Glaciology Commons^™

Outlet Glacier Dynamics In East Greenland And East Antarctica, Leigh Asher Stearns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ice mass from the interior of Greenland and Antarctica is transported to the ocean by numerous large, fast-flowing outlet glaciers. Changes in the flow configuration of these outlet glaciers modulate ice sheet mass balance and sea level. Several recent studies have highlighted rapid increases in glacier speed in both Greenland and Antarctica, implying that the near-term contribution to sea level from ice sheets is under-estimated by current models. Here, the mass balance and force budget of several large outlet glaciers in East Greenland and East Antarctica are investigated using remote-sensing and field-based measurements. Recent estimates show that Greenland’s contribution to …