Some recent advances in remote sensing-based monitoring of changes in the Greenland Ice Sheet

The mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet(GrIS)plays a crucial role in global sea level change.Since the 1960s,remote sensing missions have been providing extensive and continuous observation data for change monitoring of the GrIS.In this paper,we present our recent research results from remote sensing-based GrIS change monitoring.First,historical satellite data are processed and used to fill data gaps and are combined with existing partial maps,completing an ice velocity map of the GrIS from the 1960s to 1980s.This map provides valuable data for estimating the historical mass balance of Greenland.Second,the monthly gravimetry-based mass balance of the GrIS from 2002 to 2020 is estimated by combining Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment(GRACE)and GRACE Follow On(GRACE-FO)data.It is found that the GrIS has lost a total mass of approximately 4443±75 Gt during this period.Third,based on Global Land Ice Measurements from Space(GLIMS),an updated Greenland glacier inventory is achieved utilizing data collected between 2006 and 2020.This inventory provides more detailed and up-to-data glacier boundaries of Greenland.Overall,these advances provide essential data support for estimating the mass balance of the GrIS,contributing to the advancement of research on global sea level change.

Assessment of Greenland surface melt algorithms based on DMSP and SMOS data

Satellite-borne microwave radiometers provide essential measurements to study the surface melt state of ice sheets. Therefore, selecting suitable microwave radiometer data is critical to characterize the spatial distribution of surface melt. In this study, we investigated the Greenland Ice Sheet and evaluated the usefulness, as climate indicators, of data acquired by microwave radiometers onboard the F17 satellite of the United States of America Defense Meteorological Satellite Program(DMSP) and the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity(SMOS) satellite of the European Space Agency. First, surface melt was simulated using the DMSP dataset as input for a brightness temperature threshold algorithm, the Microwave Emission Model of Layered Snowpacks(MEMLS2), and the SMOS dataset as input for the L-band Specific MEMLS(LS-MEMLS). For accuracy evaluation, the simulation results were then compared with surface melt estimates derived from air temperature measurements at Automatic Weather Stations and from ice surface temperature measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS) satellite-borne instrument. Our results show that global(over Greenland) MEMLS2 simulation performance(overall accuracy 83%) was higher than that of LS-MEMLS(overall accuracy 78%). However, in southeastern Greenland, MEMLS2 omission error was markedly higher than that of LS-MEMLS, whereas LS-MEMLS could detect longer-lasting surface melt than MEMLS2. This analysis showed that DMSP-based surface melt simulations are more accurate than SMOS-based simulations, thereby providing a data selection reference for surface melt studies of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Analysis of the record-breaking August 2021 rainfall over the Greenland Ice Sheet

Rainfall was witnessed for the first time at the highest area of the Greenland Ice Sheet on 14 August,2021.The thermodynamic mechanisms supporting the rainfall are revealed by ERA5 reanalysis,in-situ and satellite data.We find that a strong southward intrusion of the polar vortex favored the maintenance of a deep cyclone over Baffin Island and an amplification of anticyclonic circulation over the southeastern ice sheet,which pumped warm and moist air toward Greenland from anomalously warm waters south of Greenland.Across a wide swath of the ice sheet,atmospheric uplift maintained above-melting and rainfall conditions via condensation and enhanced downward infrared irradiance.Without the low-level liquid clouds,the spatial extent and duration of the rainfall would have been smaller.Over the ice sheet topographic summit,the air temperature from the ground to 250 hPa level was~2℃higher than the previous record set on 12 July,2012.Such events may occur more frequently with the decreased temperature contrast between the Arctic and the mid-latitude regions that drives highly amplified jet streams.Thus,this extreme event serves as a harbinger of a more likely wet surface condition across all elevations of the ice sheet.

Vibrocorer for undisturbed sampling of firn aquifer layers in Greenland: general concept

The firn aquifer beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet may play a significant role in rising sea level. Both traditional mechanical drilling and electric thermal drilling are poorly adapted for effective, low-disturbance sampling in firn aquifers. We propose using a vibrocoring technique for the undisturbed sampling of dry firn and firn aquifer layers. A remote-controlled vibrocorer is designed to obtain 1-m-long cores with a diameter of 100 mm. The depth capacity of the system is approximately 50 m. The total weight of the vibrocoring system with the surface auxiliary equipment is approximately 110 kg, and corer assembly itself weighs ~60 kg.

Persistently explore new understandings of Greenland Ice Sheet ablation

Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are the largest potential contributors to global sea level rise(GSLR),amounting to more than 64 m of sea level equivalence(SLE).Between the two,Greenland Ice Sheet(GrIS)alone comprises about 7 mSLE,with a much faster speed of ablation than the Antarctic Ice Sheet.

Performance of surface radiation products of Greenland Ice Sheet using in-situ measurements

Radiation is the direct energy source of the surface natural environment and the main driving force of climate change.It has increasingly become an important meteorological factor affecting the surface heat exchange and glacier mass balance,especially in the glacier changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet(Gr IS).Due to the harsh climatic conditions of Gr IS and sparse observed data,it has become an important way to obtain radiation data from reanalysis datasets.However,the applicability of these radiation data on Gr IS is uncertain and worth exploring.In this work,we evaluate five reanalysis datasets(the fifth generation of European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts(ERA5),European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Interim Reanalysis(ERA-Interim),Japanese 55-year Reanalysis(JRA55),National Centers for Environmental Prediction Reanalysis II(NCEP2)and Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications,Version 2(MERRA-2))during 1997-2022 using observations from 26 Program for Monitoring the Greenland Ice Sheet(PROMICE)automatic weather stations(AWSs)and 3 K-transect AWSs on Gr IS.The conclusions are as follows:ERA5 has the best performances in downward shortwave radiation(SWD)as well as downward and upward longwave radiation(LWD and LWU),but the performance is not the best in upward shortwave radiation(SWU).Based on the radiation budget analysis with ERA5 during 1979-2022,the fluctuation of longwave radiation is greater than that of shortwave radiation.The seasonal variation of shortwave radiation is obvious,while that of longwave radiation is small.The increasing trend of longwave radiation may result from global warming,in which ice sheets absorb more solar radiation and the surface heats up significantly,emitting more LWU.

Greenland Ice Sheet Contribution to Future Global Sea Level Rise based on CMIP5 Models

Sea level rise （SLR） is one of the major socioeconomic risks associated with global warming. Mass losses from the Greenland ice sheet （GrIS） will be partially responsible for future SLR, although there are large uncertainties in modeled climate and ice sheet behavior. We used the ice sheet model SICOPOLIS （Simulation COde for POLythermal Ice Sheets） driven by climate projections from 20 models in the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project （CMIP5） to estimate the GrlS contribution to global SLR. Based on the outputs of the 20 models, it is estimated that the GrIS will contribute 0-16 （0-27） cm to global SLR by 2100 under the Representative Concentration Pathways （RCP） 4.5 （RCP 8.5） scenarios. The projected SLR increases further to 7-22 （7-33） cm with 2~basal sliding included. In response to the results of the multimodel ensemble mean, the ice sheet model projects a global SLR of 3 cm and 7 cm （10 cm and 13 cm with 2~basal sliding） under the RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios, respectively. In addition, our results suggest that the uncertainty in future sea level projection caused by the large spread in climate projections could be reduced with model-evaluation and the selective use of model outputs.

Accumulation over the Greenland Ice Sheet as Represented in Reanalysis Data

Annual precipitation,evaporation,and calculated accumulation from reanalysis model outputs have been investigated for the Greenland Ice Sheet （GrIS）,based on the common period of 1989-2001.The ERA-40 and ERA-interim reanalysis data showed better agreement with observations than do NCEP-1 and NCEP-2 reanalyses.Further,ERA-interim showed the closest spatial distribution of accumulation to the observation.Concerning temporal variations,ERA-interim showed the best correlation with precipitation observations at five synoptic stations,and the best correlation with in situ measurements of accumulation at nine ice core sites.The mean annual precipitation averaged over the whole GrIS from ERA-interim （363 mm yr 1） and mean annual accumulation （319 mm yr 1） are very close to the observations.The validation of accumulation calculated from reanalysis data against ice-core measurements suggests that further improvements to reanalysis models are needed.

Characterization of the unprecedented polynya events north of Greenland in 2017/2018 using remote sensing and reanalysis data

Based on an ice concentration threshold of 90%,it has been identified that two polynya events occurred in the region north of Greenland during the 2017/2018 ice season.The winter event lasted from February 20 to March 3,2018 and the summer event persisted from August 2 to September 5,2018.The minimum ice concentration derived from Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2(AMSR2)observations was 72%and 65%during the winter and summer events,respectively.The occurrence of both events can be related to strengthened southerly winds associated with an increased east-west zonal surface level air pressure gradient across the north Greenland due to perturbation of mid-troposphere polar vortex.The relatively warm air temperature during the 2017/2018 freezing season in comparison with previous years,together with the occurrence of the winter polynya,formed favourable pre-conditions for ice field fracturing in summer,which promoted the formation of the summer polynya.Diminished southerly winds and increased cover of new ice over the open water were the dominant factors for the disappearance of the winter polynya,whereas increased ice inflow from the north was the primary factor behind the closure of the summer polynya.Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar(SAR)images were found better suited than AMSR2 observations for quantification of a new ice product during the polynya event because the SAR images have high potential for mapping of different sea ice regimes with finely spatial resolution.The unprecedented polynya events north of Greenland in 2017/2018 are important from the perspective of Arctic sea ice loss because they occurred in a region that could potentially be the last“Arctic sea ice refuge”in future summers.

The Relationship between the Wintertime Blocking over Greenland and the Sea Ice Distribution over North Atlantic

The sea-ice concentration in the Northern Hemisphere, 500 hPa height, sea-level pressure and 1000-500 hPa thickness of monthly mean data are examined for the period 1953-1989, with emphasis on the winter season.Relationships between large-scale patterns of atmospheric variability and sea-ice variability are investigated, making use of the correlation method. The analysis is conducted for the Atlantic sectors. In agreement with earlier studies based upon monthly mean data on sea-ice concentration, the strongest sea-ice pattern is composed of a dipole with opposing centers of action in the Davis Straits / Labrador Sea region and the Greenland and Barents Seas. Its temporal variability is strongly coupled to the atmospheric North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). The relationship between the two patterns is strongest with the atmosphere leading the ocean. The polarity of the NAO is associated with Greenland blocking episodes, during which the influence of the atmosphere is strong enough to temporarily halt the climatological mean advance of the ice edge in some regions and substantially accelerate it in others.The relationships between the fields are indicative of local forcing of sea-ice in most regions, with wind stress and thermodynamic fluxes at the air-sea interface both contributing.

Correlation between sea surface temperature and wind speed in Greenland Sea and their relationships with NAO variability

The North Atlantic Oscillation （NAO） is one of the major causes of many recent changes in the Arctic Ocean. Generally, it is related to wind speed, sea surface temperature （SST）, and sea ice cover. In this study, we analyzed the distributions of and correlations between SST, wind speed, NAO, and sea ice cover from 2003 to 2009 in the Greenland Sea at 10°W to 10°E, 65°N to 80°N. SST reached its peak in July, while wind speed reached its minimum in July. Seasonal variability of SST and wind speed was different for different regions. SST and wind speed mainly had negative correlations. Detailed correlation research was focused on the 75~N to 80~N band. Regression analysis shows that in this band, the variation of SST lagged three months behind that of wind speed Ice cover and NAO had a positive correlation, and the correlation coefficient between ice cover and NAO in the year 2007 was 0.61 SST and NAO also had a positive correlation, and SST influenced NAO one month in advance. The correlation coefficients between SST and NAO reached 0.944 for the year 2005, 0.7 for the year 2008, and 0.74 for the year 2009 after shifting SST one month later. NAO also had a positive correlation with wind speed, and it also influenced wind speed one month in advance. The correlation coefficients between NAO and wind speed reached 0.783, 0.813, and 0.818 for the years 2004, 2005, and 2008, respectively, after shifting wind speed one month earlier.

Evaluation of vertical crustal movements and sea level changes around Greenland from GPS and tide gauge observations

To better monitor the vertical crustal movements and sea level changes around Greenland,multiple data sources were used in this paper,including global positioning system(GPS),tide gauge,satellite gravimetry,satellite altimetry,glacial isostatic adjustment(GIA).First,the observations of more than 50 GPS stations from the international GNSS service(IGS)and Greenland network(GNET)in 2007–2018 were processed and the common mode error(CME)was eliminated with using the principal component analysis(PCA).The results show that all GPS stations show an uplift trend and the stations in southern Greenland have a higher vertical speed.Second,by deducting the influence of GIA,the impact of current Gr IS mass changes on GPS stations was analysed,and the GIA-corrected vertical velocity of the GPS is in good agreement with the vertical velocity obtained by gravity recovery and climate experiment(GRACE).Third,the absolute sea level change around Greenland at 4 gauge stations was obtained by combining relative sea level derived from tide gauge observations and crustal uplift rates derived from GPS observations,and was validated by sea level products of satellite altimetry.The results show that although the mass loss of Gr IS can cause considerable global sea level rise,eustatic movements along the coasts of Greenland are quite complex under different mechanisms of sea level changes.

The relationships among aerosol optical depth, ice, phytoplankton and dimethylsulfide and the implication for future climate in the Greenland Sea

The sea-to-air flux of dimethylsulphide（DMS） is one of the major sources of marine biogenic aerosol, and can have an important radiative impact on climate, especially in the Arctic Ocean. Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth（AOD） is used as a proxy for aerosol burden which is dominated by biogenic aerosol during summer and autumn. The spring sea ice melt period is a strong source of aerosol precursors in the Arctic. However, high aerosol levels in early spring are likely related to advection of continental pollution from the south（Arctic haze）.Higher AOD was generally registered in the southern part of the study region. Sea ice concentration（SIC） and AOD were positively correlated, while cloud cover（CLD） and AOD were negative correlation. The seasonal peaks of SIC and CLD were both one month ahead of the peak in AOD. There is a strong positive correlation between AOD and SIC. Melting ice is positively correlated with chlorophyll a（CHL） almost through March to September,but negatively correlated with AOD in spring and early summer. Elevated spring and early summer AOD most likely were influenced by combination of melting ice and higher spring wind in the region. The peak of DMS flux occurred in spring due to the elevated spring wind and more melting ice. DMS concentration and AOD were positively correlated with melting ice from March to May. Elevated AOD in early autumn was likely related to the emission of biogenic aerosols associated with phytoplankton synthesis of DMS. The DMS flux would increase more than triple by 2100 in the Greenland Sea. The significant increase of biogenic aerosols could offset the warming in the Greenland Sea.

Chinese investment in Greenland

In 2009 Greenland moved to a more extensive degree of self-government in relation to the Kingdom of Denmark （the Realm）, and most policy areas related to business activities and investment are now under the control of Greenland. Under the Self-Government Act, Greenland has issued legislation within several business sectors and other business-related policy areas, including the mineral resources sector. Today, Greenland is highly dependent on fishing and fish exports; however, the government is quite ambi-tious in its desire to develop new business sectors and attract foreign investment, including investment from China, especially to develop its mineral resources. China is now the second largest economy in the world, and outbound investments by Chinese companies present unprecedented opportunities for both the Chinese companies and their global partners. However, Chinese outbound investment faces many hurdles, both at home and elsewhere. It is highly advisable for Chinese companies to evaluate the regulatory, political, environmental, labor, and financial conditions and under-stand what remedies may mitigate the risks they identify before investing in Green land. This paper investigates and analyzes the hurdles faced by Chinese investors in both Greenland and the Danish Realm. The paper focuses on but is not limited to investments in the mining industry.

Unprecedented Retreat in a 50-Year Observational Record for Petermann Glacier, North Greenland

Petermann Glacier is a marine-terminating outlet glacier that had a 70 km-long floating ice tongue prior to a ～ 270 km2 calving event that was observed from satellite sensors in August 2010,shortening the ice tongue by ～ 27 km.Further,in July 2012,another 10 km was lost through calving.In order to understand these events in perspective,here the authors perform a long-term data analysis of Petermann Glacier calving-front variability and ice velocity for each year in the 1990s-2000s,supplemented by available observations from the previous three decades.Five major （on the order of 100 krm2） calving events are identified,with ～ 153 km2 calved from 1959 to 1961,～ 168 km2 in 1991,～ 71 km2 in 2001,～ 270 km2 in 2010,and ～ 130 km2 in 2012-as well as ～ 31 k m2 calved in 2008.The increased frequency of major calving events in recent years has left the front terminus position retreated nearly 25 km beyond the range of observed in previous decades.In contrast,stable ice-dynamics are suggested from ice-velocity measurements made each year between 1993-2012,which are on average 1063 m yr-1,with limited interannual variability and no significant trend; moreover,there is no apparent relationship between ice-velocity variability and calving events.The degree to which the massive calving events in 2010 and 2012 represent natural episodic variability or a response to atmospheric and/or oceanic changes remains speculative; however,melt-induced weakening of the floating ice tongue in recent years is strongly suggested.

Greenland Ice Sheet Elevation Change in Winter and Influence of Atmospheric Teleconnections in the Northern Hemisphere

The relationship between the variability of the surface elevation of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GIS) in winter and sea level pressure is identified through analysis of data from satellite-borne radar altimeters, together with meteorological data fields during 1993 2005. We found that both the North Pacific Oscillation (NPO) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the two major teleconnection patterns of the atmospheric surface pressure fields in the Northern Hemisphere, significantly influence the GIS winter elevation change. Further, it is suggested that the NPO may affect the GIS accumulation by influencing the NAO, particularly by changing the intensity and location of the Icelandic Low.

Ground-based GPS Used in the Snow Depth Survey of Greenland

Snow cover is one of the important components of land cover,and it is necessary to accurately monitor the depth and coverage of snow cover.Using the GPS signal receiver data and the basic principle of snow depth detection based on GPS-MR technology,the snow depth of the three sites on the Greenland PBO network GLS1,GLS2,and GLS3 from 2012 to 2018 was obtained.The inversion snow depth is affected by site drift,which is a quite difference from the measured snow depth.Combined with the stable reference point,the velocity field distribution of Greenland Island and the U-direction component change value of the station can be obtained through GAMIT calculation.By analyzing the glacial flow and U-direction component,the influence of the site drift on the snow depth was deducted,and finally compared the corrected inversion snow depth and measured snow depth found that the two were better than before the correction,the results were significantly improved,and the consistency was good.The analysis of the experimental results showed that in extremely cold areas such as Greenland Island,affected by glaciers,the continuous,real-time,high-time resolution snow depth around the measured station obtained by ground-based GPS tracking stations has a large gap with the measured snow depth value,and the gap will gradually increase with time.By deducting the impact of glacier drift,the trend of the two is the same and the consistency is good.The correctness and feasibility of the application of ground-based GPS snow cover theory in the polar area further expand the application scope and practical value of ground-based GPS in snow monitoring.

Competition within the marine microalgae over the polar dark period in the Greenland Sea of high Arctic

With the onset of winter, polar marine microalgae would have faced total darkness for aperiod of up to 6 months. A natural autumn community of Arctic sea ice microalgae was collected for dark survival experiments from the Greenland Sea during the ARKTIS-XI/2 Expedition of RV Po-larstem in October 1995. After a dark period of 161 days, species dominance in the algal assemblage have changed from initially pennate diatoms to small phytoflagellates (<20 μm). Over the entire dark period, the mean algal growth rate was - 0.01 d-1. Nearly all diatom species had negative growth rates, while phytoflagellate abundance increased. Resting spore formation during the dark period was observed in less than 4.5% of all cells and only for dinoflagellates and the diatom Chaetoceros spp. We assume that facultative heterotrophy and energy storage are the main processes enabling survival during the dark Arctic winter. After an increase in light intensity, microalgal cells reacted with fast growth within days. Phytoflagellates had the highest growth rate, followed by Nitzschia frigida. Further investigations and experiments should focus on the mechanisms of dark survival (mixotrophy and energy storage) of polar marine microalgae.

Hepatitis B among Inuit: A review with focus on Greenland Inuit

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is a disease with a highly variable course. Chronic HBV infection may cause end-stage liver disease including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which is the 3rd most common cause of cancer related death due to the poor prognosis. The prevalence of HBV infection is low in many countries. Still, it remains important due to the potential consequences of the disease. HBV is endemic in the Arctic with serologic markers of chronic HBV infection in up to 29% of the population in some areas in Greenland. Interestingly, Inuit populations rarely show signs of liver disease despite the fact that around half of all Inuit has been exposed to HBV and around 8% of Inuit are chronically infected with HBV. These findings have been consistent in surveys conducted for more than four decades among Arctic Inuit. We thus review HBV infection in the Arctic with focus on Greenland Inuit and compared with Inuit in Canada, Alaska and Siberia. The aspects described include epidemiology and monitoring of the disease, as well as treatment and the risk of liver cancer.

Greenland Ice Sheet surface melt:A review

Surface melt has great impacts on the Greenland Ice Sheet （GrlS） mass balance and thereby has become the focus of significant GrlS research in recent years. The production, transport, and release processes of surface meltwater are the keys to understanding the poten- tial impacts of the GrlS surface melt. These hydrological processes can elucidate the following scientific questions： How much melt- water is produced atop the GrlS？ What are the characteristics of the meltwater-formed supraglacial hydrological system？ How does the meltwater influence the GrlS motion？ The GrlS supraglacial hydrology has a number of key roles and yet continues to be poorly understood or documented. This paper summarizes the current understanding of the GrlS surface melt, emphasizing the three essential supraglacial hydrological processes： （1） meltwater production： surface melt modeling is an important approach to acquire surface melt information, and areas, depths, and volumes of supraglacial lakes extracted from remotely sensed imagery can also provide surface melt information; （2） meltwater transport： the spatial distributions of supraglacial lakes, supraglacial sarams, moulins, and crevasses demonstrate the characteristics of the supraglacial hydrological system, revealing the meltwater transport process; and （3） meltwater release： the release of meltwater into the englacial and the subglacial ice sheet has important but undetermined impacts on the GrlS motion. The correlation between surface runoff and the GrlS motion speed is employed to understand these influences.