The Cryosphere

An increase in crevasse extent, West Greenland: Hydrologic implications

  1. William Colgan1,
  2. Konrad Steffen1,
  3. W. Scott McLamb1,
  4. Waleed Abdalati1,
  5. Harihar Rajaram2,
  6. Roman Motyka3,
  7. Thomas Phillips4,
  8. Robert Anderson5

Article first published online: 16 SEP 2011

DOI: 10.1029/2011GL048491

Issue

Geophysical Research Letters

Geophysical Research Letters

Volume 38, Issue 18, September 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Colgan, W., K. Steffen, W. S. McLamb, W. Abdalati, H. Rajaram, R. Motyka, T. Phillips, and R. Anderson (2011), An increase in crevasse extent, West Greenland: Hydrologic implications, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L18502, doi:10.1029/2011GL048491.

Author Information

  1. 1

    Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  2. 2

    Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  3. 3

    Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA

  4. 4

    Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA

  5. 5

    Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 16 SEP 2011
  2. Article first published online: 16 SEP 2011
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 19 AUG 2011
  4. Manuscript Revised: 11 AUG 2011
  5. Manuscript Received: 10 JUN 2011

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Keywords:

  • Greenland;
  • crevasses;
  • mass balance;
  • velocity

[1] We compare high-resolution 1985 and 2009 imagery to assess changes in crevasse extent in the Sermeq Avannarleq ablation zone, West Greenland. The area occupied by crevasses >2 m wide significantly increased (13 ± 4%) over the 24-year period. This increase consists of an expansion of existing crevasse fields, and is accompanied by widespread changes in crevasse orientation (up to 45°). We suggest that a combination of ice sheet thinning and steepening are responsible for the increase in crevasse extent. We examine the potential impact of this change on the hydrology of the ice sheet. We provide a first-order demonstration that moulin-type drainage is more efficient in transferring meltwater fluctuations to the subglacial system than crevasse-type drainage. As enhanced basal sliding is associated with meltwater “pulses”, an increase in crevasse extent can therefore be expected to result in a net decrease in basal sliding sensitivity. An increase in crevasse extent may also accelerate cryo-hydrologic warming and enhance surface ablation.

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