Hydrological and Kinematic Precursors of the 2017 Calving Event at the Petermann Glacier in Greenland Observed from Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

Both a decrease of sea ice and an increase of surface meltwater, which may induce ice-flow speedup and frontal collapse, have a significant impact on the stability of the floating ice shelf in Greenland. However, detailed dynamic precursors and drivers prior to a fast-calving process remain unclear due to sparse remote sensing observations. Here, we present a comprehensive investigation on hydrological and kinematic precursors before the calving event on 26 July 2017 of Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland, by jointly using remote sensing observations at high-temporal resolution and an ice-flow model. Time series of ice-flow velocity fields during July 2017 were retrieved with Sentinel-2 observations with a sub-weekly sampling interval. The ice-flow speed quickly reached 30 m/d on 26 July (the day before the calving), which is roughly 10 times quicker than the mean glacier velocity. Additionally, a significant decrease in the radar backscatter coefficient of Sentinel-1 images suggests a rapid transformation from landfast sea ice into open water, associated with a decrease in sea ice extent. Additionally, the area of melt ponds on the floating ice tongue began to increase in mid-May, quickly reached a peak at the end of June and lasted for nearly one month until the calving occurred. We used the ice sheet system model to model the spatial-temporal damage and stress on the floating ice, thereby finding an abnormal stress distribution in a cracked region. It is inferred that this calving event may relate to a weakening of the sea ice, shearing of the tributary glacier, and meltwater infiltrating crevasses.

Keywords

• frontal collapse precursors
• high-resolution remote sensing
• ice sheet system model
• Petermann Glacier