Exceptional 20^th century glaciological regime of a major SE Greenland outlet glacier.

ABSTRACT: The early 2000s accelerated ice-mass loss from large outlet glaciers in W and SE Greenland has been linked to warming of the subpolar North Atlantic. To investigate the uniqueness of this event, we extend the record of glacier and ocean changes back 1700 years by analyzing a sediment core from Sermilik Fjord near Helheim Glacier in SE Greenland. We show that multidecadal to centennial increases in alkenone-inferred Atlantic Water SSTs on the shelf occurred at times of reduced solar activity during the Little Ice Age, when the subpolar gyre weakened and shifted westward promoted by atmospheric blocking events. Helheim Glacier responded to many of these episodes with increased calving, but despite earlier multidecadal warming episodes matching the 20^th century high SSTs in magnitu

SUBMITTER: Andresen CS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5648833 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature