Images related to OMG: Is the Ocean Melting the Ice?

Watching the Rivers Flow on Greenland
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Watching the Rivers Flow on Greenland

A summer field campaign examines the hydrology of the water streaming across the top of the ice sheet.

Published Aug 30, 2015

Image of the Day Water Snow and Ice

Sea Ice near Greenland
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Sea Ice near Greenland

Summer is a dynamic time for ice in Arctic waters—melting, drifting, and even forming occasionally.

Published Aug 2, 2015

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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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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 in White, Brown, and Blue
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Greenland in White, Brown, and Blue

Meltwater accumulates in the rocky terrain near the northeastern coast.

Published May 31, 2012

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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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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 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

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Greenland Melt Ponds
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Greenland Melt Ponds

Pools of water grow on top of the ice sheet in summer, then sometimes disappear quickly. That water flushes out through glacial plumbing, carrying sediment and massive volumes of fresh water to the sea.

Published Mar 21, 2013

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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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