Contrasting glacier terminus position trend rates between Central-Western Greenland peripheral glaciers and ice sheet: spatiotemporal patterns and trends (1985 to 2022)

Greenland's snow and ice melting trends have increased since the conclusion of the Little Ice Age (LIA), leading to the emergence of new ice-free zones. Given its significant impacts on ecosystems and climate, a comprehensive understanding of the spatiotemporal patterns of Greenland meltwater, snow and ice cover is crucial. This study conducts a comparative analysis of recent snow and ice dynamics (1985-2022) within the Central-Western Greenland Ice-Sheet (GrIS) and Nuussuaq Peninsula Greenland peripheral glaciers (GICs). Specifically, we examine the extension of snow and ice cover, changes in mass balance, and the climatic evolution in these geographical areas. The regions of GICs and GrIS demonstrate a statistically significant (p-value <= 0.05) positive temperature trend, particularly during the accumulation season at GIC (R2 = 0.19) and GrIS (R2 = 0.13). However, precipitation trends reveal minimal and statistically non-significant changes. Despite their geographical proximity, the terminus positions of land-terminating glaciers in GrIS and GICs exhibit different spatial patterns and trend rates. Over the last two decades, Nuussuaq Peninsula GICs display an average negative mass loss of -0.3 GT/year, with the minimum mass loss recorded in 2007 (-0.2 GT/year), constituting an anomaly of -25% compared to the average mass loss for the temporal period analyzed. In contrast, peak mass loss values are observed in 2009, reaching anomalies of -0.4 GT/year. Further, the snow and ice cover area of GICs indicates a reduction of approximately 20% from the previous delineations of the LIA, with the most significant decreases observed in the southern-exposed Nuusuaq Peninsula GICs. Conversely, small differences in GrIS land-terminating terminus positions are detected from 1985 to 2022, despite substantial meltwater anomalies since the 1990s. These results highlight the different sensitivity of terminus positions between GICs and GrIS despite their proximity. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the recent spatiotemporal evolution of glaciers in Western Greenland.