Kangerlussuaq Glacier
| Kangerlussuaq Glacier | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Kangerlugssuaq Glacier | |
  Location within Greenland | |
| Location | Greenland |
| Coordinates | 68°38′N 33°0′W / 68.633°N 33.000°W |
| Thickness | 3km |
| Terminus | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Status | retreating |
Kangerlussuaq Glacier (Greenlandic: Kangerlussuaq, transl. large fjord; old spelling Kangerdlugssuaq) is the largest glacier on the southeast coast of the Greenland ice sheet,[1] and one of its largest outlet glaciers.[2][3] It was discovered in 1930.[4]
The glacier is tidewater-terminating,[5] with its front edges reaching all the way to the sea.[6] It flows into the head of the Kangerlussuaq Fjord, the second largest fjord in East Greenland,[3] with a 1km-high calving front.[4]
Observations of the glacier have been made since 1932.[7]
The glacier has a retrograde bed slope (a bed that deepens inland) that lies below sea level, making it potentially susceptible to Marine Ice Sheet Instability.[8]
Ice discharge
The Kangerlussuaq Glacier discharges around 24 Gt of ice per year into the ocean. This is about 5% of the Greenland ice sheet's total discharge.[1][5][7] This glacier together with Helheim Glacier represents 35% of East Greenland's discharge.[6]
Between 1900 and 2012, the Kangerlussuaq Glacier lost approximately 1400 Gt of ice, averaging around 12 Gt per year,[8] including 158 Gt between 1972 and 2018.[4] Between 2000 and 2012, the Kangerlussuaq discharged 105 Gt, which represented about 14% of the Greenland ice sheet's total discharge for the period.[7]
This melting is not uniform, with no significant ice loss during the cold period in the 1960s and 1970s,[8] and the glacier shrinking dramatically between 2004 and 2005, dumping twice as much ice into the sea.[6] After the 2004–2005 event, ice discharge was at least 30% higher than before.[2]
Future predictions
It is estimated that Kangerlussuaq Glacier could retreat significantly before 2100, potentially discharging up to 5 times more ice than it has in the past century.[9]
Extent
The Kangerlussuaq Glacier likely reached its maximum extent during the Little Ice Age in approximately 1450–1850.[2]
In 1932–1933, the glacier experienced a 9km retreat, larger than any of its recent retreat events, after its ice tongue (the floating part of the glacier) collapsed.[2] In the following decades, the glacier remained relatively stable before beginning to gradually retreat during the 1990s.[4][7] It retreated by 5 km between April 2004 and April 2005, then advanced by ∼200m per year between 2008 and 2016.[7] In 2016–2018, the glacier retreated approximately 5km,[2][7] and, by 2018, the glacier had retreated further inland than at any time in the previous 80 years.[5] However, in the winter of 2018–2019, the glacier began to advance again.[4]
Thinning
The glacier is approximately 3km thick.[4]
Between the Little Ice Age and 1981, the glacier thinned by 230–260m.[2] Between 2003 and 2007, the glacier thinned by over 100m.[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 "Tidal glaciers in Greenland". German Aerospace Center. 13 September 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vermassen, Flor; Bjørk, Anders A.; Sicre, Marie-Alexandrine; Jaeger, John M.; Wangner, David J.; Kjeldsen, Kristian K.; Siggaard-Andersen, Marie-Louise; Klein, Vincent; Mouginot, Jeremie; Kjær, Kurt H.; Andresen, Camilla S. (2020). "A Major Collapse of Kangerlussuaq Glacier's Ice Tongue Between 1932 and 1933 in East Greenland". Geophysical Research Letters. 47 (4). doi:10.1029/2019GL085954. ISSN 1944-8007.
- 1 2 "Earth from Space: Kangerlussuaq Glacier". The European Space Agency. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Barnett, Jamie; Holmes, Felicity A.; Kirchner, Nina (23 August 2022). "Modelled dynamic retreat of Kangerlussuaq Glacier, East Greenland, strongly influenced by the consecutive absence of an ice mélange in Kangerlussuaq Fjord". Journal of Glaciology. 69 (275): 433–444. doi:10.1017/jog.2022.70. ISSN 0022-1430.
- 1 2 3 4 Bevan, Suzanne L.; Luckman, Adrian J.; Benn, Douglas I.; Cowton, Tom; Todd, Joe (5 September 2019). "Impact of warming shelf waters on ice mélange and terminus retreat at a large SE Greenland glacier". The Cryosphere. 13 (9): 2303–2315. doi:10.5194/tc-13-2303-2019. hdl:10023/18508. ISSN 1994-0416.
- 1 2 3 "Glaciers Not On Simple, Upward Trend Of Melting". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 16 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Brough, Stephen; Carr, J. Rachel; Ross, Neil; Lea, James M. (31 May 2019). "Exceptional Retreat of Kangerlussuaq Glacier, East Greenland, Between 2016 and 2018". Frontiers in Earth Science. 7. doi:10.3389/feart.2019.00123. ISSN 2296-6463.
- 1 2 3 Khan, Shfaqat A.; Bjørk, Anders A.; Bamber, Jonathan L.; Morlighem, Mathieu; Bevis, Michael; Kjær, Kurt H.; Mouginot, Jérémie; Løkkegaard, Anja; Holland, David M.; Aschwanden, Andy; Zhang, Bao; Helm, Veit; Korsgaard, Niels J.; Colgan, William; Larsen, Nicolaj K. (17 November 2020). "Centennial response of Greenland's three largest outlet glaciers". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 5718. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-19580-5. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7672108.
- ↑ Lippert, E. Y. H.; Morlighem, M.; Cheng, G.; Berg, D. L.; Hassan, J.; Khan, S. A. (2025). "Ice Front and Mélange Dynamics at Kangerlussuaq Glacier, Eastern Greenland, Since 1981, and Future Stability". Geophysical Research Letters. 52 (13). doi:10.1029/2024GL113982. ISSN 1944-8007.
