Meltwater Penetration Through Temperate Ice Layers in the Percolation Zone at DYE‐2, Greenland Ice Sheet

Abstract

AbstractMeltwater retention in the firn layer of the Greenland Ice Sheet has the potential to buffer sea level rise due to ice sheet melt. The capacity of the firn layer to store meltwater is unclear, however, because refrozen ice layers can act as impermeable barriers to meltwater percolation, promoting runoff rather than retention. We present time domain reflectometry and thermistor data, which demonstrate that meltwater successfully penetrates ice layers up to 12 cm thick in the near‐surface firn at DYE‐2, Greenland. Our observations indicate that ice layers within polar firn can be permeable when summer warming and latent heat release from meltwater refreezing raise firn temperatures to the melting point. The extent and depth of refreezing, as determined by the coupled thermodynamic and hydrological evolution in the firn, are more important than the presence of ice layers in governing meltwater infiltration and retention at our study site.