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Greenland glacier almost triples speed in less than two decades
"Dramatic discovery" confirms scientists' predictions of accelerated impact of climate change
21 July 2005
The Greenpeace ship MY Arctic Sunrise is pictured surrounded by ice debris from the collapsed glacier seen in the background. Greenpeace is currently in the Kangerdlussuaq Fjord in Greenland which until a few years ago was filled with a massive glacier. The glacier retreated 5 km in the last few years due to global warming. Greenpeace with scientists are documenting evidence of climate change in Greenland during the summer 2005.
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The Greenpeace
vessel Arctic Sunrise is in Greenland this summer, documenting the
signs and impacts of climate change in this part of the Arctic. The
scientists from the Climate Change Institute at the University of
Maine, USA, are conducting an independently-funded study into glacier
variations as evidence of recent climate change.
Preliminary findings indicate Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast could be one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 kilometres per year. The measurements were made this week using high precision GPS survey methods. The results were compared with measurements made with satellite imagery that revealed the glacier's speed was five kilometres per year in 1988. In addition, Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier unexpectedly receded approximately five kilometres since 2001 after maintaining a stable position for the past 40 years.
Outlet glaciers like Kangerdlugssuaq transport ice from the heart of the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean and discharge icebergs which contribute to sea level rise. Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier alone transports or "drains" four percent of the ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, and so any changes in the speed of these glaciers holds tremendous significance in terms of sea level rise.
"This is a dramatic discovery," said Dr. Gordon Hamilton, who undertook the measurements on Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast with University of Maine PhD student Leigh Stearns. "There is concern that the acceleration of this and similar glaciers and the associated discharge of ice is not described in current ice sheet models of the effects of climate change.
These new results suggest that the loss of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, unless balanced by an equivalent increase in snowfall, could be larger and faster than previously estimated," said Dr. Hamilton.
"As the warming trend migrates north, glaciers at higher latitudes in Greenland might also respond in the same way as Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier. In turn, this could have serious implications for the rate of sea level rise," said Dr. Hamilton.
The Greenland Ice Sheet could melt down if regional warming exceeds about three degrees Celsius. If this were to occur, sea level would rise approximately seven meters over a few thousand years. However, half a meter to one meter rise in sea level in the next century would have significant impacts on society. More than 70 percent of the world's population lives on coastal plains, and 11 of the world's 15 largest cities are on the coast or estuaries.
"Greenland's shrinking glaciers are sending an urgent warning to the world that action is needed now to stop climate change," said Martina Krueger, Greenpeace Expedition Leader on board the Arctic Sunrise. "How many more urgent warnings does the Bush Administration need before it takes meaningful action on climate change?" said Krueger.
Preliminary findings indicate Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast could be one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 kilometres per year. The measurements were made this week using high precision GPS survey methods. The results were compared with measurements made with satellite imagery that revealed the glacier's speed was five kilometres per year in 1988. In addition, Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier unexpectedly receded approximately five kilometres since 2001 after maintaining a stable position for the past 40 years.
Outlet glaciers like Kangerdlugssuaq transport ice from the heart of the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean and discharge icebergs which contribute to sea level rise. Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier alone transports or "drains" four percent of the ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, and so any changes in the speed of these glaciers holds tremendous significance in terms of sea level rise.
"This is a dramatic discovery," said Dr. Gordon Hamilton, who undertook the measurements on Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast with University of Maine PhD student Leigh Stearns. "There is concern that the acceleration of this and similar glaciers and the associated discharge of ice is not described in current ice sheet models of the effects of climate change.
These new results suggest that the loss of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, unless balanced by an equivalent increase in snowfall, could be larger and faster than previously estimated," said Dr. Hamilton.
"As the warming trend migrates north, glaciers at higher latitudes in Greenland might also respond in the same way as Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier. In turn, this could have serious implications for the rate of sea level rise," said Dr. Hamilton.
The Greenland Ice Sheet could melt down if regional warming exceeds about three degrees Celsius. If this were to occur, sea level would rise approximately seven meters over a few thousand years. However, half a meter to one meter rise in sea level in the next century would have significant impacts on society. More than 70 percent of the world's population lives on coastal plains, and 11 of the world's 15 largest cities are on the coast or estuaries.
"Greenland's shrinking glaciers are sending an urgent warning to the world that action is needed now to stop climate change," said Martina Krueger, Greenpeace Expedition Leader on board the Arctic Sunrise. "How many more urgent warnings does the Bush Administration need before it takes meaningful action on climate change?" said Krueger.
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