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Glacier velocities and dynamic ice discharge from the Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut, Canada


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Article

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Authors

Van Wychen, W 
Burgess, DO 
Gray, L 
Copland, L 
Sharp, M 

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pRecent studies indicate an increase in glacier mass loss from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago as a result of warmer summer air temperatures. However, no complete assessment of dynamic ice discharge from this region exists. We present the first complete surface velocity mapping of all ice masses in the Queen Elizabeth Islands and show that these ice masses discharged ~2.6 ± 0.8 Gt ajats:sup−1</jats:sup> of ice to the oceans in winter 2012. Approximately 50% of the dynamic discharge was channeled through non surge‐type Trinity and Wykeham Glaciers alone. Dynamic discharge of the surge‐type Mittie Glacier varied from 0.90 ± 0.09 Gt ajats:sup−1</jats:sup> during its 2003 surge to 0.02 ± 0.02 Gt ajats:sup−1</jats:sup> during quiescence in 2012, highlighting the importance of surge‐type glaciers for interannual variability in regional mass loss. Queen Elizabeth Islands glaciers currently account for ~7.5% of reported dynamic discharge from Arctic ice masses outside Greenland.</jats:p>

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Keywords

glacier dynamics, dynamic ice discharge, speckle tracking

Journal Title

Geophysical Research Letters

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0094-8276
1944-8007

Volume Title

41

Publisher

American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Sponsorship
Natural Environment Research Council (NE/H020667/1)
Natural Environment Research Council (NE/K004999/1)
We thank NSERC, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Ontario Research Fund, ArcticNet, Ontario Graduate Scholarship, University of Ottawa and the NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship for funding. RADARSAT-2 data were provided by MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates under the RADARSAT-2 Government Data Allocation administrated by the Canadian Space Agency. Support to DB is provided through the Climate Change Geosciences Program, Earth Sciences Sector, Natural Resources Canada (ESS Contribution #20130293). We also acknowledge support from U.K NERC for grants R3/12469 and NE/K004999 to JAD.