Abstract Helheim Glacier, in East Greenland, is a major outlet glacier that discharges about 33 Gigatons of ice per year into the ocean.Helheim has been undergoing a retreat since 2003.Using a portable terrestrial radar interferometer that scans the glacier every 2 min, we characterize its regime of tidal flexure at the ice front margin in relation SPICE SHAMPOO to oceanic tide, bed slope, and iceberg calving events.
The data reveals the presence of a central bed ridge that acts as a fulcrum, with one side of the glacier moving in phase with the tide, while the other is moving out of phase with a reduced amplitude.We detect seawater intrusions of one full thickness beneath the glacier front at high tide.Following tabular calving events, most ice flexing ceases, indicating that the ice front G-spot Vibrator becomes grounded and that calving events involve ice blocks that are already afloat.