Retreat of Humboldt Gletscher, North Greenland, Driven by Undercutting From a Warmer Ocean.

Humboldt Gletscher is a 100‐km wide, slow‐moving glacier in north Greenland which holds a 19‐cm global sea level equivalent. Humboldt has been the fourth largest contributor to sea level rise since 1972 but the cause of its mass loss has not been elucidated. Multi‐beam echo sounding data collected in 2019 indicate a seabed 200 m deeper than previously known. Conductivity temperature depth data reveal the presence of warm water of Atlantic origin at 0°C at the glacier front and a warming of the ocean waters by 0.9 ± 0.1°C since 1962. Using an ocean model, we reconstruct grounded ice undercutting by the ocean, combine it with calculated retreat caused by ice thinning to floatation, and are able to fully explain the observed retreat. Two thirds of the retreat are caused by undercutting of grounded ice, which is a physical process not included in most ice sheet models. Plain Language Summary: Humboldt Gletscher is the widest glacier in Greenland, slow moving, and terminating in shallow waters in its southern half, but grounded 200 m deeper than previously known in its northern half, with a submarine trough extending more than 100 km inland. The glacier has been retreating at 0.6 km/year and contributing significantly to sea level rise. We attribute the retreat to undercutting of grounded ice by warmer ocean waters combined with a retreat caused by ice thinning to floatation sooner due to glacier speed up. The glacier, which hosts an ice volume equivalent to a 19‐cm global sea level, will remain a major contributor to sea level rise this Century. Key Points: The 100‐km wide Humboldt Gletscher holds a 19‐cm sea level rise equivalent, lost 161 billion tons of mass, and retreated 13 km since 1972Warm waters at 0°C flood a 350–400 m deep trough on its northern flank that remains below sea level more than 100 km inlandWe explain the glacier retreat as 70% from ocean‐induced undercutting and 30% from thinning‐induced retreat [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]