Articles | Volume 14, issue 8
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3573-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-3573-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| 
10 Aug 2022
Data description article |
| 10 Aug 2022
| 10 Aug 2022
Elevation change of the Antarctic Ice Sheet: 1985 to 2020
Johan Nilsson
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, 91109, United States
Alex S. Gardner
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, 91109, United States
Fernando S. Paolo
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology,
Pasadena, 91109, United States
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Integrating data from multiple satellite altimetry missions, we analyzed Greenland’s peripheral glaciers and Ice Sheet (GrIS) from 1992–2023. Our methodology ensures consistent, reliable elevation change data, now publicly available via NASA's ITS_LIVE project. The GrIS lost an average of -160 ± 17 Gt a-1 and peripheral glaciers -23 ± 5 Gt a-1 from 1992–2023. The study highlights the importance of continued monitoring to understand climate change impacts on Earth's Cryosphere.
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Satellite altimeters only sample surface heights at scattered points. We developed a method to turn these measurements into maps of glacier height change while also estimating how reliable the results are. Applying this approach to glaciers in Svalbard and Antarctica shows strong ice loss and clearly captures short-lived events such as glacier surges. Our results improve the ability to monitor glacier change in difficult terrain and help better assess future contributions to sea level rise.
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We compare surface elevation changes of the Antarctic Ice Sheet interior as derived from satellite radar altimetry and laser altimetry between 2019 and 2024. Both methods indicate an increase in surface elevation across most of the study area, coinciding with an episode of excess snow accumulation as modelled. However, rates of surface elevation increase from radar altimetry are systematically lower than those from laser altimetry.
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By measuring changes in the volume, gravitational attraction, and ice flow of Greenland and Antarctica from space, we can monitor their mass gain and loss over time. Here, we present a new record of the Earth’s polar ice sheet mass balance produced by aggregating 50 satellite-based estimates of ice sheet mass change. This new assessment shows that the ice sheets have lost (7.5 x 1012) t of ice between 1992 and 2020, contributing 21 mm to sea level rise.
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Integrating data from multiple satellite altimetry missions, we analyzed Greenland’s peripheral glaciers and Ice Sheet (GrIS) from 1992–2023. Our methodology ensures consistent, reliable elevation change data, now publicly available via NASA's ITS_LIVE project. The GrIS lost an average of -160 ± 17 Gt a-1 and peripheral glaciers -23 ± 5 Gt a-1 from 1992–2023. The study highlights the importance of continued monitoring to understand climate change impacts on Earth's Cryosphere.
Thorsten Seehaus, Alex S. Gardner, and Johan Nilsson
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6417, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6417, 2026
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Satellite altimeters only sample surface heights at scattered points. We developed a method to turn these measurements into maps of glacier height change while also estimating how reliable the results are. Applying this approach to glaciers in Svalbard and Antarctica shows strong ice loss and clearly captures short-lived events such as glacier surges. Our results improve the ability to monitor glacier change in difficult terrain and help better assess future contributions to sea level rise.
Maria T. Kappelsberger, Johan Nilsson, Martin Horwath, Veit Helm, and Alex S. Gardner
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We compare surface elevation changes of the Antarctic Ice Sheet interior as derived from satellite radar altimetry and laser altimetry between 2019 and 2024. Both methods indicate an increase in surface elevation across most of the study area, coinciding with an episode of excess snow accumulation as modelled. However, rates of surface elevation increase from radar altimetry are systematically lower than those from laser altimetry.
Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Joseph H. Kennedy, Mark A. Fahnestock, Maria Liukis, Luis A. López, Yang Lei, Ted A. Scambos, and Amaury Dehecq
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Fernando S. Paolo, Alex S. Gardner, Chad A. Greene, Johan Nilsson, Michael P. Schodlok, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, and Helen A. Fricker
The Cryosphere, 17, 3409–3433, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3409-2023, 2023
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We report on a slowdown in the rate of thinning and melting of West Antarctic ice shelves. We present a comprehensive assessment of the Antarctic ice shelves, where we analyze at a continental scale the changes in thickness, flow, and basal melt over the past 26 years. We also present a novel method to estimate ice shelf change from satellite altimetry and a time-dependent data set of ice shelf thickness and basal melt rates at an unprecedented resolution.
Alex S. Gardner, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, and Eric Larour
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 2277–2302, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2277-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2277-2023, 2023
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This is the first description of the open-source Glacier Energy and Mass Balance (GEMB) model. GEMB models the ice sheet and glacier surface–atmospheric energy and mass exchange, as well as the firn state. The model is evaluated against the current state of the art and in situ observations and is shown to perform well.
Inès N. Otosaka, Andrew Shepherd, Erik R. Ivins, Nicole-Jeanne Schlegel, Charles Amory, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Martin Horwath, Ian Joughin, Michalea D. King, Gerhard Krinner, Sophie Nowicki, Anthony J. Payne, Eric Rignot, Ted Scambos, Karen M. Simon, Benjamin E. Smith, Louise S. Sørensen, Isabella Velicogna, Pippa L. Whitehouse, Geruo A, Cécile Agosta, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Alejandro Blazquez, William Colgan, Marcus E. Engdahl, Xavier Fettweis, Rene Forsberg, Hubert Gallée, Alex Gardner, Lin Gilbert, Noel Gourmelen, Andreas Groh, Brian C. Gunter, Christopher Harig, Veit Helm, Shfaqat Abbas Khan, Christoph Kittel, Hannes Konrad, Peter L. Langen, Benoit S. Lecavalier, Chia-Chun Liang, Bryant D. Loomis, Malcolm McMillan, Daniele Melini, Sebastian H. Mernild, Ruth Mottram, Jeremie Mouginot, Johan Nilsson, Brice Noël, Mark E. Pattle, William R. Peltier, Nadege Pie, Mònica Roca, Ingo Sasgen, Himanshu V. Save, Ki-Weon Seo, Bernd Scheuchl, Ernst J. O. Schrama, Ludwig Schröder, Sebastian B. Simonsen, Thomas Slater, Giorgio Spada, Tyler C. Sutterley, Bramha Dutt Vishwakarma, Jan Melchior van Wessem, David Wiese, Wouter van der Wal, and Bert Wouters
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By measuring changes in the volume, gravitational attraction, and ice flow of Greenland and Antarctica from space, we can monitor their mass gain and loss over time. Here, we present a new record of the Earth’s polar ice sheet mass balance produced by aggregating 50 satellite-based estimates of ice sheet mass change. This new assessment shows that the ice sheets have lost (7.5 x 1012) t of ice between 1992 and 2020, contributing 21 mm to sea level rise.
Yang Lei, Alex S. Gardner, and Piyush Agram
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Sophie Goliber, Taryn Black, Ginny Catania, James M. Lea, Helene Olsen, Daniel Cheng, Suzanne Bevan, Anders Bjørk, Charlie Bunce, Stephen Brough, J. Rachel Carr, Tom Cowton, Alex Gardner, Dominik Fahrner, Emily Hill, Ian Joughin, Niels J. Korsgaard, Adrian Luckman, Twila Moon, Tavi Murray, Andrew Sole, Michael Wood, and Enze Zhang
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Terminus traces have been used to understand how Greenland's glaciers have changed over time; however, manual digitization is time-intensive, and a lack of coordination leads to duplication of efforts. We have compiled a dataset of over 39 000 terminus traces for 278 glaciers for scientific and machine learning applications. We also provide an overview of an updated version of the Google Earth Engine Digitization Tool (GEEDiT), which has been developed specifically for the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Chloe A. Whicker, Mark G. Flanner, Cheng Dang, Charles S. Zender, Joseph M. Cook, and Alex S. Gardner
The Cryosphere, 16, 1197–1220, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1197-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-1197-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Snow and ice surfaces are important to the global climate. Current climate models use measurements to determine the reflectivity of ice. This model uses physical properties to determine the reflectivity of snow, ice, and darkly pigmented impurities that reside within the snow and ice. Therefore, the modeled reflectivity is more accurate for snow/ice columns under varying climate conditions. This model paves the way for improvements in the portrayal of snow and ice within global climate models.
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Short summary
The longest observational record available to study the mass balance of the Earth’s ice sheets comes from satellite altimeters. This record consists of multiple satellite missions with different measurements and quality, and it must be cross-calibrated and integrated into a consistent record for scientific use. Here, we present a novel approach for generating such a record providing a seamless record of elevation change for the Antarctic Ice Sheet that spans the period 1985 to 2020.
The longest observational record available to study the mass balance of the Earth’s ice sheets...
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