Using Vertically Integrated Ocean Fields to Characterize Greenland Icebergs' Distribution and Lifetime

Abstract

Icebergs represent approximately half of Greenland's yearly mass loss, having important implications for biological productivity, freshwater fluxes in the ocean, and navigation. This study applies an iceberg model that uses integrated ocean fields (from surface to iceberg keel) to simulate the drift and decay of Greenland icebergs. This version of iceberg model (VERT) is compared with a more widely adopted version (SURF) which only uses surface ocean fields in its equations. We show that icebergs in VERT tend to drift along the shelf break, while in SURF they concentrate along the coastline. Additionally, we show that Greenland's southeast coast is the source of ∼60% of the icebergs that cross the interior of the Labrador Sea—a region that stages buoyancy-driven convection and is, therefore, sensitive to freshwater input.