TY - JOUR AU - van As, Dirk AU - Fausto, Robert S. AU - Colgan, William T. AU - Box, Jason E. AU - PROMICE project team, * PY - 2013/07/10 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - Darkening of the Greenland ice sheet due to the melt albedo feedback observed at PROMICE weather stations JF - GEUS Bulletin JA - GEUS Bulletin VL - 28 IS - SE - RESEARCH ARTICLE | SHORT DO - 10.34194/geusb.v28.4728 UR - https://geusbulletin.org/index.php/geusb/article/view/4728 SP - 69-72 AB - <p>The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass (Barletta <em>et al.</em> 2012) and at least half of this loss is caused by an increase in surface melt (e.g. Tedesco <em>et al.</em> 2013). The other part is caused by increased dynamic mass loss, as marine-terminating glaciers lose resistive stresses (Nick <em>et al.</em> 2009) due to both retreat and meltwater lubrication at the bed (Sasgen <em>et al.</em> 2012). In 2007, the Programme for Monitoring of the Greenland Ice Sheet (PROMICE) was initiated with the aim of gaining an insight into the causes of the ice-mass budget changes based on quantitative observations. This is primarily done by assessing how much mass is gained as snow accumulation on the surface versus how much is lost by calving and surface ablation (Ahlstrøm <em>et al.</em> 2008). PROMICE monitors the surface mass balance by means of automatic weather stations (AWSs) designed to quantify accumulation and ablation, as well as the specific energy sources contributing to ablation. These observations are vital to interpreting the physical mechanisms for ice-sheet response to climate change and for the calibration and validation of both satellite observations and climate models.</p> ER -