Arctic glacier caught speeding

Independent scientists on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise have made a dramatic discovery about the Greenland glacier Kangerdlugssuaq. Preliminary findings show that the speed of the glacier has increased beyond all expectations and it is now travelling at three times the speed it was in 1988 making it one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world.

Any changes in the speed of these glaciers has tremendous significance in terms of global sea level rise.

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 with which they move holds tremendous significance in terms of sea level rise.

Dr. Gordon Hamilton from the University of Main is on board the ship and conducted the measurements on Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier 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.

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 kilometers per year in 1996. In addition, Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier unexpectedly receded approximately five kilometres since 2001 after maintaining a stable position for the past 40 years.

The Greenland Ice Sheet could melt down if regional warming exceeds about three degrees Celsius. If this were to occur, sea levels would rise approximately seven metres over a few thousand years. However, a half a metre to one metre rise in sea levels 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. How many more urgent warnings do Blair and Bush need before they take meaningful action on climate change?

Read the expedition weblog to find out more about Greenpeace's work investigating climate change impacts in Greenland.