COSEE Ocean Systems: News
Extensive liquid meltwater storage in firn within the Greenland ice sheet
Description: Firn-partially compacted snow from previous years-potentially has the capacity to store significant amounts of melt water in liquid or frozen form, and thus delay its contribution to sea level rise. Here scientists present direct observations of liquid water within firn in the southern Greenland ice sheet. They find a substantial amount of water in this firn aquifer that persists throughout the winter, when snow accumulation and melt rates are high. This represents a previously unknown storage mode for water within the ice sheet. [Source: Nature Geoscience]
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2043
Availability: Summary
Source: Nature Geoscience
Publish Date: 12/22/2013
Reading Level: Expert
Page Length:  

<< BACK