Significant contribution of small icebergs to the freshwater budget in Greenland fjords

Abstract

Icebergs represent nearly half of the mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet and provide a distributed source of freshwater along fjords which can alter fjord circulation, nutrient levels, and ultimately the Meridional Overturning Circulation. Here we present analyses of high resolution optical satellite imagery using convolutional neural networks to accurately delineate iceberg edges in two East Greenland fjords. We find that a significant portion of icebergs in fjords are comprised of small icebergs that were not detected in previously-available coarser resolution satellite images. We show that the preponderance of small icebergs results in high freshwater delivery, as well as a short life span of icebergs in fjords. We conclude that an inability to identify small icebergs leads to inaccurate frequency-size distribution of icebergs in Greenland fjords, an underestimation of iceberg area (specifically for small icebergs), and an overestimation of iceberg life span.