Winter subglacial meltwater detected in a Greenland fjord

Abstract

The interaction between glacier fronts and ocean waters is one of the key uncertainties for projecting future ice mass loss. Direct observations at glacier fronts are sparse, but studies indicate that the magnitude and timing of freshwater fluxes are crucial in determining fjord circulation, ice frontal melt and ecosystem habitability. In particular, wintertime dynamics are severely understudied due to inaccessible conditions, leading to a bias towards summer observations. Here we present in situ observations of temperature and salinity acquired in late winter in Greenland at the front of a marine-terminating glacier and in surrounding fjords. Our observations indicate the existence of an anomalously fresh pool of water by the glacier front, suggesting that meltwater generated at the bed of the glacier discharges during winter. The results suggest that warm Atlantic water and nutrients are entrained at the glacier front, leading to enhanced frontal melt and increased nutrient levels. Our findings have implications for understanding the heat exchange between glacier fronts and ocean waters, glacier frontal melt rates, ocean mixing and currents, and biological productivity.