Changes in the marine-terminating glaciers of central east Greenland and potential connections to ocean circulation, 2000–2010

Outlet glaciers on the periphery of the Greenland Ice Sheet have undergone substantial changes in the past decade. Limited geophysical observations of the marine-terminating glaciers of eastern Greenland's Geikie Plateau and Blosseville Coast suggest rapid rates of mass loss and short-term variability in ice dynamics since 2002. Glaciers in this region terminate into the Denmark Strait, which is a thermodynamic transition zone between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans spanning from 66° N to 69° N. We examine time series of thinning, retreat and flow speed of 38 marine-terminating glaciers along the central east Greenland coast from 2000 to 2010 and compare this record with coastal sea surface temperatures to investigate a potential relationship between warming of the sea surface and increased melt at the glacier termini. We find that glacial retreat, thinning and acceleration have been more pronounced throughout the Denmark Strait, supporting our hypothesis that ocean warming associated with shifts in the Irminger and East Greenland currents are causing increased melt at the ice-ocean interface.