Surface mass balance contributions to acceleration of Antarctic ice mass loss during 2003-2013

Ki Weon Seo, Clark R. Wilson, Ted Scambos, Baek Min Kim, Duane E. Waliser, Baijun Tian, Byeong Hoon Kim, Jooyoung Eom

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent observations from satellite gravimetry (the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission) suggest an acceleration of ice mass loss from the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS). The contribution of surface mass balance changes (due to variable precipitation) is compared with GRACE-derived mass loss acceleration by assessing the estimated contribution of snow mass from meteorological reanalysis data. We find that over much of the continent, the acceleration can be explained by precipitation anomalies. However, on the Antarctic Peninsula and other parts of West Antarctica, mass changes are not explained by precipitation and are likely associated with ice discharge rate increases. The total apparent GRACE acceleration over all of the AIS between 2003 and 2013 is -13.6 ± 7.2 Gt/yr2. Of this total, we find that the surface mass balance component is -8.2 ± 2.0 Gt/yr2. However, the GRACE estimate appears to contain errors arising from the atmospheric pressure fields used to remove air mass effects. The estimated acceleration error from this effect is about 9.8 ± 5.8 Gt/yr2. Correcting for this yields an ice discharge acceleration of -15.1 ± 6.5

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3617-3627
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth
Volume120
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 May 2015

Keywords

  • Antarctica
  • GRACE
  • ice mass balance

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