A study of Greenland ice sheet elevation change by using satellite altimeter data

ERS-1 satellite radar altimeter measurements show that from 1992 to 1996 the average Greenland ice sheet elevation change is -1.7/spl plusmn/0.6 cm/year. The spatial distribution of ice sheet elevation change reveals its relationship with the areas of maximum and minimum accumulation rates, the boundaries of drainage basins and snow and snow-firn zones. The elevation reduction is typical of the coastal regions where the phenomenon of climate warming can be revealed most evidently. It is shown that utilization in ice sheet elevation change studies the ERS altimeter ocean-mode data is not warrantable. Different threshold retracking corrections should be applied for various ice sheet areas. Similar features in the spatial distribution of the Greenland ice sheet elevation change derived from ERS-1 and Seasat /spl times/ Geosat are observed.