PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm; Dirk van As; John Peter Merryman; Michele Citterio; René Forsberg; Steen Savtrup Kristensen; Signe Bech Andersen; Jørgen Dall; Lars Stenseng; Dorthe Petersen; Erik Lintz Christensen; Robert Schjøtt Fausto

doi:10.22008/gpub/28433

PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet

Andreas Peter Ahlstrøm, Dirk van As, John Peter Merryman, Michele Citterio, René Forsberg, Steen Savtrup Kristensen, Signe Bech Andersen, Jørgen Dall, Lars Stenseng, Dorthe Petersen, Erik Lintz Christensen, Robert Schjøtt Fausto

Department of Glaciology and Climate

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Abstract in proceedings

Abstract

The Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass at an increasing rate during recent years, raising political concern worldwide due to the possible impact on global sea level rise and long-term climate dynamics. The Arctic region as a whole is warming up considerably faster than the global mean; it is necessary to quantify these climatic changes in order to assess the potential consequences and to provide the decision-makers with a firm knowledge base. To cover this need, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy has launched the Pro-gramme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) in 2007, designed and op-erated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in collaboration with the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark and the Greenland Survey (ASIAQ). The aim of the programme is to quantify the annual mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and track changes in the extent of the glaciers, ice caps and ice sheet margin in Greenland.

The two main mechanisms responsible for the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet are surface melting and iceberg calving. To quantify mass loss by melting, a network of auto-matic mass-balance stations is being deployed in the low-lying, melting part of the ice sheet, covering every distinct regional climatic zone around Greenland. Each station meas-ures the climate factors causing melt as well as the subsequent local mass loss. In the past two years ten stations have been deployed by PROMICE, filling the gaps between the more than 20 additional Danish, US and Dutch stations already in place on the Greenland ice sheet and independent glaciers. Two more stations are scheduled to be deployed in sum-mer 2009, followed by two more in 2010 completing the geographical coverage. Once in place, the observations will feed into a melt model to calculate surface melt – and changes/trends on a year-to-year timescale – over the entire ice sheet. The measurements will also provide a direct way to check the performance of climate models over Greenland, potentially improving accuracy of future-climate scenarios. Currently, live observations are transmitted to serve as input for weather predictions, as well as to inform people of the Greenland climate worldwide.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers
Subtitle of host publication	Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology
Editors	A.P. Ahlstrøm, M. Sharp
Publisher	GEUS
Pages	16-18
Number of pages	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.22008/gpub/28433
Publication status	Published - 2010
Event	IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, Workshop and GLACIODYN meeting - Kananaskis, Canada Duration: 16 Feb 2009 → 19 Feb 2009

Publication series

Series	Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport
Number	127
Volume	2010

Conference

Conference	IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, Workshop and GLACIODYN meeting
Country/Territory	Canada
City	Kananaskis
Period	16/02/09 → 19/02/09

Programme Area

Programme Area 5: Nature and Climate

Access to Document

10.22008/gpub/28433Licence: Unspecified

Cite this

Ahlstrøm, A. P., van As, D., Merryman, J. P., Citterio, M., Forsberg, R., Kristensen, S. S., Andersen, S. B., Dall, J., Stenseng, L., Petersen, D., Christensen, E. L., & Fausto, R. S. (2010). PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In A. P. Ahlstrøm, & M. Sharp (Eds.), The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers: Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology (pp. 16-18). GEUS. https://doi.org/10.22008/gpub/28433

Ahlstrøm, Andreas Peter ; van As, Dirk ; Merryman, John Peter et al. / PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers: Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology. editor / A.P. Ahlstrøm ; M. Sharp. GEUS, 2010. pp. 16-18 (Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport; No. 127, Vol. 2010).

@inbook{fcf48c6f80b94ead8cbbb912dbd18ae8,

title = "PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet",

abstract = "The Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass at an increasing rate during recent years, raising political concern worldwide due to the possible impact on global sea level rise and long-term climate dynamics. The Arctic region as a whole is warming up considerably faster than the global mean; it is necessary to quantify these climatic changes in order to assess the potential consequences and to provide the decision-makers with a firm knowledge base. To cover this need, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy has launched the Pro-gramme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) in 2007, designed and op-erated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in collaboration with the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark and the Greenland Survey (ASIAQ). The aim of the programme is to quantify the annual mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and track changes in the extent of the glaciers, ice caps and ice sheet margin in Greenland. The two main mechanisms responsible for the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet are surface melting and iceberg calving. To quantify mass loss by melting, a network of auto-matic mass-balance stations is being deployed in the low-lying, melting part of the ice sheet, covering every distinct regional climatic zone around Greenland. Each station meas-ures the climate factors causing melt as well as the subsequent local mass loss. In the past two years ten stations have been deployed by PROMICE, filling the gaps between the more than 20 additional Danish, US and Dutch stations already in place on the Greenland ice sheet and independent glaciers. Two more stations are scheduled to be deployed in sum-mer 2009, followed by two more in 2010 completing the geographical coverage. Once in place, the observations will feed into a melt model to calculate surface melt – and changes/trends on a year-to-year timescale – over the entire ice sheet. The measurements will also provide a direct way to check the performance of climate models over Greenland, potentially improving accuracy of future-climate scenarios. Currently, live observations are transmitted to serve as input for weather predictions, as well as to inform people of the Greenland climate worldwide. ",

author = "Ahlstr{\o}m, {Andreas Peter} and {van As}, Dirk and Merryman, {John Peter} and Michele Citterio and Ren{\'e} Forsberg and Kristensen, {Steen Savtrup} and Andersen, {Signe Bech} and J{\o}rgen Dall and Lars Stenseng and Dorthe Petersen and Christensen, {Erik Lintz} and Fausto, {Robert Schj{\o}tt}",

year = "2010",

doi = "10.22008/gpub/28433",

language = "English",

series = "Danmarks og Gr{\o}nlands Geologiske Unders{\o}gelse Rapport",

publisher = "GEUS",

number = "127",

pages = "16--18",

editor = "A.P. Ahlstr{\o}m and M. Sharp",

booktitle = "The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers",

note = "IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, Workshop and GLACIODYN meeting ; Conference date: 16-02-2009 Through 19-02-2009",

}

Ahlstrøm, AP, van As, D, Merryman, JP, Citterio, M, Forsberg, R, Kristensen, SS, Andersen, SB, Dall, J, Stenseng, L, Petersen, D, Christensen, EL & Fausto, RS 2010, PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. in AP Ahlstrøm & M Sharp (eds), The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers: Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology. GEUS, Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport, no. 127, vol. 2010, pp. 16-18, IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, Workshop and GLACIODYN meeting, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, 16/02/09. https://doi.org/10.22008/gpub/28433

PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. / Ahlstrøm, Andreas Peter; van As, Dirk; Merryman, John Peter et al.
The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers: Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology. ed. / A.P. Ahlstrøm; M. Sharp. GEUS, 2010. p. 16-18 (Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport; No. 127, Vol. 2010).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Abstract in proceedings

TY - CHAP

T1 - PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet

AU - Ahlstrøm, Andreas Peter

AU - van As, Dirk

AU - Merryman, John Peter

AU - Citterio, Michele

AU - Forsberg, René

AU - Kristensen, Steen Savtrup

AU - Andersen, Signe Bech

AU - Dall, Jørgen

AU - Stenseng, Lars

AU - Petersen, Dorthe

AU - Christensen, Erik Lintz

AU - Fausto, Robert Schjøtt

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - The Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass at an increasing rate during recent years, raising political concern worldwide due to the possible impact on global sea level rise and long-term climate dynamics. The Arctic region as a whole is warming up considerably faster than the global mean; it is necessary to quantify these climatic changes in order to assess the potential consequences and to provide the decision-makers with a firm knowledge base. To cover this need, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy has launched the Pro-gramme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) in 2007, designed and op-erated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in collaboration with the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark and the Greenland Survey (ASIAQ). The aim of the programme is to quantify the annual mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and track changes in the extent of the glaciers, ice caps and ice sheet margin in Greenland. The two main mechanisms responsible for the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet are surface melting and iceberg calving. To quantify mass loss by melting, a network of auto-matic mass-balance stations is being deployed in the low-lying, melting part of the ice sheet, covering every distinct regional climatic zone around Greenland. Each station meas-ures the climate factors causing melt as well as the subsequent local mass loss. In the past two years ten stations have been deployed by PROMICE, filling the gaps between the more than 20 additional Danish, US and Dutch stations already in place on the Greenland ice sheet and independent glaciers. Two more stations are scheduled to be deployed in sum-mer 2009, followed by two more in 2010 completing the geographical coverage. Once in place, the observations will feed into a melt model to calculate surface melt – and changes/trends on a year-to-year timescale – over the entire ice sheet. The measurements will also provide a direct way to check the performance of climate models over Greenland, potentially improving accuracy of future-climate scenarios. Currently, live observations are transmitted to serve as input for weather predictions, as well as to inform people of the Greenland climate worldwide.

AB - The Greenland ice sheet has been losing mass at an increasing rate during recent years, raising political concern worldwide due to the possible impact on global sea level rise and long-term climate dynamics. The Arctic region as a whole is warming up considerably faster than the global mean; it is necessary to quantify these climatic changes in order to assess the potential consequences and to provide the decision-makers with a firm knowledge base. To cover this need, the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy has launched the Pro-gramme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) in 2007, designed and op-erated by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) in collaboration with the National Space Institute at the Technical University of Denmark and the Greenland Survey (ASIAQ). The aim of the programme is to quantify the annual mass loss of the Greenland ice sheet and track changes in the extent of the glaciers, ice caps and ice sheet margin in Greenland. The two main mechanisms responsible for the mass loss from the Greenland ice sheet are surface melting and iceberg calving. To quantify mass loss by melting, a network of auto-matic mass-balance stations is being deployed in the low-lying, melting part of the ice sheet, covering every distinct regional climatic zone around Greenland. Each station meas-ures the climate factors causing melt as well as the subsequent local mass loss. In the past two years ten stations have been deployed by PROMICE, filling the gaps between the more than 20 additional Danish, US and Dutch stations already in place on the Greenland ice sheet and independent glaciers. Two more stations are scheduled to be deployed in sum-mer 2009, followed by two more in 2010 completing the geographical coverage. Once in place, the observations will feed into a melt model to calculate surface melt – and changes/trends on a year-to-year timescale – over the entire ice sheet. The measurements will also provide a direct way to check the performance of climate models over Greenland, potentially improving accuracy of future-climate scenarios. Currently, live observations are transmitted to serve as input for weather predictions, as well as to inform people of the Greenland climate worldwide.

U2 - 10.22008/gpub/28433

DO - 10.22008/gpub/28433

M3 - Abstract in proceedings

T3 - Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport

SP - 16

EP - 18

BT - The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers

A2 - Ahlstrøm, A.P.

A2 - Sharp, M.

PB - GEUS

T2 - IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology, Workshop and GLACIODYN meeting

Y2 - 16 February 2009 through 19 February 2009

ER -

Ahlstrøm AP, van As D, Merryman JP, Citterio M, Forsberg R, Kristensen SS et al. PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet. In Ahlstrøm AP, Sharp M, editors, The Dynamics and Mass Budget of Arctic Glaciers: Extended abstracts Workshop and GLACIODYN (IPY) meeting, 16 -19 February 2009, Kananaskis (Canada). IASC Network on Arctic Glaciology. GEUS. 2010. p. 16-18. (Danmarks og Grønlands Geologiske Undersøgelse Rapport; No. 127, Vol. 2010). doi: 10.22008/gpub/28433

PROMICE - Monitoring the mass loss of the Greenland Ice Sheet

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