Heartbreaking photos illustrates Arctic glaciers’ retreat in the last century

Photographer Christian Åslund, often commissioned by Greenpeace, has been working on a project since 2002: focusing on visual research of glaciers in Svalbard in the Arctic and documenting their retreat over time. This work contrasts current images with archival photos from the Norwegian Polar Institute dating back to the early 1900s.

Earlier this year, Christian boarded Greenpeace ship The Witness, to return to revisit some of the glaciers he first captured in 2002, while also documenting new ones for his ongoing project. 

In Christian’s own words, 

“At so many of the glaciers I photographed for this series, we saw the same story – ice walls completely gone and glaciers retreating back into nothing. They illustrate just how quickly our planet is changing as the climate crisis worsens. The Arctic is our climate sentinel – it’s where the climate and ocean crises converge, and where the impacts of these crises are seen first and felt most keenly.”

In 2002 the documentation of the iconic Blomstrandbreen glacier showed that the glacier had retreated nearly 2 km since 1928, with an accelerated rate of 35 metres lost per year since 1960 and even higher in the past decade. The shocking images since, only illustrate the terrifying extent to which Arctic glaciers have retreated in the last century.

Glacier comparison images –   Blomstrandbreen, Svalbard

Glacier comparison images – Ny Alesund, Svalbard

The rapid warming of the Arctic has significant global consequences. Melting glaciers and ice sheets contribute to rising sea levels, while the loss of sea ice exposes a darker ocean that absorbs heat rather than reflecting it, leading to widespread changes in weather patterns. The climate and ocean crises are deeply intertwined; as the climate crisis intensifies, the ocean’s capacity to mitigate its most severe effects, support coastal communities, and sustain marine ecosystems is being undermined at an unprecedented scale.

Glacier comparison images –   Kongsbreen

Glacier comparison images-  Nordenskioldbreen

Glacier comparison images – Tempelfjorden

Glacier comparison images – Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Glacier comparison images –  Lovénbreen

Protecting the oceans is essential. Safeguarding 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 through a network of ocean sanctuaries. Greenpeace is urging governments to ratify the UN Ocean Treaty by June 2025 to initiate the establishment of sanctuaries in the high seas across at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.

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