The Cryosphere

Rapid retreat and acceleration of Helheim Glacier, east Greenland

  1. I. M. Howat1,
  2. I. Joughin2,
  3. S. Tulaczyk1,
  4. S. Gogineni3

Article first published online: 22 NOV 2005

DOI: 10.1029/2005GL024737

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Additional Information

How to Cite

Howat, I. M., I. Joughin, S. Tulaczyk, and S. Gogineni (2005), Rapid retreat and acceleration of Helheim Glacier, east Greenland, Geophys. Res. Lett., 32, L22502, doi:10.1029/2005GL024737.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA

  2. 2

    Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

  3. 3

    Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 NOV 2005
  2. Article first published online: 22 NOV 2005
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 OCT 2005
  4. Manuscript Revised: 14 OCT 2005
  5. Manuscript Received: 22 SEP 2005

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[1] A significant amount of the measured coastal thinning of the Greenland ice sheet may be due to recent acceleration of outlet glaciers. Using remote sensing, we measured two major periods of speedup on Helheim Glacier between 2000 and 2005 that increased peak speeds from approximately 8 to 11 km/yr. These speedups coincided with rapid retreats of the calving front, totaling over 7.5 km. The glacier also thinned by over 40 m from 2001 to 2003. Retreat of the ice front appears to decrease resistance to flow and concentrates the gravitational driving force over a smaller area. Farther up-glacier, acceleration may be a delayed response to surface draw-down and steepening of the glacier's main trunk. If the 2005 speedup also produces strong thinning, then much of the glacier's main trunk may un-ground, leading to further retreat.

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