Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica

Miles, B.W.J.; Stokes, C.R.; Vieli, A.; Cox, N.J.

Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica Thumbnail


Authors

B.W.J. Miles

A. Vieli



Abstract

Observations of ocean-terminating outlet glaciers in Greenland and West Antarctica1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 indicate that their contribution to sea level is accelerating as a result of increased velocity, thinning and retreat7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Thinning has also been reported along the margin of the much larger East Antarctic ice sheet1, but whether glaciers are advancing or retreating there is largely unknown, and there has been no attempt to place such changes in the context of localized mass loss7, 9 or climatic or oceanic forcing. Here we present multidecadal trends in the terminus position of 175 ocean-terminating outlet glaciers along 5,400 kilometres of the margin of the East Antarctic ice sheet, and reveal widespread and synchronous changes. Despite large fluctuations between glaciers—linked to their size—three epochal patterns emerged: 63 per cent of glaciers retreated from 1974 to 1990, 72 per cent advanced from 1990 to 2000, and 58 per cent advanced from 2000 to 2010. These trends were most pronounced along the warmer western South Pacific coast, whereas glaciers along the cooler Ross Sea coast experienced no significant changes. We find that glacier change along the Pacific coast is consistent with a rapid and coherent response to air temperature and sea-ice trends, linked through the dominant mode of atmospheric variability (the Southern Annular Mode). We conclude that parts of the world’s largest ice sheet may be more vulnerable to external forcing than recognized previously.

Citation

Miles, B., Stokes, C., Vieli, A., & Cox, N. (2013). Rapid, climate-driven changes in outlet glaciers on the Pacific coast of East Antarctica. Nature, 500(7464), 563-566. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2013-08
Deposit Date Jun 21, 2013
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Nature
Print ISSN 0028-0836
Electronic ISSN 1476-4687
Publisher Nature Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 500
Issue 7464
Pages 563-566
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12382
Keywords Cryospheric science, Climate change.

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations