HR: 0800h
AN: C11A-0083    [Abstracts]
TI: A new Programme for Monitoring the Mass Loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet
AU: * Ahlstrøm, A P
EM: apa@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: van As, D
EM: dva@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: Citterio, M
EM: mcit@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: Andersen, S B
EM: siba@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: Fausto, R S
EM: rsf@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: Fausto, R S
EM: rsf@geus.dk
AF: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Copenhagen, DK- 2100, Denmark
AU: Andersen, M L
EM: mola@geus.dk
AF: Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, Copenhagen, DK-1350, Denmark
AU: Andersen, M L
EM: mola@geus.dk
AF: Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Juliane Maries Vej 30, Copenhagen, DK- 2100, Denmark
AU: Forsberg, R
EM: rf@space.dtu.dk
AF: Danish National Space Center, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Bldg. 348, Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
AU: Stenseng, L
EM: stenseng@space.dtu.dk
AF: Danish National Space Center, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Bldg. 348, Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
AU: Christensen, E L
EM: elc@space.dtu.dk
AF: Danish National Space Center, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Bldg. 348, Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
AU: Kristensen, S S
EM: ssk@space.dtu.dk
AF: Danish National Space Center, Technical University of Denmark, Ørsteds Plads, Bldg. 348, Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
AB: Recent years has seen a dramatic increase in the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet, as documented from satellite remote sensing, airborne surveys and in situ measurements. In recognition of these changes, the Danish Ministry of the Environment has now launched the new Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE), designed and operated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). The programme aims at estimating the annual mass loss from surface melting as well as from iceberg calving, combining modeling with in situ data collection. During the programme initiation phase from 2007-2010, seven transects, each with two automatic mass-balance stations, will be established in the ablation zone of the Greenland ice sheet. The final station network, intended to operate from 2011 and onwards, will complement the Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) of the US and the Dutch K-transect, so that ice sheet surface melting and its climatic causes can be monitored in all geographical regions of the Greenland ice sheet. An airborne survey crossing the entire marginal zone of the Greenland ice sheet was carried out in August 2007, measuring ice sheet elevation with a scanning laser altimeter and ice sheet thickness with a 60 MHz radar. The intention is to repeat this survey every 2-3 years, first in 2010, to monitor temporal changes in ice sheet elevation. The comprehensive ice-sheet cross section be combined with ice-sheet surface velocities derived from radar- satellite to yield the ice flux and thus eventually the mass loss by ice sheet calving. The programme will also deliver glacier and ice sheet outlines to the Global Land Ice Measurements from Space (GLIMS) project, with the long term aim of compiling a complete inventory of Greenland glaciers and ice caps as well as the ice sheet margin. Here we present the status after the first season, with six automatic mass-balance stations established in four transects, the first airborne survey completed and a Greenland glacier inventory in its making.
DE: 0720 Glaciers
DE: 0726 Ice sheets
DE: 0758 Remote sensing
DE: 0762 Mass balance (1218, 1223)
DE: 0794 Instruments and techniques
SC: Cryosphere [C]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting