Greenland glacier almost triples speed in less than a decade

"Dramatic discovery" confirms scientists' climate change predictions and holds tremendous significance in terms of sea level rise

Independent scientists on board the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise yesterday made a dramatic discovery about the Greenland glacier Kangerdlugssuaq. The US scientists preliminary findings show the speed of the glacier has increased beyond all expectations and it is now travelling at three times the speed it was in 1988 making it one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world. Any changes in the speed of these glaciers has tremendous significance in terms of global sea level rise. The news from Greenland confirms predictions of how climate change would impact on Greenland's glaciers.

Outlet glaciers like Kangerdlugssuaq transport ice from the heart of the Greenland Ice Sheet to the ocean and discharge icebergs which contribute to sea level rise. Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier alone transports or "drains" four percent of the ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, and so any changes in the speed with which they move holds tremendous significance in terms of sea level rise.

Preliminary findings indicate Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast could be one of the fastest moving glaciers in the world with a speed of almost 14 kilometres per year. The measurements were made this week using high precision GPS survey methods. The results were compared with measurements made with satellite imagery that revealed the glacier's speed was five kilometers per year in 1996. In addition, Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier unexpectedly receded approximately five kilometres since 2001 after maintaining a stable position for the past 40 years.

"This is a dramatic discovery," said Dr. Gordon Hamilton, who undertook the measurements on Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier on Greenland's east coast with University of Maine PhD student Leigh Stearns. "There is concern that the acceleration of this and similar glaciers and the associated discharge of ice is not described in current ice sheet models of the effects of climate change. These new results suggest that the loss of ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, unless balanced by an equivalent increase in snowfall, could be larger and faster than previously estimated," said Dr. Hamilton.

"As the warming trend migrates north, glaciers at higher latitudes in Greenland might also respond in the same way as Kangerdlugssuaq Glacier. In turn, this could have serious implications for the rate of sea level rise," said Dr. Hamilton.

The Greenland Ice Sheet could melt down if regional warming exceeds about three degrees Celsius. If this were to occur, sea levels would rise approximately seven metres over a few thousand years. However, a half a metre to one metre rise in sea levels in the next century would have significant impacts on society. More than 70 percent of the world's population lives on coastal plains, and 11 of the world's 15 largest cities are on the coast or estuaries.

"Greenland's shrinking glaciers are sending an urgent warning to the world that action is needed now to stop climate change," said Martina Krueger, Greenpeace Expedition Leader on board the Arctic Sunrise "How many more urgent warnings do Blair and Bush need before they take meaningful action on climate change?" said Krueger.

Yesterday's findings have come from the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise which is in Greenland this summer documenting the signs and impacts of climate change in this area of the Arctic. The independent scientists onboard are from the Climate Change Institute at the University of Maine, USA, and are conducting an independently-funded study into glacier variations as evidence of recent climate change.

For more information contact:
Greenpeace Press Office on 0207 865 8255 or
On board the Arctic Sunrise
Dr. Gordon Hamilton and Greenpeace Expedition Leader Martina Krueger
Satellite phone: + 871 1302577, +871 324453810
Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace International climate campaigner (Amsterdam) +31-6-5350-4715

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