Braakmann-Folgmann, A, Shepherd, A orcid.org/0000-0002-4914-1299, Gerrish, L et al. (2 more authors) (2022) Observing the disintegration of the A68A iceberg from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 270. 112855. ISSN 0034-4257
Abstract
Icebergs impact the physical and biological properties of the ocean where they drift, depending on the degree of melting. We use satellite imagery and altimetry to quantify the area, thickness, and volume change of the massive A68A iceberg from its calving off the Larsen-C Ice Shelf in July 2017 until January 2021, when it disintegrated. A68A thinned from 235 ± 9 to 168 ± 10 m, on average, and lost 802 ± 34 Gt of ice in 3.5 years, 254 ± 17 Gt of which was through basal melting (a lower bound for the immediate fresh water input into the ocean). Basal melting peaked at 7.2 ± 2.3 m/month in the Northern Scotia Sea and an estimated 152 ± 61 Gt of freshwater was released off South Georgia, potentially altering the local ocean properties, plankton occurrence and conditions for predators.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2022 The Authors. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Tabular icebergs; Basal melting; Satellite altimetry; ICESat-2; CryoSat-2; Freshwater flux; Mass loss; South Georgia; A68 |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Inst for Climate & Atmos Science (ICAS) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 18 Oct 2022 14:42 |
Last Modified: | 18 Oct 2022 14:42 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.rse.2021.112855 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:191727 |