A 15-year circum-Antarctic iceberg calving dataset derived from continuous satellite observations

Abstract. Iceberg calving is the main process that facilitates dynamic mass loss of ice sheets into ocean, which accounts for approximately half Antarctic sheet. Fine-scale variability observations can help reveal mechanisms and identify principal processes influence how changing climate affects global sea level through shelf buttressing effect on from entire shelves short time intervals or specific long has been monitored before, but there still a lack consistent, long-term, high-precision records independent events all shelves. In this study, 15-year annual iceberg product measuring every event larger than 1 km2 over occurred August 2005 to 2020 was developed based 16 years continuous satellite observations. First, expansion frontal coastline simulated according velocity; following this, calved areas, are considered be differences between coastline, were manually delineated, actual derived corresponding imagery, multisource optical synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images. The provides detailed information each event, including associated year occurrence, area, size, average thickness, mass, recurrence interval, measurement uncertainties. A total 1975 detected 2020. area measured as 3549.1 with an uncertainty value 14.3 km2, rate 770.3 Gt yr?1 29.5 yr?1. number events, fluctuated moderately during first decade, followed by dramatic increase 2015/2016 2019/2020. During dataset period, large shelves, such Ronne–Filchner Ross advanced low frequency, whereas small- medium-sized retreated more frequently. most prevalent in West Antarctica, Peninsula Wilkes Land East Antarctica. consistent precise longest coverage. multidimensional variables used study spatial–temporal variations calving. also sheet balance, mechanisms, responses change. dataset, entitled “Annual (2005–2020)”, shared via National Tibetan Plateau Data Center: https://doi.org/10.11888/Glacio.tpdc.271250 (Qi et al., 2021). addition, 18.4±6.7 smaller 166.7±15.2 marine-terminating glaciers estimated.