Melting Of Ice Sheets Research Articles

A carbon budget for the Amundsen Sea Polynya, Antarctica: Estimating net community production and export in a highly productive polar ecosystem

Abstract Polynyas, or recurring areas of seasonally open water surrounded by sea ice, are foci for energy and material transfer between the atmosphere and the polar ocean. They are also climate sensitive, with both sea ice extent and glacial melt influencing their productivity. The Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) is the greenest polynya in the Southern Ocean, with summertime chlorophyll a concentrations exceeding 20 µg L−1. During the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) in austral summer 2010–11, we aimed to determine the fate of this high algal productivity. We collected water column profiles for total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrients, particulate and dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll a, mesozooplankton, and microbial biomass to make a carbon budget for this ecosystem. We also measured primary and secondary production, community respiration rates, vertical particle flux and fecal pellet production and grazing. With observations arranged along a gradient of increasing integrated dissolved inorganic nitrogen drawdown (ΔDIN; 0.027–0.74 mol N m−2), changes in DIC in the upper water column (ranging from 0.2 to 4.7 mol C m−2) and gas exchange (0–1.7 mol C m−2) were combined to estimate early season net community production (sNCP; 0.2–5.9 mol C m−2) and then compared to organic matter inventories to estimate export. From a phytoplankton bloom dominated by Phaeocystis antarctica, a high fraction (up to ∼60%) of sNCP was exported to sub-euphotic depths. Microbial respiration remineralized much of this export in the mid waters. Comparisons to short-term (2–3 days) drifting traps and a year-long moored sediment trap capturing the downward flux confirmed that a relatively high fraction (3–6%) of the export from ∼100 m made it through the mid waters to depth. We discuss the climate-sensitive nature of these carbon fluxes, in light of the changing sea ice cover and melting ice sheets in the region.

Measurements and modelling of snow particle size and shortwave infrared albedo over a melting Antarctic ice sheet

Abstract. The albedo of a snowpack depends on the single-scattering properties of individual snow crystals, which have a variety of shapes and sizes, and are often bounded in clusters. From the point of view of optical modelling, it is essential to identify the geometric dimensions of the population of snow particles that synthesize the scattering properties of the snowpack surface. This involves challenges related to the complexity of modelling the radiative transfer in such an irregular medium, and to the difficulty of measuring microphysical snow properties. In this paper, we illustrate a method to measure the size distribution of a snow particle parameter, which roughly corresponds to the smallest snow particle dimension, from two-dimensional macro photos of snow particles taken in Antarctica at the surface layer of a melting ice sheet. We demonstrate that this snow particle metric corresponds well to the optically equivalent effective radius utilized in radiative transfer modelling, in particular when snow particles are modelled with the droxtal shape. The surface albedo modelled on the basis of the measured snow particle metric showed an excellent match with the observed albedo when there was fresh or drifted snow at the surface. In the other cases, a good match was present only for wavelengths longer than 1.4 μm. For shorter wavelengths, our modelled albedo generally overestimated the observations, in particular when surface hoar and faceted polycrystals were present at the surface and surface roughness was increased by millimetre-scale cavities generated during melting. Our results indicate that more than just one particle metric distribution is needed to characterize the snow scattering properties at all optical wavelengths, and suggest an impact of millimetre-scale surface roughness on the shortwave infrared albedo.

Biological response to climate change in the Arctic Ocean: the view from the past

The Arctic Ocean is undergoing rapid climatic changes including higher ocean temperatures, reduced sea ice, glacier and Greenland Ice Sheet melting, greater marine productivity, and altered carbon cycling. Until recently, the relationship between climate and Arctic biological systems was poorly known, but this has changed substantially as advances in paleoclimatology, micropaleontology, vertebrate paleontology, and molecular genetics show that Arctic ecosystem history reflects global and regional climatic changes over all timescales and climate states (103–107 years). Arctic climatic extremes include 25 °C hyperthermal periods during the Paleocene-Eocene (56–46 million years ago, Ma), Quaternary glacial periods when thick ice shelves and sea ice cover rendered the Arctic Ocean nearly uninhabitable, seasonally sea-ice-free interglacials and abrupt climate reversals. Climate-driven biological impacts included large changes in species diversity, primary productivity, species’ geographic range shifts into and out of the Arctic, community restructuring, and possible hybridization, but evidence is not sufficient to determine whether or when major episodes of extinction occurred.

The relative contribution of orbital forcing and greenhouse gases to the North American deglaciation

AbstractUnderstanding what drove Northern Hemisphere ice sheet melt during the last deglaciation (21–7 ka) can help constrain how sensitive contemporary ice sheets are to greenhouse gas (GHGs) changes. The roles of orbital forcing and GHGs in the deglaciation have previously been modeled but not yet quantified. Here for the first time we calculate the relative effect of these forcings on the North American deglaciation by driving a dynamical ice sheet model (GLIMMER‐CISM) with a set of unaccelerated transient deglacial simulations with a full primitive equation‐based ocean‐atmosphere general circulation model (FAMOUS). We find that by 9 ka, orbital forcing has caused 50% of the deglaciation, GHG 30%, and the interaction between the two 20%. Orbital forcing starts affecting the ice volume at 19 ka, 2000 years before CO2 starts increasing in our experiments, a delay which partly controls their relative effect.

Fennoscandian freshwater control on Greenland hydroclimate shifts at the onset of the Younger Dryas.

Sources and timing of freshwater forcing relative to hydroclimate shifts recorded in Greenland ice cores at the onset of Younger Dryas, ∼12,800 years ago, remain speculative. Here we show that progressive Fennoscandian Ice Sheet (FIS) melting 13,100–12,880 years ago generates a hydroclimate dipole with drier–colder conditions in Northern Europe and wetter–warmer conditions in Greenland. FIS melting culminates 12,880 years ago synchronously with the start of Greenland Stadial 1 and a large-scale hydroclimate transition lasting ∼180 years. Transient climate model simulations forced with FIS freshwater reproduce the initial hydroclimate dipole through sea-ice feedbacks in the Nordic Seas. The transition is attributed to the export of excess sea ice to the subpolar North Atlantic and a subsequent southward shift of the westerly winds. We suggest that North Atlantic hydroclimate sensitivity to FIS freshwater can explain the pace and sign of shifts recorded in Greenland at the climate transition into the Younger Dryas.

Holocene North Atlantic Overturning in an atmosphere‐ocean‐sea ice model compared to proxy‐based reconstructions

AbstractClimate and ocean circulation in the North Atlantic region changed over the course of the Holocene, partly because of disintegrating ice sheets and partly because of an orbital‐induced insolation trend. In the Nordic Seas, this impact was accompanied by a rather small, but significant, amount of Greenland ice sheet melting. We have employed the EMIC LOVECLIM and compared our model simulations with proxy‐based reconstructions of δ13C, sortable silt, and magnetic susceptibility (κ) used to infer changes in past ocean circulation over the last 9000 years. The various reconstructions exhibit different long‐term evolutions suggesting changes in either the overturning of the Atlantic in total or of subcomponents of the ocean circulation, such as the overflow waters across the Greenland‐Scotland ridge. Thus, the question arises whether these reconstructions are consistent with each other or not. A comparison with model results indicates that δ13C, employed as an indicator of overturning, agrees well with the long‐term evolution of the modeled Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). The model results suggest that different long‐term trends in subcomponents of the AMOC, such as Iceland‐Scotland overflow water, are consistent with proxy‐based reconstructions and allow some of the reconstructions to be reconciled with the modeled and reconstructed (from δ13C) AMOC evolution. We find a weak early Holocene AMOC, which recovers by 7 kyr B.P. and shows a weak increasing trend of 88 ± 1 mSv/kyr toward present, with relatively low variability on centennial to millennial timescales.

Climate science: The long future of Antarctic melting.

Simulations show that melting of the Antarctic ice sheet in response to climate change could raise the global sea level by up to 3 metres by the year 2300 and continue for thousands of years thereafter.

How to melt the Antarctic Ice Sheet

Climate Science Computer simulations suggest that it is possible to entirely eliminate the Antarctic Ice Sheet, Earth's largest reservoir of fresh water. Winkelmann et al. explored the fate of the Antarctic Ice Sheet over 10,000 years into the future, showing that global warming related to massive carbon emissions would not only lead to complete melting of the ice sheet, but a global sea-level rise of more than 50 m. The global demand for energy derived from fossil fuels, if left unchecked, is likely to have devastating impacts on coastal populations and polar ecosystems. Sci. Adv. 10.1126/sciadv.1500589 (2015).

Satellites provide the big picture.

INSIGHTS Mountain range formation p. 687 Rethinking vascular therapy for cancer p. 694 ▶ PERSPECTIVES WATER Downloaded from www.sciencemag.org on September 14, 2015 Watching water: From sky or stream? Monitoring and management of freshwater resources has long depended upon on-the-ground measurements. Satellite remote sensing has brought new complementing capabilities. In this final of three debates, Science invited arguments about the appropriate roles for, and balance between, each approach. By J. S. Famiglietti, 1, 2, 3 * A. Cazenave, 4, 5 A. Eicker , 6 J. T. Reager, 1 M. Rodell , 7 I. Velicogna 1 ,2 Satellite observations have revolutionized our understanding of hydrology, water availability, and global change, while catalyzing modern advances in weather, flood, drought, and fire prediction in ways that would not have occurred with relatively sparse POLICY ground-based measurements alone. Earth-observing satellites provide the necessary “big-picture” spatial coverage, as well as the regional-to-global understanding essential for improving predictive models and informing policy-makers, re- source managers, and the general public. Sustained investments in a robust satellite hydrology program have enabled a plethora of discoveries, along with modernization of water management, that have increased the human, economic, and water security of many nations. We now recognize distinct human- and climate-driven fingerprints on the water landscape that are dramatically changing the distribution of freshwater on Earth ( 1). Improved understanding and heightened societal aware- ness of the global extent of sea-level rise ( 2), ice sheet and glacial melt ( 3), changing rainfall patterns ( 4), declining snow cover ( 5), groundwater depletion ( 6), and the changing extremes of flooding ( 7) and drought ( 8) simply would not have occurred without satel- lite observations. As we look ahead, ongoing and near-future missions will soon provide routine global monitoring of the stocks of soil moisture ( 9), surface water ( 10), and total water storage ( 11)—which will im- prove estimates of groundwater storage changes ( 12)—and of the fluxes of precipitation ( 4) and evapotranspiration ( 13). Taken to- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA. Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. 3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA. 4 Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales–Laboratoire d’Etudes Geophysique et Oceanographique Spatiales (CNES/ LEGOS), Toulouse, France. 5 International Space Science Institute, Bern, Switzerland. 6 Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation, University of Bonn, Germany. 7 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA. *Corresponding author. E-mail: james.famiglietti@jpl.nasa.gov. sciencemag.org SCIENCE 14 AUGUST 2015 • VOL 349 ISSUE 6249 Published by AAAS ILLUSTRATION: DAVIDE BONAZZI Satellites provide the big picture

Digital landscapes of deglaciation: identifying Late Quaternary glacial lake outburst floods using LiDAR

AbstractHigh resolution DEMs obtained from LiDAR topographic data have led to improved landform inventories (e.g. landslides and fault scarps) and understanding of geomorphic event frequency. Here we use airborne LiDAR mapping to investigate meltwater pathways associated with the Tweed Valley palaeo ice‐stream (UK). In particular we focus on a gorge downstream of Palaeolake Milfield, previously mapped as a sub‐glacial meltwater channel, where the identification of abandoned headcut channels, run‐up bars, rock‐cut terrace surfaces and eddy flow features attest to formation by a sub‐aerial glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) caused by breaching of a sediment dam, likely an esker ridge. Mapping of these landforms combined with analysis of the gorge rim elevations and cross‐section variability revealed a two phase event with another breach site downstream following flow blockage by higher elevation drumlin topography. We estimate the magnitude of peak flow to be 1–3 × 103 m3/s, duration of the event to range from 16–155 days, and a specific sediment yield of 107–109 m3/km2/yr. We identified other outburst pathways in the lower Tweed basin that help delineate an ice margin position of the retreating Tweed Valley ice stream. The results suggest that low magnitude outburst floods are under‐represented in Quaternary geomorphological maps. We therefore recommend regional LiDAR mapping of meltwater pathways to identify other GLOFs in order to better quantify the pattern of freshwater and sediment fluxes from melting ice sheets to oceans. Despite the relatively low magnitude of the Till outburst event, it had a significant impact on the landscape development of the lower Tweed Valley through the creation of a new tributary pathway and triggering of rapid knickpoint retreat encouraging new regional models of post‐glacial fluvial landscape response. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sea surface temperature variation during the last deglaciation in the southern Okinawa Trough: Modulation of high latitude teleconnections and the Kuroshio Current

Three paleotemperature records (foraminiferal Mg/Ca, TEX86 and UK′37) were generated for the past 17.3ka in the southern Okinawa Trough (OT) using a sediment core (OKT-3) taken at a water depth of 1792m. Temperature estimates based on the inorganic and organic indices for the OKT-3 core top sample approximated modern sea surface temperature (SST) and extended to the mixed layer (<50m) in warmer seasons. Reconstructed SSTs from OKT-3 gradually increased towards the top of the core with lower values occurring during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) and the Younger Dryas (YD). These values coincided with the glacial–interglacial cycles established by the Globigerinoides ruber δ18O curve. Notably, SSTs decreased during the BØlling-AllerØd (B-A) but warming occurred before and after the B-A, from approximately 16 to 14ka and 12.5 to 10ka. The SST cooling during the B-A corresponded to the timing of the Antarctic Cold Reversal (ACR), which is thought to be connected with melt water pulse 1a (MWP1a). The cooling was also concurrent with the spread of millennial-scale cold signals to the OT during the HS1 and YD periods, when widespread melt and collapse of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets occurred along with reduced Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and a southward shift of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). The last deglaciation, which began approximately 16–15ka BP in the OT, might mark the time when the Kuroshio Current (KC) began to strengthen.

Changes in Mean Relative Sea Level around Canada in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries

Trends in regional mean sea levels can be substantially different from the global mean trend. Here, we first use tide-gauge data and satellite altimetry measurements to examine trends in mean relative sea level (MRSL) for the coasts of Canada over approximately the past 50–100 years. We then combine model output and satellite observations to provide sea level projections for the twenty-first century. The MRSL trend based on historical tide-gauge data shows large regional variations, from 3 mm y−1 (higher than the global mean MRSL rise rate of 1.7 mm y−1 for 1900–2009) along the southeast Atlantic coast, close to or below the global mean along the Pacific and Arctic coasts, to –9 mm y−1 in Hudson Bay, as indicated by the vertical land motion. The combination of altimeter-measured sea level change with Global Positioning System (GPS) data approximately accounts for tide-gauge measurements at most stations for the 1993–2011 period. The projected MRSL change between 1980 and 1999 and between 2090 and 2099 under a medium-high climate change emission scenario (A2) ranges from −50 cm in northeastern Canada to 75 cm in southeastern Canada. Along the coast of the Beaufort Sea, the MRSL rise is as high as 70 cm. The MRSL change along the Pacific coast varies from −15 to 50 cm. The ocean steric and dynamical effects contribute to the rise in MRSL along Canadian coasts and are dominant on the southeast coast. Land-ice (glaciers and ice sheets) melt contributes 10–20 cm to the rise in MRSL, except in northeastern Canada. The effect of the vertical land uplift is large and centred near Hudson Bay, significantly reducing the rise in MRSL. The land-ice melt also causes a decrease in MRSL in northeastern Canada. The projected MRSL change under a high emission scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5) has a spatial pattern similar to that under A2, with a slightly greater rise in MRSL of 7 cm, on average, and some notable differences at specific sites.

Greenland ice sheet melt area from MODIS (2000–2014)

The Greenland ice sheet is an excellent observatory for global climate change. Meltwater from the 1.8 million km2 large ice sheet influences oceanic temperature and salinity, nutrient fluxes and global sea level (IPCC 2013). Surface reflectivity is a key driver of surface melt rates (Box et al. 2012). Mapping of different ice-sheet surface types provides a clear indicator of where changes in ice-sheet surface reflectivity are most prominent. Here, we present an updated version of a surface classification algorithm that utilises NASA’s Moderate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Terra satellite to systematically monitor ice-sheet surface melt (Fausto et al. 2007). Our aim is to determine the areal extent of three surface types over the 2000–2014 period: glacier ice, melting snow (including percolation areas) and dry snow (Cuffey &amp; Paterson 2010). Monthly 1 km2 resolution surface-type grids can be downloaded via the CryoClim internet portal (www.cryoclim.net). In this report, we briefly describe the updated classification algorithm, validation of surface types and inter-annual variability in surface types.

High geothermal heat flux measured below the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

The geothermal heat flux is a critical thermal boundary condition that influences the melting, flow, and mass balance of ice sheets, but measurements of this parameter are difficult to make in ice-covered regions. We report the first direct measurement of geothermal heat flux into the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS), below Subglacial Lake Whillans, determined from the thermal gradient and the thermal conductivity of sediment under the lake. The heat flux at this site is 285 ± 80 mW/m(2), significantly higher than the continental and regional averages estimated for this site using regional geophysical and glaciological models. Independent temperature measurements in the ice indicate an upward heat flux through the WAIS of 105 ± 13 mW/m(2). The difference between these heat flux values could contribute to basal melting and/or be advected from Subglacial Lake Whillans by flowing water. The high geothermal heat flux may help to explain why ice streams and subglacial lakes are so abundant and dynamic in this region.

Intraplate seismicity in northern Central Europe is induced by the last glaciation

There is growing evidence that climate-induced melting of large ice sheets has been able to trigger fault reactivation and earthquakes around the migrating ice limit. Even today, the stress due to glacial isostatic adjustment can continue to induce seismicity within the once-glaciated region. Northern Central Europe lies outside the former ice margin and is regarded as a low-seismicity area. However, several historic earthquakes with intensities of up to VII occurred in this region during the past 1200 years. Here we show with numerical simulations that the seismicity can potentially be explained by the decay of the Scandinavian ice sheet after the Weichselian glaciation. Combination of historic earthquake epicenters with fault maps relates historic seismicity to major reverse faults of Late Cretaceous age. Mesozoic normal faults remained inactive in historic times. We suggest that many faults in northern Central Europe are active during postglacial times. This is a novelty that sheds new light on the distribution of postglacial faulting and seismicity. In addition, we present the first consistent model that can explain both the occurrence of deglaciation seismicity and the historic earthquakes in northern Central Europe.

The isotopic composition of the Laurentide Ice Sheet and fossil groundwater

AbstractStable isotopes have been used to study large‐scale changes in hydrology during the Pleistocene epoch. Many of these efforts have required an estimate of the δ18O value of runoff generated by melting ice sheets. There is no consensus on representative values. Here we examine δ18O values from fossil groundwater samples and isotope‐enabled general circulation models (GCMs) to better understand the isotopic composition of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS). Groundwater δ18O values ranged from −12.5 to −25.3‰ and tended to increase southward. The δ18O precipitation values predicted by GCMs follow a similar trend but increase more steeply southward. The difference in groundwater and GCM output can be explained by invoking movement of glacial ice and meltwater, along with mixing within groundwater systems. Most groundwater δ18O values are higher than an average LIS δ18O value of −25.4 ± 2.5‰ calculated based on estimated ice sheet volumes and sea level data.

Potential positive feedback between Greenland Ice Sheet melt and Baffin Bay heat content on the west Greenland shelf

AbstractGreenland ice sheet meltwater runoff has been increasing in recent decades, especially in the southwest and the northeast. To determine the impact of this accelerating meltwater flux on Baffin Bay, we examine eight numerical experiments using an ocean‐sea ice model: Nucleus for European Modelling of the Ocean. Enhanced runoff causes shoreward increasing sea surface height and strengthens the stratification in Baffin Bay. The changes in sea surface height reduces the southward transport through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and strengthens the gyre circulation within Baffin Bay. The latter leads to further freshening of surface waters as it produces a larger northward surface freshwater transport across Davis Strait. Increasing the meltwater runoff leads to a warming and shallowing of the west Greenland Irminger water on the northwest Greenland shelf. These warmer waters can now more easily enter fjords on the Greenland coast and thus provide additional heat to accelerate the melting of marine‐terminating glaciers.

Bipolar seesaw control on last interglacial sea level.

Our current understanding of ocean-atmosphere-cryosphere interactions at ice-age terminations relies largely on assessments of the most recent (last) glacial-interglacial transition, Termination I (T-I). But the extent to which T-I is representative of previous terminations remains unclear. Testing the consistency of termination processes requires comparison of time series of critical climate parameters with detailed absolute and relative age control. However, such age control has been lacking for even the penultimate glacial termination (T-II), which culminated in a sea-level highstand during the last interglacial period that was several metres above present. Here we show that Heinrich Stadial 11 (HS11), a prominent North Atlantic cold episode, occurred between 135 ± 1 and 130 ± 2 thousand years ago and was linked with rapid sea-level rise during T-II. Our conclusions are based on new and existing data for T-II and the last interglacial that we collate onto a single, radiometrically constrained chronology. The HS11 cold episode punctuated T-II and coincided directly with a major deglacial meltwater pulse, which predominantly entered the North Atlantic Ocean and accounted for about 70 per cent of the glacial-interglacial sea-level rise. We conclude that, possibly in response to stronger insolation and CO2 forcing earlier in T-II, the relationship between climate and ice-volume changes differed fundamentally from that of T-I. In T-I, the major sea-level rise clearly post-dates Heinrich Stadial 1. We also find that HS11 coincided with sustained Antarctic warming, probably through a bipolar seesaw temperature response, and propose that this heat gain at high southern latitudes promoted Antarctic ice-sheet melting that fuelled the last interglacial sea-level peak.

Climate science: timing is everything during deglaciations.

Links between various climate records for the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea have helped to identify a potential mechanism that enhanced sea-level rise during the last interglacial time interval. See Letter p.197 A central goal of palaeoclimate research is that of deciphering the mechanisms responsible for major state shifts in the Earth system, such as between glacial and interglacial conditions. This has proven difficult enough even for the last glacial termination (T-I), much less termination II (T-II), which ended glacial conditions about 130,000 years ago. Gianluca Marino et al. use new and existing data to demonstrate a link, within uncertainties, between Heinrich Stadial 11 (HS11) — a prominent Northern Hemisphere cold event — and the timing of peak sea level rise during T-II. A strong Southern Hemisphere warming also occurred during HS11, consistent with the idea of a bipolar seesaw that would probably have promoted Antarctic ice sheet melting. In contrast, rapid sea level rise in T-1 clearly postdated Heinrich Stadial 1. Possibly in response to differing CO2 and insolation conditions during T-I and T-II, fundamentally different mechanisms seem to be at work in triggering glacial terminations.

The sensitivity of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation to enhanced freshwater discharge along the entire, eastern and western coast of Greenland

The possible responses of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to increased freshwater discharge along the Greenland coast has become an issue of growing concern given the increasing rate of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) melting. A recent model study suggested a weakened AMOC of about 13–30 % when a freshwater anomaly of 0.1 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s−1) was released along the entire Greenland coast during the late twentieth century (1965–2000). In this study we use a fully coupled climate model to examine the sensitivity of AMOC to a similar amount of freshwater forcing, but released separately along the eastern, the western and the entire Greenland coast. Our results show that in all three cases there is a general weakening of the AMOC mainly due to a reduced formation of Labrador Sea Water. Moreover, when additional freshwater is released along the eastern coast of Greenland, the AMOC weakens more compared to the other two cases. The different degree of convective mixing reduction in the Irminger Sea is the main reason for the spread in AMOC responses in the three freshwater-hosing experiments. Compared to the other two experiments, the eastern-coast experiment shows a relative warming in the Labrador Sea and the generation of a negative Greenland tip jet-like wind-pattern anomaly. These anomalies lead to a weaker convective mixing in the southern Irminger Sea, and result subsequently in less formation of the simulated Upper Labrador Sea Water (ULSW) in the eastern coast experiment. This study therefore highlights a potential important role for ULSW formation in determining the sensitivity of the AMOC in response to large GrIS melting.