You are browsing the archive for Greenland glacier retreat Archives - From a Glacier's Perspective.
November 6, 2023
Storstrømmen Glacier, NE Greenland Retreat Releases New Islands
Storstrømmen and L. Bistrup Brae in Landsat imagery from 8-23-2013 and 8-26-2023. Green dots on 2013 image is the 2023 margin. Yellow dots on 2023 image is the 2013 margin. Island A and Island B are at the glacier front in 2013 and are fully separated by 2023. R=Randsoen proglacial lake. Storstrømmen and L. Bistrup Brae are large outlet glaciers in northeast Greenland that join at their terminus. The calving …
July 16, 2023
Isortuarsuup Sermia Lake Drainage September 2022
Isortuarsuup Sermia ice dammed lake drains between 9-9-2022 and 9-19-2022. The lake area on 9-9-2022 is 29 km². False color Sentinel images illustrate. Isortuarsuup Sermia terminates in Isortuarsuup Tasia on the west margin of the Greenland Ice sheet at 63.8 N W. The glacier dams a proglacial lake that when full has had an elevation of 710 m, and has been observed to periodically drain from 1937-2011 (Geological Survey of …
June 29, 2023
Expanding Proglacial Lakes on Land Terminating Margin of Sermeq Kujalleq
Expansion of proglacial lakes (A-D) along west margin of Greenland Ice Sheet along southern land terminus of Sermeq Kujalleq in 1985 and 2022 Landsat images. How et al (2021) in an inventory of Greenland Ice Sheet proglacial lakes, noted a 75% increase in lake frequency from 1985 to 2017 along the western margin of the Ice Sheet. In 1985 I had a chance to work on the Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn …
June 25, 2021
Paarliit Sermia, Southern Greenland Terminus Separation
Paarliit Sermia in 2000 and 2020 Landsat images. The red arrow indicates the 2000 terminus location and the yellow arrow the 2020/21 terminus location. A denotes the junction of two main glacier branches, while B,C and D indicate tributaries Paarliit Sermia is one of the most southerly tidewater glaciers in Greenland. It is an outlet glacier of a mountain icefield and not part of the main ice sheet. Similar to …
September 3, 2019
Hutchinson Glacier, Greenland Releases New Island
Cape Deichmann becomes an island as it disconnects from Hutchinson Glacier. Landsat images from 2010 and 2019. The Hutchinson (H) and Polaric Glacier (P) region of East Greenland indicating three locations of island forming or about to form in 2010 and 2019 Landsat images. Point #1 is Flado Island, Point #2 and Point #3 is Cape Deichmann Ziaja and Ostafin (2019) noted the formation of a new island at Cape …
May 13, 2019
Sonderarm Glaciers Retreat, Southern Greenland
Three glaciers at the head of Sonderarm fjord in 1999 and 2018 Landsat images. Yellow arrows indicate terminus location in 2018 of each glacier, pink arrow indicates a separate valley glacier that has diminished. Sonderarm is a fjord that extends south from Lindenow Fjord in southern Greenland. The glacier is a short distance east of Kangersuneq Qingordleq, where recent retreat has led to glacier separation and a just south of …
April 9, 2019
Glaciers Retreat from Evighedsfjord, Greenland
Evighedsfjord (E) with glaciers terminating in the fjord in 2000 and 2018 Landsat images. Q=Qingua Kujatdleq is at the head of Evighedsfjord (Q), Tapa Glacier (1), Unnamed glaciers (2 and 3), and developing nunatak area (4) . The red arrow is the 2000 terminus and the yellow arrow is the 2018 terminus. Evighedsfjord (Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord) in southwest Greenland has numerous glaciers that reach or did reach this 75 km long …
October 23, 2018
Sermip Nunataa, Greenland No Longer a Nunatak
Sermip Nunataa (S) and nearby nunataks in 1993, Q, R and B in 1993 and 2018 Landsat images. Red dots indicate the 1993 margin. Sermip Nunataa (Nunatak-Island within ice sheet glacier) was a nunatak of the southern Greenland Ice Sheet between Sermilik Brae and Sondre Qipisaqqu Brae. Here we examine changes from 1993-2018 of the margin of the ice sheet in the area and the impact on this and neighboring …
June 27, 2018
Nioghalvfjerdsbræ 70 km+ Long Supraglacial stream, Greenland’s Longest?
Landsat image of Nioghalvfjerdsbræ in 2017 with supraglacial stream indicated by arrows and calving front yellow dots. I first observed the impressive discharge and length of the supraglacial streams working on Jakobshavn Glacier more than 30 years ago. The longest persistent supraglacial stream in Greenland at present that I am aware of is on Nioghalvfjerdsbræ (79 Glacier). The longest streams will occur on glaciers with low slopes in the ablation zone …
March 22, 2018
Heilprin Glacier, NW Greenland Pinning Point Decline 1987-2017
Heilprin Glacier in 1987 and 2017 Landsat images. The ice front is shown with yellow dots. Island A, Island B and Point C also are noted. Island A and B both have reduced ice contact, but remain as important pinning points. How much longer for Island A? Retreat from 1987-2017 is 1.6 km to the south, 1.1 km in the center and 2.2 km on the northern margin. Heilprin Glacier is …
Dean of Academic Affairs at Nichols College and Professor of Environmental Science at Nichols College in Massachusetts since 1989. Glaciologist directing the North Cascade Glacier Climate Project since 1984. This project monitors the mass balance and behavior of more glaciers than any other in North America.