Images related to Greenland’s Ice Is Growing Darker

Dark Snow Project
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Dark Snow Project

Melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet reveals impurity-rich ice that is thousands of years old.

Published Oct 28, 2014

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2011 Greenland Melt Season
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2011 Greenland Melt Season

The 2011 Greenland melt season was up to 30 days longer than the 1979–2010 average. This color-coded map shows where melt season lasted more or less than average.

Published Dec 6, 2011

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Slowdown of the Southwest Greenland Ice Sheet
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Slowdown of the Southwest Greenland Ice Sheet

Sections of the Greenland Ice Sheet that end on land are slowing—a sliver of good news for sea level rise.

Published Oct 30, 2015

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Greenland’s Summer Melt Underway
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Greenland’s Summer Melt Underway

Melt ponds on the surface of Greenland’s ice sheet are an important indicator of the strength of the 2013 melt season.

Published Jul 9, 2013

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Petermann Glacier, Greenland
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Petermann Glacier, Greenland

On Greenland, tens of thousands of years of snowfall have settled and solidified into a massive sheet of ice. Each summer, snow retreats briefly at low elevations, and a narrow strip of rocky coastline emerges. While some seasonal thawing is typical on Greenland, more dramatic changes are probably in store for the Greenland Ice Sheet in coming decades and centuries.

Published Aug 30, 2007

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Melt at the Base of the Greenland Ice Sheet
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Melt at the Base of the Greenland Ice Sheet

A new map shows where the bottom of the Greenland Ice Sheet is likely thawed.

Published Aug 4, 2016

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Camp Century: Put on Ice, But Only for So Long
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Camp Century: Put on Ice, But Only for So Long

By 2090, the scale could tilt in the favor of ice loss instead of buildup.

Published Jan 31, 2017

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Melt Ponds on Greenland’s Ice Cap
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Melt Ponds on Greenland’s Ice Cap

Thinner than the 2.3-kilometer-thick center, the outer edges of the Greenland ice sheet develop melt zones like the one shown here during the warm summer months.

Published Apr 7, 2007

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Greenland Ice Sheet
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Greenland Ice Sheet

Although 2005 overall saw a new record, the extent of June melting in 2005 was unexceptional. The same held true for 2006, when this picture was taken.

Published Jun 30, 2006

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Winter in Southern Greenland
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Winter in Southern Greenland

Captured near the end of 2012, this image shows a mixture of sea ice, land ice, and fresh snow.

Published Jan 6, 2013

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Melting Days on Greenland
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Melting Days on Greenland

Published Apr 6, 2007

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Melt Ponds, Northeastern Greenland
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Melt Ponds, Northeastern Greenland

To understand ice sheets, glaciologists venture both below the surface with ice cores, and into the sky with satellites. Satellite imagery of the Greenland Ice Sheet reveals melt ponds that can affect glacier flow and sea level.

Published Oct 29, 2008

Image of the Day Land Water Snow and Ice