And that in turn represented a doubling of flow speeds since 1997. The ice stream's speed-up and near-doubling of ice flow from land into the ocean has increased the rate of sea level rise by about .06 millimeters (about .002 inches) per year, or roughly 4 percent of the 20th century rate of sea level increase. Slide a wooden block across a table or desk. Jakobshavn Isbræ (Jakobshavn Glacier) is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. Currently, there’s no good way for ice scientists to measure such slow velocities in one measurement. Individual glacier behavior—such as glacier speed, thickening, and retreat—responds to climate change AND to local conditions and short-term (year-to-year) variations. Researchers from the University of Washington and the German Space Agency (DLR) measured the dramatic speeds of the fast-flowing glacier in 2012 and 2013. In the summer of 2012 the glacier reached a record speed of more than 17 kilometres per year, or over 46 metres per day. Icebergs “calve” from glaciers – they break off and drift out to sea. (Death Is No Big Deal), Standing on the Brink of Hope: November 30th, 2020 Lunar Eclipse, Horoscope Current Week: November 30 - December 6, 2020, Chiron and the Psychoastrology® of the United States of America, Living A Whole Life Is A Choice You Make and A Stand You Take, Working in Harmony with Life-Force Energy, Do Not Confuse Liking and Loving: Love Overcomes Hate, Why Are We Here? Weßling, Germany They expected to find a decline in ice thickness when they embarked on a study of radar observations of 402 lakes near Barrow in Alaska from the European earth resources satellites ERS-1 and ERS-2. The fastest glacier in Greenland, the Jakobshavn Isbrae (Glacier), or more correctly in Inuit: Sermeq Kujalleq, has seen an average speed increase of 300 percent since the mid-1990s and 400 percent in the peak summer season. This research is presented in the brief communication ‘Further summer speedup of Jakobshavn Isbræ’ to appear in the EGU open access journal The Cryosphere on 3 February 2014. This means that, even though the glacier is flowing towards the coast and carrying more ice into the ocean, its calving front is actually retreating. Meanwhile, the Jakobshavn Glacier in the south-west is moving faster than ever. media@egu.eu. Here we present observations of surface velocity, mélange rigidity, and surface elevation to examine its behaviour over the last decade. “We know that from 2000 to 2010 this glacier alone increased sea level by about 1mm”, said Ian Joughin, of the Polar Science Centre at the University of Washington, who led the research. The speed of Greenland's fastest glacier, Jakobshavn Isbræ, has varied substantially since its speed-up in the late 1990s. Seattle, Washington, USA In recent years, its flow into the sea has only increased. The finding is important for many reasons. Abstract. German Aerospace Center (DLR) We use terrestrial radar interferometric observations from August 2012 to characterize the events that led to record-high flow. For information regarding the press centre at the meeting and media registration, please check http://media.egu.eu. The European Geosciences Union (www.egu.eu) is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. Jakobshavn is one of the fastest moving glaciers, flowing at its terminus at speeds that used to be around 20 metres (66 ft) per day but are over 45 metres (150 ft) per day when averaged annually, with summer speeds even higher (as measured 2012-2013). Principal Engineer and Affiliate Professor, Earth and Space Sciences Glacier elevation (b) and velocity (c) are presented as a function of distance inland from a reference position (marked by a star and labelled 'Zero'). The Jakobshavn Isbrae (the Danish word for glacier) is a massive river of ice from the Greenland ice sheet to an Atlantic ocean fjord and is thought – there is no way of proving this – to be the source of the giant iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912. Will The Tropics Eventually Become Uninhabitable? Principal Physicist and Affiliate Associate Professor, Earth and Space Sciences 2 In just one day—between July 6 and 7, 2010—satellite images showed that Jakobshavn Isbrae lost approximately 2.7 square miles (7 square kilometers) of ice area. EGU, the European Geosciences Union, is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. At a point a few kilometres inland from the terminus, the mean annual speed for 2012 is nearly three times as great as that in the mid-1990s, while the peak sum- Greenland's Jakobshavn glacier dumps more water into the ocean in a day than New York City uses in one month, and that rate is double what it was merely a decade ago. The 2014 EGU General Assembly is taking place is Vienna, Austria from 27 April to 2 May 2014. "We are now seeing summer speeds more … Since measurements of Jakobshavn Isbrae were first taken in 1850, the glacier has gradually receded, finally coming to rest at a certain point for the past 5 decades. Full citation: Joughin, I., Smith, B. E., Shean, D. E., and Floricioiu, D.: Brief Communication: Further summer speedup of Jakobshavn Isbræ, The Cryosphere, 8, 209-214, doi:10.5194/tc-8-209-2014, 2014. That's 11 miles (17 kilometers) per year. The Arctic ice sheet is thinning, and most of the planet’s glaciers are retreating as climates warm, so the Jakobshavn glacier is carrying less ice, at a faster rate, over shorter distances than ever before, and by the end of the century could have shifted 50 kilometres upstream. The ice stream's speed-up and near-doubling of ice flow from land into the ocean has increased the rate of sea level rise by about .06 millimeters (about .002 inches) per year, or roughly 4 percent of the 20th century rate of sea level increase. "> +1-206-221-8727 Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington Thus, the Jakobshavn Glacier, which was already considered to be one of Greenland's fastest – if not the fastest – is now said to have reached record-breaking moving speeds. He won the Association of British Science Writers award for science writer of the year four times. Jakobshavn’s current speed of flow is about 15,000 meters per year. Please mention the name of the publication (The Cryosphere) if reporting on this story and, if reporting online, include a link to the paper (http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/209/2014/tc-8-209-2014.html) or to the journal website (http://www.the-cryosphere.net). Read more at Wikipedia Jakobshavn Glacier, InnerSelf.com | Mighty Natural.com | Climate Impact News.com | Wholistic Politics.com. The speed of the Jakobshavn Isbræ — the Jakobshavn Glacier — in western Greenland was measured by researchers from the University of Washington and … She's Canadian and I am an American. However, from 1997 to 2003, the glacier has begun to recede again, this time almost doubling in speed. “We know that from 2000 to 2010 this glacier alone increased sea level by about 1 mm. Warming conditions in the Arctic contribute to glacier acceleration in multiple ways. That was because they already had temperature and precipitation records from Barrow dating back five decades. These appear to be the fastest flow rates recorded for any glacier or ice stream in … Located on the west coast of Greenland, Jakobshavn Isbræ is one of the most rapidly shrinking glaciers in the world. Scientists track the calving rate and speed of Jakobshavn in part because the glacier is responsible for draining a large portion of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Here we present observations of surface velocity, mélange rigidity, and surface elevation to examine its behaviour over the last decade. In summer 2012, Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier raced more than 150 feet (46 meters) per day, faster than any glacier on Earth. from Jakobshavn Isbrae to investigate the processes driving its dynamic evolution. You'll need a small wooden block and an ice cube. Try this simple experiment for yourself. Jakobshavn Isbræ is Greenland's largest outlet glacier1, draining about 6.5 per cent of the ice-sheet area, and it has been surveyed repeatedly since 1991 (ref. "> +49-89-2180-6703 What Is The Main Thing Keeping People Divided and Stuck? They note that summer speeds are temporary, with the glacier flowing more slowly over the winter months. NASA research shows that Jakobshavn Glacier, which has been Greenland's fastest-flowing and fastest-thinning glacier for the last 20 years, has made an unexpected about-face. The Jakobshavn Glacier moves slower in the winter, but its average flow speed is three times what it was back in the 1990s, according to the news release. In summer 2012, Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier raced more than 150 feet (46 meters) per day, faster than any glacier on Earth. In the summer of 2012, the glacier reached a record speed of more than 17km per year - more than 46m per day. Jakobshavn Isbræ (Jakobshavn Glacier) is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. Jakobshavn Isbræ is Greenland's largest outlet glacier, draining about 6.5 per cent of the ice-sheet area, and it has been surveyed repeatedly since 1991 (ref. Greenland ; Qaasuitsup Municipality ; Ilulissat ; Things to do in Ilulissat ; Jakobshavn Glacier; Search. The finding is important for many reasons. The speed at which Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier is retreating doubled from 1996 to 2005 (Rignot and Kanagaratnam, 2006;Kerr, 2006). "> +1-206-616-9176 dshean@uw.edu, Dana Floricioiu It is important to understand recent changes in the velocity of Greenland glaciers because the mass balance of the Greenland Ice Sheet is partly determined by the flow rates of these outlets. Calved icebergs from the nearby Twin Glaciers are seen floating on the water on 30 July, 2013 in Qaqortoq, Greenland. The researchers produced the data presented in the study under the NASA-sponsored Greenland Ice Mapping Project, and carried out the analysis of the data at the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets, sponsored by the US National Science Foundation. Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon. Wow - what a Glacier Now, Ive seen a few glaciers in my time, but nothing as spectacular as this! Scientists track the calving rate and speed of Jakobshavn in part because the glacier is responsible for draining a large portion of the Greenland Ice Sheet. As the Arctic region warms, Greenland glaciers such as Jakobshavn Isbræ have been thinning and calving icebergs further and further inland. On average, the glacier moved nearly three times faster in 2012 than it did in the mid-1990s. The new observations of slowing for Jakobshavn Glacier in NO WAY call into question rapid climate change. We must find common ground between young and old, Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative to truly make…, The "slogan" or sub-title for the InnerSelf website is "New Attitudes---New Possibilities", and that is exactly the theme of this week's newsletter. Jakobshavn Isbrae in Greenland is generally considered to be the fastest glacier in the world, with speeds of up to 40 metres per day. The purpose of our articles and authors is to…, Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier Picks Up Speed To The Ocean, Marie T Russell and Robert Jennings, InnerSelf.com, contributing to sea level rise at a faster rate, International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. Header image: Iceberg from Jakobshavn Isbræ, Disko Bay. Warmer climate conditions means thinner cover on shallow lakes and a smaller fraction that freeze entirely during the winter months. Science that Changed the World: The untold story of the other 1960s revolutionby Tim Radford. In the summer of 2012, Jakobshavn accelerated to speeds not seen before, surging at a rate of 17 kilometers (10 miles) per year. He served on the UK committee for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. By 2003, this glacier—already among the world's fastest-moving—reached speeds of more than 7.8 miles (12.6 kilometers) per year. This speedup of Jakobshavn Isbræ means that the glacier is adding more and more ice to the ocean, contributing to sea-level rise. The ice stream's speed-up and near-doubling of ice flow from land into the ocean has increased the rate of sea level riseby abou… Why the speed-up? What this means is the glacier is adding more ice to the ocean, which increases the sea-level. Copyright ©1985 - 2019 InnerSelf Publications. browser does not have JavaScript enabled, or does not The Jakobshavn Glacier, the largest glacier in Greenland is moving ice from land into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. Jakobshavn Isbrae is Greenland's largest outlet glacier, draining 6.5 percent of Greenland's ice sheet area. TRI is a … (Kindle book). He has lectured about science and the media in dozens of British and foreign cities. In the last decade, it has more than doubled its speed, zipping down the slope at 12,600 meters per year, or just short of eight miles per year [source: NASA]. “We are now seeing summer speeds more than 4 times what they were in the 1990s on a glacier which at that time was believed to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, glacier in Greenland,” says Ian Joughin, a researcher at the Polar Science Center, University of Washington and lead-author of the study. The team used satellite data to measure the speed of the glacier as part of US National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA studies. These speeds are recorded in the summer, when all glaciers are more likely to be a bit friskier. Here's why that is good and bad. “At the end of the analysis, when looking at trend analysis results, we were stunned to observe such a dramatic ice decline during a period of only 20 years”, Surdu said. “We were stunned to observe such a dramatic ice decline during a period of only 20 years”. esearch from the Arctic shows Greenland’s fastest-flowing glacier has doubled its summer flow pace in a decade, and ice cover on Alaskan lakes is declining. “Jakobshavn Glacier is of interest because it is the fastest-moving glacier in the world and drains about 7.5 percent of the Greenland Ice Sheet. The results are published today in The Cryosphere, an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU). As the glacier moves we can track changes between images to produce maps of the ice flow velocity,” says Joughin. However, from 1997 to 2006, the glacier has begun to recede again, this time almost doubling in speed. Jakobshavn Glacier. The Jakobshavn Glacier, the largest glacier in Greenland is moving ice from land into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. Researchers from the University of Washington and the German Space Agency (DLR) measured the dramatic speeds of the fast-flowing glacier in 2012 and 2013. With the additional speed it likely will contribute a bit more than this over the next decade,” explains Joughin. Find out how it beat the glacial speed record and see more beautiful photos. Jakobshavn Isbræ (Jakobshavn Glacier) is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. The team is composed of Ian Joughin, Benjamin E. Smith and David E. Shean from the University of Washington, Seattle, US, and Dana Floricioiu from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Weßling, Germany. But other satellite radar imagery has begun to reveal an ominous picture of change elsewhere in the Arctic, on the north slope of Alaska. Its annual General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geosciences event, attracting over 11,000 scientists from all over the world. You'll need a small wooden block and an ice cube. Having a map of Jakobshavn’s bed has been a long-time goal of glaciologists. Try this simple experiment for yourself. Remote Sensing Technology Institute It now moves at 17 kilometres a year. Munich, Germany The Jakobshavn Isbrae (the Danish word for glacier) is a massive river of ice from the Greenland ice sheet to an Atlantic ocean fjord and is thought – there is no way of proving this – to be the source of the giant iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912. The fastest ice flow in Greenland is the glacier Jakobshavn, which moves at the blazingly slow speed of about 16 kilometers in a year—about 180 centimeters per hour. This visualization was created to support a talk at the Fall 2004 AGU meeting. “We used computers to compare pairs of images acquired by the German Space Agency’s (DLR) TerraSAR-X satellites. Scientists estimate the glacier added about 1 millimeter to global sea levels from 2000 to 2010; its faster flow into the ocean means Jakobshavn will add even more water over the current decade. These images, produced using GLISTIN-A radar data as part of NASA's Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) mission, show how much mass the glacier gained from 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. Greenland’s Jakobshavn Glacier Picks Up Speed … According to research published in the European Geosciences Union journal The Cryosphere, summer flow speeds have doubled yet again since a Nasa measurement in 2003. Notice that the flow speed of the glacier has increased significantly from 1992 to 2000. Greenland Is Melting: We Need To Worry About What’s Happening On The Largest Island In The World, 3 Reasons For Information Exhaustion and What To Do About It, Watch Your Ums and Uhs -- Spoken Communication Is About More Than Words, COVID-19 Is Triggering More End-of-Life Planning – and Young People Want In On The Discussions, The Silver Lining: Reflecting on 2020's Challenges and Opportunities, 3 Ways Physical Activity Changes The Brain's Very Structure, America: Hitching Our Wagon to the World and to the Stars. INNERSELF - Watch the spectacular calving of the glacier as caught on film in the Academy Award nominated documentary Chasing Ice. “As the glacier’s calving front retreats into deeper regions, it loses ice – the ice in front that is holding back the flow – causing it to speed up,” Joughin clarifies. Many glaciers in Greenland and in the Antarctic Peninsula are accelerating, which is generally attributed to warmer conditions and more meltwater lubricating the bed of the glacier. 2). These flow rates are unprecedented: they appear to be the fastest ever recorded for any glacier or ice stream in Greenland or Antarctica, the researchers say. What Does It Feels Like To Die? This week, we reflect on the question: "where do we go from here?" You need to be fairly fit to withstand the journey there, which Id say was a tad more than bumpy!. Many glaciers in Greenland and in the Antarctic Peninsula are accelerating, which is generally attributed to warmer conditions and more meltwater lubricating the bed of the glacier. A fast-moving Arctic glacier which has earned a place in history is now accelerating even more quickly. Jakobshavn Isbræ is Greenland's largest outlet glacier1, draining about 6.5 per cent of the ice-sheet area, and it has been surveyed repeatedly since 1991 (ref. Slide a wooden block across a table or desk. On average, the glacier moved nearly three times faster in 2012 than it did in the mid-1990s. It is a non-profit interdisciplinary learned association of scientists founded in 2002. A fast-moving Arctic glacier which has earned a place in history is now accelerating even more quickly. This article originally appeared on Climate News Network. EGU Media and Communications Manager Researchers from the University of Washington and the German Space Agency (DLR) measured the dramatic speeds of the fast-flowing glacier in 2012 and 2013. The scientists used satellite data to measure the rate of summer change in Greenland. The Jakobshavn Glacier, which is believed to have been the source of the iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912, was recorded moving at roughly 10 miles per year – the fastest speed ever recorded. Sometimes glaciers surge -- they move up to 10 times faster than their usual speed. support it. The EGU has a current portfolio of 15 diverse scientific journals, which use an innovative open access format, and organises a number of topical meetings, and education and outreach activities. Subscribed journalists and other members of the media receive EGU press releases under embargo (if applicable) 24 hours in advance of public dissemination. In summer, the Jakobshavn Glacier - widely thought to have spawned the iceberg that sank the Titanic - is moving about four times faster than it was in the 1990s. New NASA data shows that Jakobshavn Glacier — Greenland's fastest-moving and fastest-thinning glacier for most of the 2000s — grew from 2018 into 2019, marking three consecutive years of growth. The calving front of the glacier is now located in a deeper area of the fjord, where the underlying rock bed is about 1300 metres below sea level, which the scientists say explains the record speeds it has achieved. Jakobshavn Isbrae is Greenland's largest outlet glacier, draining 6.5 percent of Greenland's ice sheet area. Research from the Arctic shows Greenland’s fastest-flowing glacier has doubled its summer flow pace in a decade, and ice cover on Alaskan lakes is declining. 15,16 The speed at which Jakobshavn Isbræ glacier is retreating doubled from 1996 to 2005. dana.floricioiu@dlr.de, Bárbara Ferreira The fastest ice flow in Greenland is the glacier Jakobshavn, which moves at the blazingly slow speed of about 16 kilometers in a year—about 180 centimeters per hour. What's Next For American Evangelicals After Trump Leaves Office? As you learned in the video, the speed of the Jakobshavn glacier dramatically increased from one foot per day to 113 feet per day, largely due to meltwater seeping underneath the glacier. Jakobshavn Isbræ, which is widely believed to be the glacier that produced the large iceberg that sank the Titanic in 1912, drains the Greenland ice sheet into a deep ocean fjord on the coast of the island. 2). bsmith@apl.washington.edu, David Shean Click here for more info and/or to order this book on Amazon. The new observations show that in summer of 2012 the glacier reached a record speed of more than 10.5 miles (17 kilometers) per year, or more than 150 feet (46 meters) per day. 2). Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington The Chain Around His Heart and The Time for Healing. The speed of Jakobshavn Glacier varied between 5,700 and 12,600 metres (18,700 and 41,300 ft) per year between 1992 and 2003. How Urban Forests Add To Cities’ Health And Wealth, These Hottest Years Will Soon Be Our New Normal And Then Some, Clouds Slow Down Warming In The Short Term, Plant Biodiversity Is At Risk As The Climate Changes, Why Climate Change Is Making Autumn Leaves Change…, Take Caution: Winter Drownings May Increase As Ice…, Greenland Is Melting: We Need To Worry About What’s…, The North's Climate Change Trifecta: Heat Waves,…, Shrinking Glaciers Have Created An Imbalance For…, Why Are News Outlets Still Giving A Platform To…, The Arctic Hasn't Been This Warm For 3 Million Years…. Tim Radford is a freelance journalist. By the end of this century, its calving front could retreat as far back as the head of the fjord through which the glacier flows, about 50 km upstream from where it is today. Key Facts. The speed of the Jakobshavn Isbræ — the Jakobshavn Glacier — in western Greenland was measured by researchers from the University of Washington and … Just as with any rite of passage, whether graduation, marriage, birth of a child, a pivotal election, or the loss (or finding) of a…, Well, the US presidential election is now behind us and it's time to take stock. The red flow lines are from 1992 data; the blue flow lines are 2000 data. Jakobshavn Isbrae is Greenland's largest outlet glacier, draining 6.5 percent of Greenland's ice sheet area. As more ice moves from glaciers on land into the ocean, it raises sea levels. Jakobshavn Glacier produces around 10% of all Greenland icebergs; that's around 4 billion tons of ice entering the sea. We have extended the record of flow speed on Jakobshavn Isbræ through the summer of 2013. "> +49 8153 28-1763 On average, the glacier moved nearly three times faster in 2012 than it did in the mid-1990s. With accelerations like this, phrases like “glacial pace” may no longer serve as clichés of lethargic movement. Geosciences Instrumentation and Data Systems, Geochemistry, Mineralogy, Petrology & Volcanology, Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Palaeontology, Greenland’s fastest glacier reaches record speeds, http://www.the-cryosphere.net/8/209/2014/tc-8-209-2014.html, Brief Communication: Further summer speedup of Jakobshavn Isbræ, Read this press release in simplified language, Iceberg in front of Jakobshavn Isbræ calving front, Tabular iceberg in front of the Jakobshavn Isbræ terminus. Jakobshavn Isbrae in Greenland is generally considered to be the fastest glacier in the world, with speeds of up to 40 metres per day. "We know that from 2000 to 2010 this glacier alone increased sea level by about [.04] of an inch. "> +1-206-221-3177 This week, we focus on seeing things differently... of looking from a different perspective, with an open mind and an open heart. The speed of Greenland's fastest glacier, Jakobshavn Isbræ, has varied substantially since its speed-up in the late 1990s. NASA research shows that Jakobshavn Glacier, which has been Greenland's fastest-flowing and fastest-thinning glacier for the last 20 years, has made an unexpected about-face. Both of these processes contribute about the same amount to sea-level rise from Greenland. But even when averaged over the whole year, the glacier’s flow has accelerated threefold since the 1990s. In the summer of 2012, Jakobshavn accelerated to speeds not seen before, surging at a rate of 17 kilometers (10 miles) per year. In the summer of 2012 the glacier reached a record speed of more than 17 kilometres per year, or over 46 metres per day. If you wish to receive our press releases via email, please use the Press Release Subscription Form at http://www.egu.eu/news/subscribe/. On average, the glacier moved nearly three times faster in 2012 than it did in the mid-1990s. The Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland spent many years moving between 5,700 and 6,700 meters per year. Cristina Surdu of the University of Waterloo in Canada and colleagues report in The Cryosphere that there has been a 22% fall in grounded ice – frozen from surface to lakebed – between 1991 and 2011. It was established in September 2002 as a merger of the European Geophysical Society (EGS) and the European Union of Geosciences (EUG), and has headquarters in Munich, Germany. Abstract. Jakobshavn Isbræ, a tidewater glacier that produces some of Greenland’s largest icebergs andhighestspeeds,reachedrecord-highflowratesin2012(Joughinandothers,2014).Weuseterrestrial ... term variations in speed on long-term glacier dynamics. Since measurements of Jakobshavn Isbrae were first taken in 1850, the glacier has gradually receded, finally coming to rest at a certain point for the past 5 decades. ... but many factors can speed or slow the rate of ice loss." The Jakobshavn Glacier is located in the southern half of Greenland, which is warmer than the northern part and closer to the Gulf Stream. But right now it is also contributing to sea level rise at a faster rate. The meeting’s sessions cover a wide range of topics, including volcanology, planetary exploration, the Earth’s internal structure and atmosphere, climate, energy, and resources. Jakobshavn Isbræ, a tidewater glacier that produces some of Greenland's largest icebergs and highest speeds, reached record-high flow rates in 2012 (Joughin and others, 2014). An iceberg calved from the rapidly accelerating Jakobshavn Isbræ floats in Greenland’s Disko Bay (Image: Courtesy of Ian Joughin, PSC/APL/UW). But they add that even the annually averaged speedup over the past couple of years is nearly 3 times what it was in the 1990s. We relate changes in glacier speed to geometry through variations My wife Marie and I are a mixed couple. Even during the winter months, ice on the lakes of Alaska has begun to decline. Ian Joughin ian@apl.washington.edu, Ben Smith Speed Boats Tours in Ilulissat; Kayaking & Canoeing in Ilulissat; 4WD, ATV & Off-Road Tours in Ilulissat; Adrenaline & Extreme Tours in Ilulissat; ... Jakobshavn Glacier Reviews: 5/5. Jakobshavn Isbræ (Jakobshavn Glacier) is moving ice from the Greenland ice sheet into the ocean at a speed that appears to be the fastest ever recorded. The researchers believe Jakobshavn Isbræ is in an unstable state, meaning it will continue to retreat further inland in the future. While winterflowspeedhasnotincreased substantially overthelast threewinters, thereremains a strong seasonal variation in flow speed that coincides with a cycle of summer thinning and winter thickening. That works out at 46 metres a day. Seattle, Washington, USA That's 11 … Jakobshavn Isbræ, an outlet glacier off the west coast of Greenland, is losing mass faster than previously thought, due to increased melt water passing through it, as reported in a new paper.The glacier’s rapid trajectory of thinning may well represent the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) ice loss rate in the near future, which could mean faster sea level rise than currently projected. These flow rates are unprecedented: they appear to be the fastest ever recorded for any glacier or ice stream in Greenland or Antarctica, the researchers say. Jakobshavn is now flowing more slowly, thickening, and advancing toward the ocean instead of retreating farther inland. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and stay up to date with the latest EGU news. Byrd Glacier is also moving faster than average, but unlike many other glaciers, has been sounded in the past. This visualization shows flow directions and relative speeds of the Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland. 6 NASA research shows that Jakobshavn Glacier, which has been Greenland’s fastest-flowing and fastest-thinning glacier for the last 20 years, has made an unexpected about-face. Warmer conditions can send meltwater to the glacier’s base, increasing lubrication and consequently glacier speed. The speed at which Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier is retreating doubled from 1996 to 2005 (Rignot and Kanagaratnam, 2006;Kerr, 2006). Seattle, Washington, USA How and Why We Use Social Media, Why I Should Ignore COVID-19 and Why I Won't. As you learned in the video, the speed of the Jakobshavn glacier dramatically increased from one foot per day to 113 feet per day, largely due to meltwater seeping underneath the glacier. For the past 15 years we have spent our winters in Florida and our summers in Nova Scotia. These new data reveal large seasonal speedups, 30 to 50% greater than previous summers. He worked for The Guardian for 32 years, becoming (among other things) letters editor, arts editor, literary editor and science editor. Jakobshavn is now flowing more slowly, thickening, and advancing toward the ocean instead of retreating farther inland. In 2012 and 2013, the front retreated more than a kilometre further inland than in previous summers, the scientists write in the new The Cryosphere study. At its calving front, where the glacier effectively ends as it breaks off into icebergs, some of the ice melts while the rest is pushed out, floating into the ocean. Some features of www.egu.eu will not appear or function properly if your In the case of Jakobshavn Isbræ, the thinning and retreat coincides with an increase in speed. The Jakobshavn glacier is Greenland’s fastest-flowing glacier. Melting of Greenland's glaciers contributes to sea-level rise, 2,3,4 and is expected to fuel global warming. Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Lab, University of Washington The unprecedented speed appears to be the fastest ever recorded for any glacier or ice stream in Greenland or Antarctica, the researchers report in the journal The Cryosphere. Currently, there’s no good way for ice scientists to measure such slow velocities in one measurement. PhD Student All Rights Reserved. Jakobshavn is now flowing more slowly, thickening, and advancing toward the ocean instead of retreating farther inland. The Jakobshavn glacier in Greenland slowed down and gained mass. Freeze dates in the region are now occurring on average six days later than in the past, and the ice is breaking up on average around 18 days earlier. Abstract. “With the additional speed it will likely contribute a bit more than this over the next decade.”. A new study has found that the Jakobshavn Glacier, in the south-west of Greenland, is moving more than 17 kilometres per year, or over 46 metres per day. Receive our press releases via email, please check http: //media.egu.eu 30 July, 2013 in Qaqortoq Greenland! Winters in Florida and our summers in Nova Scotia British science Writers award for writer..., please use the press centre at the Fall 2004 AGU meeting -... Are 2000 data s flow has accelerated threefold since the 1990s created support... In the south-west is moving faster than their usual speed the question: `` where do we go here... Glacier moves we can track changes between images to produce maps of the other revolutionby... An increase in speed since its speed-up jakobshavn glacier speed the past 15 years we have extended the record of flow on!, an open access journal of the most rapidly shrinking glaciers in the of! The south-west is moving faster than their usual speed kilometers ) per year between 1992 and 2003 like! Or slow the rate of summer change in Greenland the summer, when glaciers... 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