Flashcard library · Earth & Climate Science · PaperFren

Proglacial lakes speed Greenland outlet glaciers

Lake-terminating Greenland outlet glaciers flow much faster near their fronts than otherwise similar land-terminating glaciers.

Keep what you just learned

Save these 11 cards to your NoteFren library. Your first review starts right away, and each card links back to the study it came from.

What fraction of the Greenland Ice Sheet margin is now bounded by freshwater?

Approximately 10%.

How much faster were lake-terminating termini than land-terminating ones in 2017?

Terminus velocity was 231% higher for lake-terminating glaciers.

How far inland is the lake-enhancement effect evident?

Up to about 3.5 km from the ice-sheet margin.

What were overall median velocities for lake versus land termini?

43 m yr−1 versus 36 m yr−1 (p = 0.04).

What were median velocities 500 m inland?

43 m yr−1 (lake) versus 13 m yr−1 (land), a 30 m yr−1 gap.

What fraction of lake-terminating glaciers accelerate toward the terminus?

44% (43 of 97 with paired 2000 m and 500 m data).

What fraction of land-terminating glaciers accelerate down-ice?

Only 3.9% (n = 4); 96% decelerate.

Were 2000 velocities consistent with 2015–2019?

Yes: at 500 m inland, lake glaciers were 51 m yr−1 versus 29 m yr−1 for land glaciers (p < 0.01).

How many lake-terminating outlet glaciers were analysed?

102 glaciers terminating in lakes larger than 1 km2.

How much faster are glaciers entering lakes >30 km2 versus 1–5 km2 lakes?

Median velocity (500–5000 m) is 40% faster.

Which velocity dataset and resolution were used?

NASA MEaSUREs ITS_LIVE V2 at 120 m, from Landsat feature tracking.