The behaviour of mountain glaciers on decadal time scales is a useful indicator for assessing climate change. Although less monitored and studied than the ice sheet, local glaciers and ice caps along the coast of Greenland are substantial contributors to meltwater runoff and sea level rise. This study analyses the cumulative area, ice mass and Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) change that occurred on 4100 glaciers and ice caps in West Greenland from 1985 to approximately 2020, using remotely sensed data and including glaciers smaller than 1 km2 in the calculations. The glaciers involved in the study decreased in area by 1774 ± 229 km2 which corresponds to almost −15%. Their surface elevation decreased on average by 20.6 ± 3.9 m, corresponding to a rate of −0.5 ± 0.1 m w.e. a−1. The ELA shows a median regional rise of 150 m with marked local variability and higher median rise in the northern part of the study area. Strong regional gradients in ELA of individual glaciers are found, both towards the ice sheet and in areas where local orography affects precipitation. The observed high spatial variability of changes suggests that more monitoring on sub-regional level is needed.

A surge of Mittie Glacier, a 50 km-long tidewater outlet glacier of Manson Icefield, occurred between approximately 1992 and 2007. Velocities increased slowly at first, but then increased rapidly to reach a peak of 4800 m a−1 in early 1996, the highest ever reported for a glacier in the Canadian Arctic. The surge initiated at the terminus and propagated up-glacier, with a maximum terminus advance of 7.3 km between 1994 and 1999. The surge was almost entirely restricted to the lower ~30 km of the glacier, in a region which radio-echo sounding shows to be grounded below sea level. A 3 km-wide crevasse with a 150 m opening occurred at the separation between faster moving ice downstream and slower moving ice upstream. Surge initiation appears to have been triggered by flotation of the lower terminus, caused by long-term thinning of this region during quiescence.

This paper presents geomorphological and historical records of the surge-type behaviour of Hansbreen, one of the most studied tidewater glaciers in Svalbard. The surge-type behaviour of the glacier has not been considered before due to the lack of evidence of this phenomenon. We integrate geomorphological mapping of the terrestrial and submarine forefields with historical data from the 19th and 20th centuries to reconstruct the glacier dynamics and identify the possible timing of surging. Landform assemblages are representative of the surging glacier landsystem, including crevasse-squeeze ridges (CSRs) and submarine streamlined glacial lineations. Abundant CSRs in the outer part of the terrestrial forefield were also documented in the 1980s, but most have been obliterated since then. We suggest the identified surge landsystem was produced during a surge of Hansbreen detected from photographs taken during the Austro-Hungarian expedition in 1872. Historical photogrammetric photos from the Norwegian expedition in 1918 revealed surge-diagnostic features in the glacier surface, including a folded medial moraine and a dense, complex network of crevasses. A potential next surge remains questionable in the following decades due to the low-lying accumulation area of the main stream hindering the mass build-up, but potential surges of the tributary glaciers should not be excluded.

We estimate sea-ice type specific incidence angle (IA) dependencies for dual polarized (HH/HV) L and C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for the winter, melt onset and advanced melt seasons for level and deformed ice, using time-series of Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) and Sentinel-1 imagery off the north-east coast of Greenland. The IA dependencies are used to radiometrically correct the L and C-band backscatter time-series, which enables analysis of their seasonal evolution. From this, we observe that the L-band backscatter intensity increases for both ice types at the transition from winter to melt onset. We use these results to estimate ice type separability and to train an IA aware Bayesian classifier at both frequencies. These results show that while both frequencies are capable of distinguishing level and deformed ice during the winter, only L-band SAR can reliably make this separation during the melt onset season. During the advanced melt season, the overall classification accuracies are similarly low for L and C-band. This study demonstrates the potential of L-band SAR for sea-ice mapping, which is highly relevant in the light of several upcoming L-band SAR missions.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) has been used extensively to determine the surface ice flow velocity of tidewater glaciers and investigate changes in seasonal or annual ice dynamics at medium spatial resolution (⩾100 m). However, assessing tidewater glacier behaviour at these resolutions risks missing key details of glacier dynamics, which is particularly important for determination of strain rates that relate to crevasse formation, depth, and ice damage. Here we present surface ice velocity and strain maps with a 16 m posting derived from high-resolution (1 m) PAZ Ciencia spotlight mode SAR imagery for Narsap Sermia, SW Greenland, for October 2019 to February 2021. Results reveal fine details in strain rate, including an area of compression proximal to the terminus, with an upstream shift of strains through time. The velocity evolution of Narsap Sermia shows distinct seasonal changes starting in summer 2020, which are largely modulated by the subglacial drainage system. Comparison of our results with medium-resolution velocity products shows that while these can capture general strain and velocity patterns, our high-resolution data reveals considerably larger ranges of strain values. This is likely to have implications for tuning strain rate dependent calving and ice damage parameterisations within numerical models.

Sub-glacial canyon features up to 580 m deep between flat terraces were identified beneath Devon Ice Cap during a 2023 radar echo sounding (RES) survey. The largest canyon connects a hypothesized brine network near the Devon Ice Cap summit with the marine-terminating Sverdrup outlet glacier. This canyon represents a probable drainage route for the hypothesized water system. Radar bed reflectivity is consistently 30 dB lower along the canyon floor than on the terraces, contradicting the signature expected for sub-glacial water. We compare these data with backscattering simulations to demonstrate that the reflectivity pattern may be topographically induced. Our simulated results indicated a 10 m wide canal-like water feature is unlikely along the canyon floor, but smaller features may be difficult to detect via RES. We calculated basal temperature profiles using a 2D finite difference method and found the floor may be up to 18°C warmer than the terraces. However, temperatures remain below the pressure melting point, and there is limited evidence that the canyon floor supports a connected drainage system between the DIC summit and Sverdrup Glacier. The terrain beneath Devon Ice Cap demonstrates limitations for RES. Future studies should evaluate additional correction methods near complex terrain, such as RES simulation as we demonstrate here.

The Arctic is a hotspot for climate warming, making it crucial to quantify the sea level rise contribution from its ice masses. Novaya Zemlya's ice caps are the largest glacier complex in Europe and are a major contributor to contemporary sea level rise. Here we show that Novaya Zemlya outlet glaciers on the Barents Sea coast respond rapidly and consistently to oceanic forcing at annual timescales, likely due to their exposure to Atlantic Water variability. Glaciers on the Kara Sea show more variable response, likely reflecting their reduced exposure to Atlantic Water. Data demonstrate that the pause in glacier retreat previously observed on Novaya Zemlya between 2013 and 2015 has not persisted and that these changes correspond to ocean temperature variability on the Barents Sea coast. We document a marked shift to warmer air and ocean temperatures, and reduced sea ice concentrations from 2005 onwards. Although we identify ocean warming as the primary trigger for glacier retreat, we suggest that multi-year thinning, driven by the shift towards warmer air temperatures since 2005, pre-conditioned Novaya Zemlya's glaciers to retreat. Despite commonality in the timing of outlet glacier retreat, the magnitude is highly variable during rapid retreat phases, which we attribute to glacier-specific factors.

Glaciers of Baffin Island and nearby islands of Arctic Canada have experienced rapid mass losses over recent decades. However, projections of loss rates into the 21st century have so far been limited by the availability of model calibration and validation data. In this study, we model the surface mass balance of the largest ice cap on Baffin Island, Penny Ice Cap, since 1959, using an enhanced temperature index model calibrated with in situ data from 2006–2014. Subsequently, we project changes to 2099 based on the RCP4.5 climate scenario. Since the mid-1990s, the surface mass balance over Penny Ice Cap has become increasingly negative, particularly after 2005. Using volume–area scaling to account for glacier retreat, peak net mass loss is projected to occur between ~2040 and 2080, and the ice cap is expected to lose 22% (377.4 Gt or 60 m w.e.) of its 2014 ice mass by 2099, contributing 1.0 mm to sea level rise. Our 2015–2099 projections are approximately nine times more sensitive to changes in temperature than precipitation, with an absolute cumulative difference of 566 Gt (90 m w.e.) between +2 and −2°C scenarios, and 63 Gt (10 m w.e.) between +20% and −20% precipitation scenarios.

We recently reported on the radio-frequency attenuation length of cold polar ice at Summit Station, Greenland, based on bi-static radar measurements of radio-frequency bedrock echo strengths taken during the summer of 2021. Those data also allow studies of (a) the relative contributions of coherent (such as discrete internal conducting layers with sub-centimeter transverse scale) vs incoherent (e.g. bulk volumetric) scattering, (b) the magnitude of internal layer reflection coefficients, (c) limits on signal propagation velocity asymmetries (‘birefringence’) and (d) limits on signal dispersion in-ice over a bandwidth of ~100 MHz. We find that (1) attenuation lengths approach 1 km in our band, (2) after averaging 10 000 echo triggers, reflected signals observable over the thermal floor (to depths of ~1500 m) are consistent with being entirely coherent, (3) internal layer reflectivities are ≈–60$\to$–70 dB, (4) birefringent effects for vertically propagating signals are smaller by an order of magnitude relative to South Pole and (5) within our experimental limits, glacial ice is non-dispersive over the frequency band relevant for neutrino detection experiments.

We describe the annual pattern of frontal ablation driven by submarine melting mechanisms at the Hansbreen terminus: these are reflected in the intensity and spatial distribution of calving events. Analysis of time-lapse images of the Hansbreen front in conjunction with oceanographic and meteorological data shows that calving intensity is driven primarily by seawater temperature. Regression analysis also highlights the importance of air temperature, which we take to be a proxy for surface ablation and subglacial discharge. This, combined with seasonal changes in ice cliff tortuosity and the increasing significance of wave motion outside the ablation season, enabled us to determine seasonal changes in the mechanisms of ice cliff undercutting by submarine melting. While submarine melting controlled by estuarine circulation primarily drives frontal ablation in summer, wave-driven melting at the waterline is more important outside the ablation season. During winter, ice cliff undercutting by melting is suspended by low seawater temperature, negligible subglacial water discharge and sea-ice cover. The most intense frontal ablation, recorded in summer, was related to higher sea temperature and vigorous estuarine circulation.

We investigate unusual discontinuous glacier motion on Thompson Glacier, Umingmat Nunaat, Arctic Canada, using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images and ice-flow modeling. A novel intensity-rescaling scheme is developed to reduce errors in high-resolution speckle tracking, resulting in a ~25% improvement in accuracy. Interferometric SAR (InSAR) and speckle tracking using high resolution RADARSAT-2 data indicate velocity discontinuities of up to 1 cm d−1 across deep and longitudinally extensive supraglacial channels on Thompson Glacier. We use a cross-sectional finite-element ice-flow model to determine the conditions under which velocity discontinuities of the observed magnitude and signature are possible. The modeling suggests that discontinuous motion across (long and straight) supraglacial channels can occur without ice fracture and under a wide variety of glacier thermal structures, including in fully temperate glaciers. Despite the wide range of conditions conducive to discontinuous motion, the form we observe requires that the associated channels be deep, longitudinally extensive and located in regions of lateral shearing. We speculate that these combined conditions are rare except on polythermal glaciers, where drainage features such as moulins are comparatively scarce and lower deformation rates allow channels to incise consistently and persist over many years.

We present the first systematic inventory of surge-type glaciers for the whole of Greenland compiled from published datasets and multitemporal satellite images and digital elevation models. The inventory allows us to define the spatial and climatic distribution of surge-type glaciers and to analyse the timing of surges from 1985 to 2019. We identified 274 surge-type glaciers, an increase of 37% compared to previous work. Mapping surge-type glacier distribution by temperature and precipitation variables derived from ERA5-Land reanalysis data shows that the west and east clusters occur in well-defined climatic envelopes. Analysis of the timing of surge active phases during the periods ~1985 to 2000 (T1) and ~2000 to 2019 (T2) suggests that overall surge activity is similar in T1 and T2, but there appears to be a reduction in surging in the west cluster in T2. Our climate analysis shows a coincident increase in mean annual and mean winter air temperature between T1 and T2. We suggest that as glaciers thin under current warming, some surge-type glaciers in the west cluster may be being prevented from surging due to (1) their inability to build-up sufficient mass and (2) a switch from a polythermal to a largely cold-based thermal regime.

Glaciers in the Russian High Arctic have undergone accelerated mass loss due to atmospheric and oceanic warming in the Barents–Kara Sea region. Most studies have concentrated on the western Barents–Kara sector, despite evidence of accelerating mass loss as far east as Severnaya Zemlya. However, long-term trends in glacier change on Severnaya Zemlya are largely unknown and this record may be complicated by surge-type glaciers. Here, we present a long-term assessment of glacier change (1965–2021) on Severnaya Zemlya and a new inventory of surge-type glaciers using declassified spy-satellite photography (KH-7/9 Hexagon) and optical satellite imagery (ASTER, Sentinel-2A, Landsat-4/5 TM and 8 OLI). Glacier area reduced from 17 053 km2 in 1965 to 16 275 in 2021 (−5%; mean: −18%, max: −100%), with areal shrinkage most pronounced at land-terminating glaciers on southern Severnaya Zemlya, where there is a recent (post-2010s) increase in summer atmospheric temperatures. We find that surging may be more widespread than previously thought, with three glaciers classified confirmed as surge-type, eight as likely to have surged and nine as possible, comprising 11% of Severnaya Zemlya's 190 glaciers (37% by area). Under continued warming, we anticipate accelerated retreat and increased likelihood of surging as basal thermal regimes shift.

Bed topography is a critical parameter for determining the modern-day and future dynamics of ice sheets and their outlet glaciers. This is because the topography controls the state of stress for glaciers. At glacier termini, topography can influence the timing of terminus retreat by controlling access to warm ocean waters and/or by influencing the ability of a glacier terminus to retreat over bed bumps (moraines). Inland from the terminus, the topography can also influence where glacier retreat and thinning can stabilize. In part, this is because of knickpoints in bed topography created through glacial erosion that may influence the extent to which thinning can diffuse inland for an individual glacier and thus, the timing and magnitude of long-term mass loss. Here we provide a review of the current literature on these topics. While much of the reviewed literature assumes that topography is stable on relevant timescales to humans, new research suggests that topography may change much faster than previously thought and this further complicates our ability to project future outlet glacier change.

The Ward Hunt and Milne ice shelves are the present-day remnants of a much larger ice shelf that once fringed the coast of Ellesmere Island, Canada. These ice shelves possess a unique surface morphology consisting of wave-like rolls that run parallel to the shoreline. Setting aside the question of how these rolls originally developed, we consider the impact of this roll morphology on the stability of the ice shelf. In particular, we examine whether periodic variations in ice-shelf thickness and water depth implied by the rolls prevent the excitation of Lamb waves in the ice shelf. Using a hierarchy of numerical models, we find that there are band gaps in the flexural and extensional modes of the ice shelf, implying the existence of frequency ranges that lack wave motion. We show that an ice shelf with rolls is able to reflect waves in these frequency ranges that are incident upon its ice front, thereby mitigating undue stress and calving. We speculate that the roll morphology provides a “fitness” for survival that explains why rolls are observed in the oldest and thickest multiyear sea ice of the Arctic.

Knowledge of frontal ablation from marine-terminating glaciers (i.e., mass lost at the calving face) is critical for constraining glacier mass balance, improving projections of mass change, and identifying the processes that govern frontal mass loss. Here, we discuss the challenges involved in computing frontal ablation and the unique issues pertaining to both glaciers and ice sheets. Frontal ablation estimates require numerous datasets, including glacier terminus area change, thickness, surface velocity, density, and climatic mass balance. Observations and models of these variables have improved over the past decade, but significant gaps and regional discrepancies remain, and better quantification of temporal variability in frontal ablation is needed. Despite major advances in satellite-derived large-scale datasets, large uncertainties remain with respect to ice thickness, depth-averaged velocities, and the bulk density of glacier ice close to calving termini or grounding lines. We suggest ways in which we can move toward globally complete frontal ablation estimates, highlighting areas where we need improved datasets and increased collaboration.

Aldegondabreen is a relatively small (5.3 km2) land-terminating glacier located in Nordeskiöld Land of Svalbard, ~10 km southwest of Barentsburg. Cumulative mass balance during 2002–20 equalled −21.79 m w.e., which corresponds to 37% of the total mass loss. The annual mass balance (Ba) varied from −0.24 to −2.19 m w.e., while the winter mass balance (Bw) ranged between 0.36 and 0.85 m w.e. Ba and Bw were strongly correlated with the positive degree-day sums and solid precipitation amounts, respectively, measured at the Barentsburg weather station. There was also a strong correlation (r = 0.76) between Ba and Bw, which shows that winter accumulation amplifies the consecutive summer ice melt by changing the surface albedo. The trend in both observational series is not detectable because the period from 2005 to 2013 was characterized by relatively high Bw and not very negative Ba values. This was also observed on the other Svalbard glaciers, and was related to prevailing north-westerly flows over Svalbard during the summer. Therefore, the decadal periodicity of the Aldegondabreen mass balance follows general archipelago patterns that are determined by regional-scale factors. Thus, the surface mass-balance time series, which is now the longest one in the central part of the Spitsbergen Island, is representative for the archipelago.

The rapid formation of glacial lakes is one of the most conspicuous landscape changes caused by atmospheric warming in glacierised regions. However, relatively little is known about the history and current state of glacial lakes in the High Arctic. This study aims to address this issue by providing the first inventory of glacial lakes in Svalbard, focusing in particular on the post-Little Ice Age evolution of glacial lakes and their typology. To do so, we used aerial photographs and satellite imagery together with archival topographic data from 1936 to 2020. The inventory comprises the development of 566 glacial lakes (146 km2) that were still in direct contact with glaciers during the period 2008–2012. The results show a consistent increase in the total area of glacial lakes from the 1930s to 2020 and suggest an apparent link between climatic and geological factors, and the formation of specific lake dam types: moraine, ice, or bedrock. We also detected 134 glacial lake drainage events that have occurred since the 1930s. This study shows that Svalbard has one of the highest rates of glacial lake development in the world, which is an indicator of the overall dynamics of landscape change in the archipelago in response to climate change.

Ice cliffs are features along ice sheet margins, along tropical mountain glaciers, at termini of mountain glaciers and on debris-covered glacier tongues, that have received scattered attention in literature. They cover small relative areas of glacier or margin surface respectively, but have been involved in two apparent anomalies. On the one hand, they have been identified as potential hotspots of extreme melt rates on debris-covered tongues contributing to their relatively rapid ablation, compared to the surrounding glacier surface. On the other hand, they appear where the ice margin is stable (or temporarily advancing) even under conditions of negative mass balance. In this manuscript, we recapitulate why ice cliffs remain interesting features to investigate and what we know about them so far. We conclude by suggesting to further investigate their genesis and variable morphology and their potential as windows into past climates and processes.

Extending the record of glacier area changes into the past improves our understanding of climate change impacts. Although analogue maps showing historic glacier extents are abundant, digital outlines from before the satellite era are sparse as the digitisation of moraines and trimlines on freely available satellite images is challenging. With the now available very high-resolution images provided by Web Map Services (WMS), new doors are open for the precise digitisation. Here, we used the ESRI WMS to digitise Little Ice Age (LIA) glacier extents and present area changes since the LIA in four selected regions along with a detailed uncertainty analysis. We used modern glacier outlines as a starting point and additionally consulted Sentinel-2 images, the ArcticDEM and historic maps for interpretation. Dating records from the literature allowed calculating area change rates. In total, 493 LIA glaciers (4640 km2, now 891 ice bodies with 3590 km2) were digitised, yielding relative area changes of −20% (−0.14% a−1), −15% (−0.10% a−1), −26% (−0.16% a−1) and −61% (−0.19% a−1) for Alaska, Baffin Island, Novaya Zemlya and the tropics, respectively. The ESRI WMS images are a great asset to precisely map moraines and trimlines, but information about the timing of the related extents requires further sources.