Fjord dynamics influence oceanic heat flux to the Greenland ice sheet. Submarine iceberg melting releases large volumes of freshwater within Greenland’s fjords, yet its impact on fjord dynamics remains unclear. We modify an ocean model to simulate submarine iceberg melting in Sermilik Fjord, east Greenland. Here we find that submarine iceberg melting cools and freshens the fjord by up to ~5 °C and 0.7 psu in the upper 100-200 m. The release of freshwater from icebergs drives an overturning circulation, resulting in a ~10% increase in net up-fjord heat flux. In addition, we find that submarine iceberg melting accounts for over 95% of heat used for ice melt in Sermilik Fjord. Our results highlight the substantial impact that icebergs have on the dynamics of a major Greenlandic fjord, demonstrating the importance of including related processes in studies that seek to quantify interactions between the ice sheet and the ocean.

峡湾的动力学影响到格陵兰冰盖的海洋热通量。海底冰山融化释放出格陵兰岛峡湾内的大量淡水，但其对峡湾动力的影响尚不清楚。我们修改了一个海洋模型，以模拟格陵兰岛东部Sermilik Fjord的海底冰山融化。在这里，我们发现海底冰山融化使峡湾冷却并清新，峡湾在100-200 m的最高处达到约5°C和0.7 psu。冰山释放的淡水推动了一个颠覆性的循环，导致峡湾净热通量增加了约10％。此外，我们发现海底冰山融化占塞尔米利克峡湾融化冰所用热量的95％以上。我们的研究结果突显了冰山对格陵兰岛主要峡湾的动力产生了重大影响，