Understanding Greenland ice sheet hydrology using an integrated multi-scale approach

A K Rennermalm; S E Moustafa; J Mioduszewski; V W Chu; R R Forster; B Hagedorn; J T Harper; T L Mote; D A Robinson; C A Shuman; L C Smith; M Tedesco

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/015017

Environmental Research Letters (Jan 2013)

Understanding Greenland ice sheet hydrology using an integrated multi-scale approach

A K Rennermalm,
S E Moustafa,
J Mioduszewski,
V W Chu,
R R Forster,
B Hagedorn,
J T Harper,
T L Mote,
D A Robinson,
C A Shuman,
L C Smith,
M Tedesco

Affiliations

A K Rennermalm: Department of Geography, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , New Brunswick, NJ, USA
S E Moustafa: Department of Geography, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , New Brunswick, NJ, USA
J Mioduszewski: Department of Geography, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , New Brunswick, NJ, USA
V W Chu: Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
R R Forster: Department of Geography, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT, USA
B Hagedorn: Environment and Natural Resources Institute, University of Alaska Anchorage , Anchorage, AK, USA
J T Harper: Department of Geosciences, University of Montana , Missoula, MT, USA
T L Mote: Climatology Research Laboratory, Department of Geography, University of Georgia , Athens, GA, USA
D A Robinson: Department of Geography, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , New Brunswick, NJ, USA
C A Shuman: Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland , Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
L C Smith: Department of Geography, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
M Tedesco: Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, The City College of New York, CUNY , New York, NY, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/8/1/015017
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 8, no. 1
p. 015017

Abstract

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Improved understanding of Greenland ice sheet hydrology is critically important for assessing its impact on current and future ice sheet dynamics and global sea level rise. This has motivated the collection and integration of in situ observations, model development, and remote sensing efforts to quantify meltwater production, as well as its phase changes, transport, and export. Particularly urgent is a better understanding of albedo feedbacks leading to enhanced surface melt, potential positive feedbacks between ice sheet hydrology and dynamics, and meltwater retention in firn. These processes are not isolated, but must be understood as part of a continuum of processes within an integrated system. This letter describes a systems approach to the study of Greenland ice sheet hydrology, emphasizing component interconnections and feedbacks, and highlighting research and observational needs.

Published in Environmental Research Letters

ISSN: 1748-9326 (Online)
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Technology: Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering; Geography. Anthropology. Recreation: Environmental sciences; Science: Physics
Website: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/1748-9326

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