The extreme melt across the Greenland ice sheet in 2012

The discovery of the 2012 extreme melt event across almost the entire surface of the Greenland ice sheet is presented. Data from three different satellite sensors – including the Oceansat‐2 scatterometer, the Moderate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Soun...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2012-10, Vol.39 (20), p.n/a
Main Authors: Nghiem, S. V., Hall, D. K., Mote, T. L., Tedesco, M., Albert, M. R., Keegan, K., Shuman, C. A., DiGirolamo, N. E., Neumann, G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cryosphere
Drying
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
extreme melt
Geophysics
Greenland ice sheet
Ice
Ice sheets
Marine
Mass balance models
Melts
Oceansat-2 scatterometer
Remote sensing
Ridges
Satellite observation
Snow
Special Sensor Microwave Imager
Summit
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Summary:The discovery of the 2012 extreme melt event across almost the entire surface of the Greenland ice sheet is presented. Data from three different satellite sensors – including the Oceansat‐2 scatterometer, the Moderate‐resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, and the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder – are combined to obtain composite melt maps, representing the most complete melt conditions detectable across the ice sheet. Satellite observations reveal that melt occurred at or near the surface of the Greenland ice sheet across 98.6% of its entire extent on 12 July 2012, including the usually cold polar areas at high altitudes like Summit in the dry snow facies of the ice sheet. This melt event coincided with an anomalous ridge of warm air that became stagnant over Greenland. As seen in melt occurrences from multiple ice core records at Summit reported in the published literature, such a melt event is rare with the last significant one occurring in 1889 and the next previous one around seven centuries earlier in the Medieval Warm Period. Given its rarity, the 2012 extreme melt across Greenland provides an exceptional opportunity for new studies in broad interdisciplinary geophysical research. Key Points Satellites reveal the 2012 extreme melt across most of the Greenland ice sheet In‐situ temperature data and field observations confirm the melt event Extreme melt is rare: last one in 1889, and next previous ~7 centuries earlier
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2012GL053611