This project represents an important step in understanding Greenland fjord circulation and ice dynamics on an ice-sheet-wide scale and will provide new insights into the extent to which near-terminus ocean characteristics can affect ice dynamics. A recent U.S. Climate Variability and Predictability Greenland Ice Sheet-Ocean Workshop (June 2013) identified critical needs regarding: 1) finding representative field sites for targeted research, 2) data to relate local process studies to behavior across the ice sheet, and 3) broad coverage observations for use in ice sheet modeling. This award supports a Postdoctoral Research Fellow who aims to address all three concerns by classifying "families" of similar glacier-fjord systems and identifying single glaciers or systems that may best represent each group and by creating pan-Greenland datasets characterizing individual fjords-glacier systems for use in upscaling and modeling. Using a novel yet robust statistical approach, this research will be the first to attempt to understand fjord-glacier interactions from a Greenland-wide perspective. In addition to the research, the fellow will broaden participation of underrepresented groups in science through course development, mentoring and a multimedia ocean science project. This interdisciplinary investigation will be conducted by the fellow, a glaciologist, in collaboration with sponsoring scientist, David Sutherland, a physical oceanographer at the University of Oregon. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the research, the project is being co-funded by the OPP Arctic Natural Sciences program and the OCE Postdoctoral Fellowship program.
With roughly seven meters of sea level rise stored in the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), its mass balance plays a critical role in current sea level rise and is expected to be a primary contributor in the future. Freshwater input from the GrIS may also have significant effects on local and global scale ocean circulation. Predicting the rate of mass loss from the GrIS, however, has proven challenging. Two primary obstacles exist: 1) limited understanding of the processes controlling ice dynamics, though it appears that ocean temperature and circulation may be key elements, and 2) much of the current GrIS research is focused on a few large fjord-glacier systems, with a relative dearth of information regarding many of the other 200+ outlet glaciers. This research directly addresses these issues with a comprehensive study to 1) characterize fjord and glacier systems to gain insight into the range of ocean circulation and ice dynamics for most marine-terminating Greenland glaciers, as opposed to a few, and 2) examine the extent to which the continental shelf-to-terminus environment and associated ocean circulation influence ice dynamics
