title: Recent Greenland ice mass loss by drainage system from satellite gravity observations.
abstract: Mass changes of the Greenland Ice Sheet resolved by drainage system regions were derived from a local mass concentration analysis of NASA-Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE mission) observations. From 2003 to 2005, the ice sheet lost 101 +/- 16 gigaton/year, with a gain of 54 gigaton/year above 2000 meters and a loss of 155 gigaton/year at lower elevations. The lower elevations show a large seasonal cycle, with mass losses during summer melting followed by gains from fall through spring. The overall rate of loss reflects a considerable change in trend (-113 +/- 17 gigaton/year) from a near balance during the 1990s but is smaller than some other recent estimates.
authors.affiliation: Planetary Geodynamics Laboratory, Code 698, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA. Scott.B.Luthcke@nasa.gov
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Luthcke
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zwally
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Abdalati
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Rowlands
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Nerem
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Lemoine
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Chinn