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Australia: The Land Where Time Began |
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Greenland’s Marine Terminating Glaciers – Changes to
Understanding the Dynamic Response to Oceanic and Atmospheric Forcing
The contribution of the Greenland ice sheet to sea level rise of 0.6 ±
0.1 mm/yr and the discharge of its water into the North Atlantic have
been increased by the recent retreat and increasing speed of outlet
glaciers, as well as enhanced melting at the surface around the margin
of the ice sheet. According to Straneo et
al. a common driver is
suggested by the widespread retreat of glaciers that is
near-synchronous, and its coincidence with a time when oceanic and
atmospheric warming is occurring. The margins of these glaciers are
pointed to by the available evidence as the regions from which changes
propagated inland. The forcings and mechanisms on which these dynamic
changes are based are not well understood and in climate and ice sheet
models they are either missing or parameterised crudely. As a result the
sea level rises contributions from Greenland by 2100 that have been
projected have remained largely uncertain.
In this paper Straneo et al.
have summarised the current state of knowledge as well as highlighting
key physical aspects of the coupled ice-sheet-ocean-atmosphere system of
Greenland. There are 3 research thrusts that have been identified as
yielding fundamental insights into ice sheet, ocean, sea ice, and
atmosphere interactions, their role in the climate system of the Earth,
and probably trajectories of changes into the future:
1.
Focused studies that address critical glacier, ocean, atmosphere, and
coupled dynamics;
2.
Sustained observations at key sites;
3.
Inclusion in Earth system models of relevant dynamics.
Straneo et al. say an
understanding of the dynamic response of the glaciers on Greenland to
climate forcings constitutes a scientific and a technological frontier,
given the challenges involved in obtaining the appropriate measurements
from the marine termini of the glaciers, and the complexity of the
involved dynamics, including the coupling of the ocean, atmosphere,
glacier, and sea ice systems. Crucial factors in making progress on this
novel and complex problem are interdisciplinary and international
cooperation.
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Author: M.H.Monroe Email: admin@austhrutime.com Sources & Further reading |