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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Rachel CarrORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2026. The Author(s). Sea ice is situated close to the termini of many outlet glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic and has the potential to influence their dynamics and, therefore, their contribution to sea level rise. However, the nature, prevalence, and ice-dynamic significance of sea ice-glacier interactions remains subject to several open questions. This paper reviews existing research on this critical topic in order to assess the extent to which sea ice influences glacier dynamics, focusing on recent developments while highlighting complexities and uncertainties. Evidence suggests that sea ice can directly influence outlet glacier dynamics through mechanical interactions and/or indirectly via the modulation of ocean-driven basal melting, either alone or as part of ice mélange. Key knowledge gaps include the influence of mélange-ocean interactions on glacier melting, and a comprehensive understanding of variations in Antarctic outlet glacier sensitivity to sea-ice conditions. Current knowledge is skewed toward Arctic outlet glaciers, where the seasonal expansion of sea ice forms a compact mélange which can suppress calving and potentially buttress ice flow. A growing number of studies also suggest that sea ice can influence Antarctic glacier behavior, with observed correspondence between the growth/calving of glacier tongues and ice shelves, and the presence/absence of multi-year landfast sea ice. However, there is considerable spatial variability in glacier-dynamic responses to sea-ice conditions, both within and between the Arctic and Antarctic, predominantly attributed to glacier-specific factors. Given that recent reductions in sea-ice extents are likely to contribute to glacier retreat in both polar regions, addressing current knowledge gaps is crucial.
Author(s): Deakin KA, Stokes CR, Jamieson SSR, Carr JR
Publication type: Review
Publication status: Published
Journal: Reviews of Geophysics
Year: 2026
Volume: 64
Issue: 2
Print publication date: 01/06/2026
Online publication date: 30/04/2026
Acceptance date: 09/04/2026
ISSN (print): 8755-1209
ISSN (electronic): 1944-9208
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Inc
URL: https://doi.org/10.1029/2025RG000918
DOI: 10.1029/2025RG000918
Data Access Statement: The sea ice data sets used to create Figures 2-5 are available at Fetterer et al. (2017) via https://doi.org/10.7265/N5K072F8, United States National Ice Center (2026) via https://usicecenter.gov/Products/ArcticData, and Fraser et al. (2020a) via https://doi.org/10.26179/5d267d1ceb60c. Details of the studies used to produce Figures 6 and 8 are provided in Tables S1 and S2 of the Supporting Information S1. Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 images are courtesy of Copernicus (2025) and were accessed via Google Earth Engine (https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/sentinel). Landsat images are courtesy of United States Geological Survey (USGS, 2025) and were accessed via Google Earth Engine (https://developers.google.com/earth-engine/datasets/catalog/landsat).
