English
 
Privacy Policy Disclaimer
  Advanced SearchBrowse

Item

ITEM ACTIONSEXPORT
Add to Basket
  Local TagsRelease HistoryDetailsSummary

Released
Conference Paper

Internal waves generated by subglacial discharge: Implications for tidewater glacier melt

Authors

Cusack,  Jesse
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Jackson,  Rebecca
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Nash,  Jonathan
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Skyllingstad,  Eric
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Pettit,  Erin
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Sutherland,  David
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Motyka,  Roman
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

Amundson,  Jason
IUGG 2023, General Assemblies, 1 General, International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG), External Organizations;

External Ressource
No external resources are shared
Fulltext (public)
There are no public fulltexts stored in GFZpublic
Supplementary Material (public)
There is no public supplementary material available
Citation

Cusack, J., Jackson, R., Nash, J., Skyllingstad, E., Pettit, E., Sutherland, D., Motyka, R., Amundson, J. (2023): Internal waves generated by subglacial discharge: Implications for tidewater glacier melt, XXVIII General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) (Berlin 2023).
https://doi.org/10.57757/IUGG23-1130


Cite as: https://gfzpublic.gfz-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_5018121
Abstract
The ocean influences on mass loss at tidewater glaciers are poorly understood, leading to uncertainty in sea level rise projections. Subglacial discharge plumes drive mass loss via submarine melting and may also facilitate mass loss by modulating calving rates. However, current theories underpredict submarine melt rates at terminus regions that are far from discharge plumes, suggesting that they may miss key ocean processes. A new set of observations from autonomously deployed moorings less than 100 m from the terminus of LeConte Glacier, Alaska, and a high-resolution numerical model, reveal that the near-glacier ocean is filled with energetic internal waves. We find that the internal wave kinetic energy and frequency are correlated with subglacial discharge fluxes on weekly to seasonal timescales. The waves radiate away from the discharge plume and could enhance ice-ocean boundary layer fluxes of heat and salt along the terminus. Accounting for waves within current submarine melt rate parameterizations increases predicted melt rates by up to 70%. Because the dynamical ingredients - a buoyant plume rising through a stratified ocean - are common to many tidewater glacier systems, such internal waves are likely to be widespread.