Spatial and temporal Antarctic ice sheet mass trends, glacio-isostatic adjustment, and surface processes from a joint inversion of satellite altimeter, gravity, and GPS data

Martin-Espanol, A. et al. (2016) Spatial and temporal Antarctic ice sheet mass trends, glacio-isostatic adjustment, and surface processes from a joint inversion of satellite altimeter, gravity, and GPS data. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 121(2), pp. 182-200. (doi: 10.1002/2015JF003550)

Abstract

We present spatiotemporal mass balance trends for the Antarctic Ice Sheet from a statistical inversion of satellite altimetry, gravimetry, and elastic-corrected GPS data for the period 2003–2013. Our method simultaneously determines annual trends in ice dynamics, surface mass balance anomalies, and a time-invariant solution for glacio-isostatic adjustment while remaining largely independent of forward models. We establish that over the period 2003–2013, Antarctica has been losing mass at a rate of −84 ± 22 Gt yr−1, with a sustained negative mean trend of dynamic imbalance of −111 ± 13 Gt yr−1. West Antarctica is the largest contributor with −112 ± 10 Gt yr−1, mainly triggered by high thinning rates of glaciers draining into the Amundsen Sea Embayment. The Antarctic Peninsula has experienced a dramatic increase in mass loss in the last decade, with a mean rate of −28 ± 7 Gt yr−1 and significantly higher values for the most recent years following the destabilization of the Southern Antarctic Peninsula around 2010. The total mass loss is partly compensated by a significant mass gain of 56 ± 18 Gt yr−1 in East Antarctica due to a positive trend of surface mass balance anomalies.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: 10.1002/2015JF003550 and Antarctica, Mass balance, SMB, ice dynamics, GIA
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Petrie, Dr Elizabeth
• Authors: Martin-Espanol, A., Zammit-Mangion, A., Clarke, P. J., Flament, T., Helm, V., King, M. A., Luthcke, S. B., Petrie, E., Remy, F., Schoen, N., Wouters, B., and Bamber, J. L.
• Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences; Q Science > Q Science (General)
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Geographical and Earth Sciences
• Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• ISSN: 2169-9003
• ISSN (Online): 2169-9011
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2015 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface 121(2):182-200
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License