Sediment plumes as a proxy for local ice-sheet runoff in Kangerlussuaq Fjord, West Greenland.

The article discusses a study on the methodology for estimating the onset, duration and volume of meltwater runoff from a localized basin of the Greenland ice sheet (GrlS) using satellite observations of sediment plume length in the Russell Glacier-Watson River-Kangerlussuaq Fjord system. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) was used to generate satellite imagery. It mentions the influence of wind stress on the structure and distribution of buoyant coastal plumes over daily and seasonal timescales. The Watson River and the Ørkendalen river are cited as the major river systems that transport meltwater from the GrlS into the fjord. It concludes that plume formation is an alternative metric to the melt season to estimate runoff onset and duration.