Subglacial Drainage Evolution Modulates Seasonal Ice Flow Variability of Three Tidewater Glaciers in Southwest Greenland

Abstract

Surface-derived meltwater can access the bed of the Greenland ice sheet, causing seasonal velocity variations. The magnitude, timing, and net impact on annual average ice flow of these seasonal perturbations depend on the hydraulic efficiency of the subglacial drainage system. We examine the relationships between drainage system efficiency and ice velocity, at three contrasting tidewater glaciers in southwest Greenland during 2014–2019, using high-resolution remotely sensed ice velocities, modeled surface melting, subglacial discharge at the terminus, and results from buoyant plume modeling. All glaciers underwent a seasonal speed-up, which usually coincided with surface melt onset, and subsequent slow-down, which usually followed inferred subglacial channelization. The amplitude and timing of these speed variations differed between glaciers, with the speed-up being larger and more prolonged at our fastest study glacier. At all glaciers, however, the seasonal variations in ice flow are consistent with inferred changes in hydraulic efficiency of the subglacial drainage system and qualitatively indicative of a flow regime in which annually averaged ice velocity is relatively insensitive to interannual variations in meltwater supply—so-called “ice flow self-regulation.” These findings suggest that subglacial channel formation may exert a strong control on seasonal ice flow variations, even at fast-flowing tidewater glaciers.