Decadal mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet from satellite radar altimetry and its contribution to global sea level change

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] In this research, we estimated the decadal mass balance of the Antarctic ice sheet using the European Space Agency's ERS-1 and ERS-2 satellite radar altimeter data over the time period of 1992 - 2003. Several techniques are developed to improve the processing and analysis of both low and high resolution elevation change time series. Our research results show that the majority of the East Antarctica interior regions are thickening, and this is probably caused by increased precipitation. Finally, many coastal areas, especially in West Antarctica, are experiencing strongly negative elevation change. These thinning trends are probably due to high heat fluxes, ocean warming, and/or basal melting. The overall estimate of Antarctic elevation change north of 81.6⁰S corresponds to global sea level increase of 0.07 mm/yr based on the high-resolution interior and coastal results.