BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Are rapid ice losses in Greenland caused by atmosphere or ocean? -
  Poul Christoffersen (Scott Polar Research Insitute)
DTSTART:20140226T163000Z
DTEND:20140226T173000Z
UID:TALK50128@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Poul Christoffersen
DESCRIPTION:Studies of mass balance show that the Greenland Ice Sheet is l
 osing mass at a growing rate\, and that that the contribution to sea level
  rise could reach 1 mm per year within a decade. Part of this loss is caus
 ed by increased surface melting\, which is widespread\, but limited to the
  ice sheet's ablation zone. The other part is caused by faster rates of ic
 e flow\, a localised mechanism linked to glaciers terminating in fjords\, 
 but with potential far-reaching consequences for the flow of the entire ic
 e sheet. The key question\, which has yet to be fully resolved\, is whethe
 r these two mechanisms are coupled in a positive feedback. This talk will 
 present outcomes from a 3D higher-order ice sheet model\, with soft bed an
 d hydrology included in novel new parameterizations. The results demonstra
 te that a resilient characteristic of ice flow\, corresponding to recent o
 bservations\, may be linked to the storage of surface melt-water in subgla
 cial sediment.  This stable mechanism may\, however\, vanish as climate wa
 rms and be limited to regions where the ice sheet terminates on land.
LOCATION:Scott Polar Research Institute\, main lecture theatre
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR