Kangerlussuaq Glacier
Glacier in Greenland
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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]
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| Kangerlussuaq Glacier | |
|---|---|
Kangerlugssuaq Glacier | |
  Location within Greenland | |
| Location | Greenland |
| Coordinates | 68°38′N 33°0′W |
| Thickness | 3km |
| Terminus | North Atlantic Ocean |
| Status | retreating |
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]
