Accelerating ice loss from peripheral glaciers in North Greenland

Abstract

The Arctic is warming more rapidly than the rest of the world. This warming has had an especially profound impact on Greenland’s ice cover. Only 4% of Greenland’s ice cover are small peripheral glaciers that are distinct from the ice sheet proper. Despite comprising this relatively small area, these small peripheral gIaciers are responsible for 11% of the ice loss associated with Greenland’s recent sea-level rise contribution. Using the satellite laser platforms ICESat and ICESat-2, we estimate that ice loss from these Greenland glaciers increased from 27±6 Gt/yr (2003–2009) to 42±6 Gt/yr (2018–2021). We find that the largest acceleration in ice loss is in North Greenland, where we observe ice loss to increase by a factor of four between 2003 and 2021. In some areas, it appears that recent increases in snowfall at high altitudes have partially counteracted recent increases in melt at low altitudes. While many recent Greenland ice loss assessments have focused on only the ice sheet, the recent sharp increase in ice loss from small peripheral glaciers highlights the importance of accurately monitoring Greenland’s small peripheral glaciers. These small peripheral glaciers appear poised to play an outsized role in Greenland ice loss for decades to come.