This map shows which areas of the Greenland glacier are shrinking and
which are growing.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of NASA
Scientists Find Greenland Glacier Shrinking
Using an airborne laser altimeter, scientists have measured changes in the thickness of the Greenland glacier over the past five years. While some parts of it have grown, overall the glacier has been shrinking. In some places, such as near the southeast coast, it has shrunk up to 30 feet over five years. "Why they are behaving like this is a mystery," said Bill Krabill, Principal Investigator at the Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, "but it might indicate that the coastal margins of ice sheets are capable of responding quite rapidly to external changes, such as a potential warming of the climate." Scientists originally flew across the southern part of the Greenland glacier in 1993 and then reflew the same routes in 1998 with the help of the Global Positioning System. These measurements will be augmented by NASA's ICESAT spacecraft, which is scheduled to launch in 2001.What's New on the Site?
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