Greenland ice sheet elevation changes estimated from CryoSat-2 observations from 2010-2014

Abstract:

With more than 3.5 years of CryoSat-2 satellite data now available, the estimation of ice sheet wide elevation changes is now possible for the Greenland ice sheet. In this study we have developed novel LRM and SARin processing chains to produce elevation estimates from ESA level-1b data sets. From these estimates, ice sheet wide elevation changes were estimated using both the plane fitting principles and satellite crossovers. The accuracy of the results are evaluated using airborne NASA ATM and ESA CryoVEx data. The resulting elevation changes were then compared to results derived from Envisat and GRACE data. The results obtained are in line with previous observed spatial patterns of elevation change, where a clear negative signal can be detected along the ice sheet margins which decreases inwards to interior of the ice sheet, and confirms the dynamic behavior of the major outlet glaciers.