Gigantic Greenland glacier growing after years of melting: NASA
- 5 years ago
A major glacier in Greenland,... that was one of the fastest shrinking ice and snow masses on Earth is growing again.
However, NASA says the growth is just temporary.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
This is the Jakobshavn Glacier seen in 2015,... a major mass of ice in Greenland,... considered one of the fastest shrinking ice and snow masses on Earth.
Since 2012, it's been retreating about 3 kilometers and thinning nearly 40 meters annually.
However, a new report by NASA shows the glacier has started growing again.
"Between 2016 and 2017 from two separate NASA airborne missions we found that near the front of the glacier has thickened by up to 30 meters. That's almost a hundred feet in one year and between 2017 and 2018 the same thing again. The difference in the latter year is that this thickening has extended far upstream compared to the 2016 2017 period. So this effect is continuing."
Scientists say a natural cyclic cooling of North Atlantic waters is the likely cause.
They say the latest regrowth in ice,... coincides with a flip of the North Atlantic Oscillation,... a natural and temporary cooling and warming of parts of the ocean.
While the growth may be welcome news,... experts believe the change is temporary,... and may even be bad news in the long run.
"In the long run it's actually bad news because we demonstrate, this study demonstrates how sensitive this glacier and probably others in Greenland, how sensitive it is to ocean variability and is specifically and particularly the temperature of the ocean."
In Greenland as a whole,... there's enough ice in the ice sheet to raise global sea levels by seven meters.
Scientists say they plan to continue observing the latest trends at the Jakobshavn glacier.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
However, NASA says the growth is just temporary.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
This is the Jakobshavn Glacier seen in 2015,... a major mass of ice in Greenland,... considered one of the fastest shrinking ice and snow masses on Earth.
Since 2012, it's been retreating about 3 kilometers and thinning nearly 40 meters annually.
However, a new report by NASA shows the glacier has started growing again.
"Between 2016 and 2017 from two separate NASA airborne missions we found that near the front of the glacier has thickened by up to 30 meters. That's almost a hundred feet in one year and between 2017 and 2018 the same thing again. The difference in the latter year is that this thickening has extended far upstream compared to the 2016 2017 period. So this effect is continuing."
Scientists say a natural cyclic cooling of North Atlantic waters is the likely cause.
They say the latest regrowth in ice,... coincides with a flip of the North Atlantic Oscillation,... a natural and temporary cooling and warming of parts of the ocean.
While the growth may be welcome news,... experts believe the change is temporary,... and may even be bad news in the long run.
"In the long run it's actually bad news because we demonstrate, this study demonstrates how sensitive this glacier and probably others in Greenland, how sensitive it is to ocean variability and is specifically and particularly the temperature of the ocean."
In Greenland as a whole,... there's enough ice in the ice sheet to raise global sea levels by seven meters.
Scientists say they plan to continue observing the latest trends at the Jakobshavn glacier.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.