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Mapping Greenland’s mass loss in space and time
Harig, C.; Simons, F.J. (2012). Mapping Greenland’s mass loss in space and time. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109(49): 19934-19937. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1206785109
In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. The Academy: Washington, D.C.. ISSN 0027-8424; e-ISSN 1091-6490, more
Peer reviewed article  

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Keywords
    Climatic changes
    Phase changes > Melting > Ice melting
    Temporal variations > Long-term changes > Sea level changes
    Greenland [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Spatiospectral localization; Time-variable gravity;

Authors  Top 
  • Harig, C.
  • Simons, F.J.

Abstract
    The melting of polar ice sheets is a major contributor to global sea level rise. Early estimates of the mass lost from the Greenland ice cap, based on satellite gravity data collected by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, have widely varied. Although the continentally and decadally averaged estimated trends have now more or less converged, to this date, there has been little clarity on the detailed spatial distribution of Greenland’s mass loss and how the geographical pattern has varied on relatively shorter time scales. Here, we present a spatially and temporally resolved estimation of the ice mass change over Greenland between April of 2002 and August of 2011. Although the total mass loss trend has remained linear, actively changing areas of mass loss were concentrated on the southeastern and northwestern coasts, with ice mass in the center of Greenland steadily increasing over the decade.

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