforeseen vulnerability of the Greenland ice sheet to climate change.
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| 4. |
- Machguth, Horst, et al.
(author)
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Greenland meltwater storage in firn limited by near-surface ice formation
- 2016
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In: Nature Climate Change. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1758-678X .- 1758-6798. ; 6:4, s. 390-393
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Approximately half of Greenland's current annual mass loss is attributed to runoff from surface melt. At higher elevations, however, melt does not necessarily equal runoff, because meltwater can refreeze in the porous near-surface snow and firn. Two recent studies suggest that all or most of Greenland's firn pore space is available for meltwater storage, making the firn an important buffer against contribution to sea level rise for decades to come. Here, we employ in situ observations and historical legacy data to demonstrate that surface runoff begins to dominate over meltwater storage well before firn pore space has been completely filled. Our observations frame the recent exceptional melt summers in 2010 and 2012, revealing significant changes in firn structure at different elevations caused by successive intensive melt events. In the upper regions (more than similar to 1,900 m above sea level), firn has undergone substantial densification, while at lower elevations, where melt is most abundant, porous firn has lost most of its capability to retain meltwater. Here, the formation of near-surface ice layers renders deep pore space difficult to access, forcing meltwater to enter an efficient surface discharge system and intensifying ice sheet mass loss earlier than previously suggested.
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| 5. |
- Oehri, Jacqueline, et al.
(author)
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Vegetation type is an important predictor of the arctic summer land surface energy budget
- 2022
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Nature. - 2041-1723. ; 13
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Despite the importance of high-latitude surface energy budgets (SEBs) for land-climate interactions in the rapidly changing Arctic, uncertainties in their prediction persist. Here, we harmonize SEB observations across a network of vegetated and glaciated sites at circumpolar scale (1994–2021). Our variance-partitioning analysis identifies vegetation type as an important predictor for SEB-components during Arctic summer (June-August), compared to other SEB-drivers including climate, latitude and permafrost characteristics. Differences among vegetation types can be of similar magnitude as between vegetation and glacier surfaces and are especially high for summer sensible and latent heat fluxes. The timing of SEB-flux summer-regimes (when daily mean values exceed 0 Wm−2) relative to snow-free and -onset dates varies substantially depending on vegetation type, implying vegetation controls on snow-cover and SEB-flux seasonality. Our results indicate complex shifts in surface energy fluxes with land-cover transitions and a lengthening summer season, and highlight the potential for improving future Earth system models via a refined representation of Arctic vegetation types.
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| 6. |
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| 7. |
- Charalampidis, Charalampos, 1983-
(author)
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Climatology and firn processes in the lower accumulation area of the Greenland ice sheet
- 2016
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The Greenland ice sheet is the largest Northern Hemisphere store of fresh water, and it is responding rapidly to the warming climate. In situ observations document the changing ice sheet properties in the lower accumulation area, Southwest Greenland. Firn densities from 1840 meters above sea level retrieved in May 2012 revealed the existence of a 5.5-meter-thick, near-surface ice layer in response to the recent increased melt and refreezing in firn. As a consequence, vertical meltwater percolation in the extreme summer 2012 was inefficient, resulting in surface runoff. Meltwater percolated and refroze at six meters depth only after the end of the melt season. This prolonged autumn refreezing under the newly accumulated snowpack resulted in unprecedented firn warming with temperature at ten meters depth increased by more than four degrees Celsius. Simulations confirm that meltwater reached nine meters depth at most. The refrozen meltwater was estimated at 0.23 meters water equivalent, amounting to 25 % of the total 2012 ablation.A surface energy balance model was used to evaluate the seasonal and interannual variability of all surface energy fluxes at that elevation in the years 2009 to 2013. Due to the meltwater presence at the surface in 2012, the summer-averaged albedo was significantly reduced (0.71 in 2012; typically 0.78). A sensitivity analysis revealed that 71 % of the subsequent additional solar radiation in 2012 was used for melt, corresponding to 36 % of the total 2012 surface lowering. This interplay between melt and firn properties highlights that the lower accumulation area of the Greenland ice sheet will be responding rapidly in a warming climate.
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| 8. |
- Charalampidis, Charalampos, et al.
(author)
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Observed melt-season snowpack evolution on the Greenland ice sheet
- 2015
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In: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin. - 1811-4598 .- 1604-8156. ; :33, s. 65-68
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Due to recent warm and record-warm summers in Greenland (Nghiem et al. 2012), the melt of the ice-sheet surface and the subsequent runoff are increasing (Shepherd et al. 2012). About 84% of the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet between 2009 and 2012 resulted from increased surface runoff (Enderlin et al. 2014). The largest melt occurs in the ablation zone, the low marginal area of the ice sheet (Van As et al. 2014), where melt exceeds wintertime accumulation and bare ice is thus exposed during each melt season. In the higher regions of the ice sheet (i.e. the accumulation area), melt is limited and the snow cover persists throughout the year. It is in the vast latter area that models struggle to calculate certain mass fluxes with accuracy. A better understanding of processes such as meltwater percolation and refreezing in snow and firn is crucial for more accurate Greenland ice sheet mass-budget estimates (Van Angelen et al. 2013).In May 2012, the field campaign ‘Snow Processes in the Lower Accumulation Zone’ was organized by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) at the KAN_U automatic weather station (67 degrees N, 47 degrees W; 1840 m above sea level), which delivers data to the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE; Van As et al. 2013) and is one of the few weather stations located in the lower accumulation area of Greenland. During the expedition, we installed thermistor strings, firn compaction monitors and a snowpack analyzer; we drilled firn cores, performed firn radar measurements, gathered meteorological data, dug snow pits and performed dye-tracing experiments. One important objective of the campaign was to understand the thermal variability in the snowpack during the melt season by monitoring with high-precision temperature probes [...].Below, we present observations from the period 02 May to 23 July and interpret the atmosphere–surface interaction and its impact on the subsurface snow layers, with the goal to quantify refreezing in the Greenland accumulation area.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Charalampidis, Charalampos, 1983-, et al.
(author)
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Thermal tracing of retained meltwater in the lower accumulation area of the Southwestern Greenland ice sheet
- 2016
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In: Annals of Glaciology. - : International Glaciological Society. - 0260-3055 .- 1727-5644. ; 57:72, s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present in situ firn temperatures from the extreme 2012 melt season in the southwestern lower accumulation area of the Greenland ice sheet. The upper 2.5 m of snow and firn was temperate during the melt season, when vertical meltwater percolation was inefficient due to a c. 5.5 m thick ice layer underlying the temperate firn. Meltwater percolation and refreezing beneath 2.5 m depth only occurred after the melt season. Deviations from temperatures predicted by pure conductivity suggest that meltwater refroze in discrete bands at depths of 2.0–2.5, 5.0–6.0 and 8.0–9.0 m. While we find no indication of meltwater percolation below 9 m depth or complete filling of pore volume above, firn at 10 and 15 m depth was respectively 4.2–4.5 degrees C and 1.7 degrees C higher than in a conductivity-only simulation. Even though meltwater percolation in 2012 was inefficient, firn between 2 and 15 m depth the following winter was on average 4.7 degrees C warmer due to meltwater refreezing. Our observations also suggest that the 2012 firn conditions were preconditioned by two warm summers and ice layer formation in 2010 and 2011. Overall, firn temperatures during the years 2009–13 increased by 0.6 degrees C.
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| 11. |
- Citterio, Michele, et al.
(author)
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Automatic weather stations for basic and applied glaciological research
- 2015
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In: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin. - 1811-4598 .- 1604-8156. ; 33, s. 69-72
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Since the early 1980s, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) glaciology group has developed automatic weather stations (AWSs) and operated them on the Greenland ice sheet and on local glaciers to support glaciological research and monitoring projects (e.g. Olesen & Braithwaite 1989; Ahlstrøm et al. 2008). GEUS has also operated AWSs in connection with consultancy services in relation to mining and hydropower pre-feasibility studies (Colgan et al. 2015). Over the years, the design of the AWS has evolved, partly due to technological advances and partly due to lessons learned in the field. At the same time, we have kept the initial goal in focus: long-term, year-round accurate recording of ice ablation, snow depth and the physical parameters that determine the energy budget of glacierised surfaces. GEUS has an extensive record operating AWSs in the harsh Arctic environment of the diverse ablation areas of the Greenland ice sheet, glaciers and ice caps [...].The GEUS AWS model in use now is a reliable tool that is adapted to the environmental and logistical conditions of polar regions. It has a proven record of more than 150 stationyears of deployment in Greenland since its introduction in 2007–2008, and a success rate of c. 90% defined as the fraction of months with more than 80% valid air-temperature measurements over the total deployment time of the 25 stations in the field. The rest of this paper focuses on the technical aspects of the GEUS AWS, and provides an overview of its design and capabilities.
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| 12. |
- Doyle, Samuel H., et al.
(author)
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Persistent flow acceleration within the interior of the Greenland ice sheet
- 2014
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In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 41:3, s. 899-905
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present surface velocity measurements from a high-elevation site located 140km from the western margin of the Greenland ice sheet, and similar to 50km into its accumulation area. Annual velocity increased each year from 51.780.01myr(-1) in 2009 to 52.920.01myr(-1) in 2012a net increase of 2.2%. These data also reveal a strong seasonal velocity cycle of up to 8.1% above the winter mean, driven by seasonal melt and supraglacial lake drainage. Sole et al. (2013) recently argued that ice motion in the ablation area is mediated by reduced winter flow following the development of efficient subglacial drainage during warmer, faster, summers. Our data extend this analysis and reveal a year-on-year increase in annual velocity above the equilibrium line altitude, where despite surface melt increasing, it is still sufficiently low to hinder the development of efficient drainage under thick ice. Key Points Ice flow in the accumulation area accelerated year-on-year between 2009 and 2012 The acceleration correlates with the inland expansion of supraglacial lakes This dynamic response contrasts with observations from the ablation zone
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| 13. |
- Fausto, Robert S., et al.
(author)
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Greenland ice sheet melt area from MODIS (2000–2014)
- 2015
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In: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin. - 1811-4598 .- 1604-8156. ; 33, s. 57-60
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Greenland ice sheet is an excellent observatory for global climate change. Meltwater from the 1.8 million km2 large ice sheet influences oceanic temperature and salinity, nutrient fluxes and global sea level (IPCC 2013). Surface reflectivity is a key driver of surface melt rates (Box et al. 2012). Mapping of different ice-sheet surface types provides a clear indicator of where changes in ice-sheet surface reflectivity are most prominent. Here, we present an updated version of a surface classification algorithm that utilises NASA’s Moderateresolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Terra satellite to systematically monitor ice-sheet surface melt (Fausto et al. 2007). Our aim is to determine the areal extent of three surface types over the 2000–2014 period: glacier ice, melting snow (including percolation areas) and dry snow (Cuff ey & Paterson 2010). Monthly 1 km2 resolution surface-type grids can be downloaded via the CryoClim internet portal (www.cryoclim.net). In this report, we briefly describe the updated classification algorithm, validation of surface types and inter-annual variability in surface types.
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| 14. |
- Liljedahl, Lillemor Claesson, et al.
(author)
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Rapid and sensitive response of Greenland’s groundwater system to ice sheet change
- 2021
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In: Nature Geoscience. - : Springer Nature. - 1752-0894 .- 1752-0908. ; 14:10, s. 751-755
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Greenland Ice Sheet mass loss is impacting connected terrestrial and marine hydrologic systems with global consequences. Groundwater is a key component of water cycling in the Arctic, underlying the 1.7e6 km2 ice sheet and forming offshore freshwater reserves. However, despite its vast extent, the response of Greenland’s groundwater to ongoing ice sheet change is unknown. Here we present in-situ observations of deep groundwater conditions under the Greenland Ice Sheet, obtained in a 651-metre-long proglacial bedrock borehole angled under the ice sheet margin. We find that Greenland’s groundwater system responds rapidly and sensitively to relatively minor ice sheet forcing. Hydraulic head clearly varies over multi-annual, seasonal and diurnal timescales, which we interpret as a response to fluid pressure forcing at the ice/bed interface associated with changes in overlying ice loading and ice sheet hydrology. We find a systematic decline in hydraulic head over the eight-year observational period is linked primarily to ice sheet mass loss. Ongoing and future ice thinning will probably reduce groundwater discharge rates, with potential impacts to submarine freshwater discharge, freshwater delivery to fjords and biogeochemical fluxes in the Arctic.
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| 15. |
- Lindbäck, Katrin, et al.
(author)
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Subglacial water drainage, storage, and piracy beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet
- 2015
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In: Geophysical Research Letters. - 0094-8276 .- 1944-8007. ; 42:18, s. 7606-7614
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Meltwater drainage across the surface of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is well constrained by measurements and modeling, yet despite its critical role, knowledge of its transit through the subglacial environment remains limited. Here we present a subglacial hydrological analysis of a land-terminating sector of the GrIS at unprecedented resolution that predicts the routing of surface-derived meltwater once it has entered the basal drainage system. Our analysis indicates the probable existence of small subglacial lakes that remain undetectable by methods using surface elevation change or radar techniques. Furthermore, the analysis suggests transient behavior with rapid switching of subglacial drainage between competing catchments driven by seasonal changes in the basal water pressure. Our findings provide a cautionary note that should be considered in studies that attempt to relate and infer future response from surface temperature, melt, and runoff from point measurements and/or modeling with measurements of proglacial discharge and ice dynamics.
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| 16. |
- van As, Dirk, et al.
(author)
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Darkening of the Greenland ice sheet due to the melt-albedo feedback observed at PROMICE weather stations
- 2013
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In: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin. - 1811-4598 .- 1604-8156. ; 28, s. 69-72
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass (Barletta et al. 2012) and at least half of this loss is caused by an increase in surface melt (e.g. Tedesco et al. 2013). The other part is caused by increased dynamic mass loss, as marine-terminating glaciers lose resistive stresses (Nick et al. 2009) due to both retreat and meltwater lubrication at the bed (Sasgen et al. 2012).In 2007, the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) was initiated with the aim of gaining an insight into the causes of the ice-mass budget changes based on quantitative observations. This is primarily done by assessing how much mass is gained as snow accumulation on the surface versus how much is lost by calving and surface ablation (Ahlstrøm et al. 2008). PROMICE monitors the surface mass balance by means of automatic weather stations (AWSs) designed to quantify accumulation and ablation, as well as the specific energy sources contributing to ablation. These observations are vital to interpreting the physical mechanisms for ice-sheet response to climate change and for the calibration and validation of both satellite observations and climate models.In the wake of several record-breaking warm summers – increasing surface melt rate and extent (Nghiem et al. 2012) – interest in Greenland’s surface mass balance has increased (Tedesco et al. 2013). Observations of net ablation at PROMICE stations provided in situ confirmation of extreme massloss events in 2010 (Fausto et al. 2012) and 2012, primarily documented by other workers through satellite data. In this paper, we present atmospheric temperatures and surface solar reflectivity (known as albedo) of the Greenland ice sheet in the PROMICE period. Albedo modulates the absorption of solar radiation, which is the primary source of melt energy. It is reported to be decreasing in Greenland in recent years (Box et al. 2012), causing the monitoring of albedo variability to be increasingly important. Air temperatures, besides being strongly correlated to surface melt rates, affect surface albedo by controlling the rate of snow-grain metamorphism and the fraction of summer precipitation falling as rain versus snow. To elucidate the so-called melt-albedo feedback, whereby increased melt darkens the ice sheet and further enhances melt, the relationship between albedo and air temperature, observed at PROMICE stations, is examined in this study.
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| 17. |
- van As, Dirk, et al.
(author)
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Katabatic winds and piteraq storms : observations from the Greenland ice sheet
- 2014
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In: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Bulletin. - 1811-4598 .- 1604-8156. ; 31, s. 83-86
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2007 the Programme for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) was initiated to observe and gain insight into the mass budget of Greenland ice masses. By means of in situ observations and remote sensing, PROMICE assesses how much mass is gained as snow accumulation on the surface versus how much is lost by iceberg calving and surface ablation (Ahlstrøm et al. 2008). A key element of PROMICE is a network of automatic weather stations (AWSs) designed to quantify components of the surface mass balance, including the energy exchanges contributing to surface ablation (Van As et al. 2013).The use of these AWS observations is not limited to studies of ice-sheet mass balance. PROMICE contributes to CryoNet (www.globalcryospherewatch.org/cryonet), the core network of surface measurement sites of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Cryosphere Watch. By real-time delivery through WMO, PROMICE observations contribute to improve both operational forecasting and climate analysis in the data-sparse Arctic. The Greenlandic population, highly dependent on accurate forecasting of weather conditions, benefits directly from these real-time observations. For instance, extreme surface wind speeds are a high-risk element in Greenland. The third-highest wind speed observed at the surface of the Earth (93 m/s or 333 km/h), was recorded in a 8–9 March 1972 storm at Thule in North-West Greenland (Stansfield 1972).In this paper, we discuss the extent to which the Greenland ice sheet generates its own near-surface wind field. We use PROMICE data to gain insight into the interaction between air temperature, radiation and gravity-driven katabatic winds. We focus on a particularly powerful spring storm in 2013 that contributed to a fatality on an ice-sheet ski traverse attempt (Linden 2013).
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