Rapid dynamical change (of glaciers or ice sheets)

Alternative definitions (1), class: vernacular (0)
Term: Rapid dynamical change (of glaciers or ice sheets)
Definition: Changes in glacier or ice sheet mass controlled by changes in flow speed and discharge rather than by accumulation or ablation. This can result in a rate of mass change larger than that due to any imbalance between accumulation and ablation. Rapid dynamical change may be initiated by a climatic trigger, such as incursion of warm ocean water beneath an ice shelf, or thinning of a grounded tidewater terminus, which may lead to reactions within the glacier system, that may result in rapid ice loss. See also Mass balance/budget (of glaciers or ice sheets).
Created 2022.03.08
Last Modified 2023.03.27
Contributed by GCW Glossary
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