The 79°N Glacier


The (currently) longest glacier tongue in Greenland extends over a length of about 80 km long and 20-30 km width. It covers an entire long-stretched fjord with 100 to 600 m thick glacial ice. Underneath there is a cave up to 900 m deep into which warm ocean water flows continuously. The 1°C-warm water drives melting at the bottom of the glacier tongue. The meltwater in turn mixes with the surrounding water and flows out of the cavity. How will this interaction change in the future under rising air and ocean temperatures?