Totten and Denman Glacier Ice Shelf Melt and Oceanographic Data

Oceanographic and remote sensing data support a study on the response of East Antarctica's Totten and Denman glaciers to ocean warming. The project uses numerical models constrained by in-situ float profiler measurements of water temperature and salinity and satellite-derived melt rates. This international research, led by AMD_USAPDC with British and Australian partners, aims to reduce uncertainty in century-scale sea-level rise projections, with data current through 2026.

Use Cases

• Modeling ice shelf melt rates using parameterized transfer functions constrained by in-situ ocean temperature and salinity profiles.
• Forcing ice-flow numerical models with projected ocean temperatures from climate models to simulate glacier response over centuries.
• Calibrating remote sensing estimates of ice shelf melt rates with direct oceanographic observations from float profilers.
• Analyzing the spatial and temporal variability of hydrographic properties in the ocean cavities fronting Totten and Denman glaciers.

Strengths

• Includes direct, repeated in-situ measurements of ocean temperature and salinity from float profilers deployed in front of two major ice shelves.
• Integrates multiple data sources: remote sensing melt rates, oceanographic observations, and climate model outputs for a multi-faceted analysis.
• Focuses on two of East Antarctica's most vulnerable glaciers, which are critical for understanding potential future sea-level rise.

Limitations

• Specific row counts, column details, and exact file formats for the underlying observational and model data are not provided.
• Geographic coverage is limited to the ocean cavities and ice shelves of the Totten and Denman glacier systems in East Antarctica.
• The temporal coverage and resolution of the float profiler time-series data are not specified in the description.

Provenance

Source

NASA Earthdata (nasa_earthdata) platform, aggregated from an international project involving AMD_USAPDC and British and Australian partners.

Collection Method

Data gathered via remote sensing observations and in-situ measurements from aircraft-deployed float profilers, combined with numerical climate and ice-flow model outputs.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Project metadata indicates a last updated date of 2026-07-31, suggesting ongoing or recently completed data collection.

Geography

East Antarctica, specifically the ocean cavities and ice shelves of the Totten and Denman glacier systems.