Impact of calving dynamics on Kangilernata Sermia, Greenland

Iceberg calving is a major component of glacier mass ablation that is not well understood due to a lack of detailed temporal and spatial observations. Here, we measure glacier speed and surface elevation at 3-minute interval, 5 meter spacing, using a portable radar interferometer at Kangilernata Sermia, Greenland in July 2016. We detect a 20% diurnal variation in glacier speed peaking at high spring tide when basal drag is high and lowering at neap tide. We find no speed up from ice shedding off the calving face or the detachment of floating ice blocks, but observe a 30% speedup that persist for weeks when calving removes grounded ice blocks. Within one ice thickness from the calving front, we detect strain rates 2 to 3 times larger than observable from satellite data, which has implications for studying calving processes.