Heat sources for glacial melt in a sub-Arctic fjord (Godthåbsfjord) in contact with the Greenland Ice Sheet

TLDR

Warming Subpolar Mode Water off Greenland is linked to accelerated mass loss from Greenland's tidal outlet glaciers. The study analyzes water masses, dynamics, and hydrographic variability in Godthåbsfjord to understand glacier‑melt interactions. Seasonal observations show an intermediate baroclinic circulation driven by tidal currents, winter inflows of cold or warm dense water, and four distinct circulation modes that can all contribute to glacial melt. Summer warming and freshening of the intermediate layer adds heat equivalent to melting ~2.1 km³ of ice, comparable to ~8 km³ annual discharge from the Kangiata Nunâta Sermia calving front, and only a minor fraction of ice is exported from the fjord.

Abstract

[1] Recent warming of Subpolar Mode Water off Greenland has been suggested to accelerate the mass loss from tidal outlet glaciers of the Greenland Ice Sheet. We present a comprehensive analysis of water masses, dynamics, and interannual hydrographic variability in Godthåbsfjord, a sill fjord in contact with tidal outlet glaciers on the west coast of Greenland. Through seasonal observations we recognize an intermediate baroclinic circulation mode driven by tidal currents and an associated important local heat source for the fjord. During summer this results in significant warming and freshening of the intermediate layer of the main fjord, and the increase in heat content is equivalent to melting of ∼2.1 km3 of glacial ice. This is comparable to ∼8 km3 glacial ice discharge estimated from the Kangiata Nunâta Sermia calving front per year. During winter the external heat source in the West Greenland Current enters the fjord as intermittent inflows of either cold (<2°C) or warm (>2°C) dense water in pulses of 1 to 3 months duration. Four distinct circulation modes are observed in the fjord, of which all can contribute to glacial ice melt. An important aspect of the ice distribution in the fjord is that only a minor fraction is exported out of the fjord.