Decadal to Centennial Timescale Mantle Viscosity Inferred From Modern Crustal Uplift Rates in Greenland

The observed crustal uplift rates in Greenland are caused by the combined response of the solid Earth to both ongoing and past surface mass changes. Existing elastic Earth models and Maxwell linear viscoelastic GIA (glacial isostatic adjustment) models together underpredict the observed uplift rates. These models do not capture the ongoing mantle deformation induced by significant ice melting since the Little Ice Age. Using a simple Earth model within a Bayesian framework, we show that this recent mass loss can explain the data-model misfits but only when a reduced mantle strength is considered. The inferred viscosity for sub-centennial timescale mantle deformation is roughly one order of magnitude smaller than the upper mantle viscosity inferred from GIA analysis of geological data. Reconciliation of geological sea-level and modern crustal motion data may require that the model effective viscosity be treated with greater sophistication than in the simple Maxwell rheological paradigm.

Automated summary

The observed crustal uplift rates in Greenland are a combined response of the solid Earth to surface mass changes. Existing models underpredict the rates and do not capture ongoing mantle deformation since the Little Ice Age. New Earth models suggest a smaller inferred mantle viscosity, indicating a need for a more sophisticated treatment of model effective viscosity.