Articles | Volume 17, issue 7
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2851-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2851-2023
© Author(s) 2023. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
14 Jul 2023
Research article |
| 14 Jul 2023
| 14 Jul 2023
Precursor of disintegration of Greenland's largest floating ice tongue
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Department of Geosciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Veit Helm
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Niklas Neckel
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Ole Zeising
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Martin Rückamp
Geodesy and Glaciology, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Munich, Germany
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Shfaqat Abbas Khan
Department of Geodesy and Earth Observations, DTU Space, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
Erik Loebel
Institut für Planetare Geodäsie, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
Jörg Brauchle
Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, German Aerospace Center,
Berlin, Germany
Karsten Stebner
Institute of Optical Sensor Systems, German Aerospace Center,
Berlin, Germany
Dietmar Gross
Division of Solid Mechanics, Institute for Mechanics, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Rabea Sondershaus
Division of Continuum Mechanics, Institute for Mechanics, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
Ralf Müller
Division of Continuum Mechanics, Institute for Mechanics, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Cited
8 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Rapid Change in the Greenland Ice Sheet and Implications for Planetary Sustainability: A Qualitative Assessment A. Chakraborty 10.3390/earth6020055
- Fractures in glaciers—Crack tips and their stress fields by observation and modeling A. Humbert et al. 10.1002/pamm.202300260
- Extreme melting at Greenland's largest floating ice tongue O. Zeising et al. 10.5194/tc-18-1333-2024
- Atlantic Water warming increases melt below Northeast Greenland’s last floating ice tongue C. Wekerle et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-45650-z
- The system of atmosphere, land, ice and ocean in the region near the 79N Glacier in northeast Greenland: synthesis and key findings from the Greenland Ice Sheet–Ocean Interaction (GROCE) experiment T. Kanzow et al. 10.5194/tc-19-1789-2025
- Sea level rise contribution from Ryder Glacier in northern Greenland varies by an order of magnitude by 2300 depending on future emissions F. Holmes et al. 10.5194/tc-19-2695-2025
- Insights into supraglacial lake drainage dynamics: triangular fracture formation, reactivation and long-lasting englacial features A. Humbert et al. 10.5194/tc-19-3009-2025
- Direct measurement of warm Atlantic Intermediate Water close to the grounding line of Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden (79° N) Glacier, northeast Greenland M. Bentley et al. 10.5194/tc-17-1821-2023
7 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Rapid Change in the Greenland Ice Sheet and Implications for Planetary Sustainability: A Qualitative Assessment A. Chakraborty 10.3390/earth6020055
- Fractures in glaciers—Crack tips and their stress fields by observation and modeling A. Humbert et al. 10.1002/pamm.202300260
- Extreme melting at Greenland's largest floating ice tongue O. Zeising et al. 10.5194/tc-18-1333-2024
- Atlantic Water warming increases melt below Northeast Greenland’s last floating ice tongue C. Wekerle et al. 10.1038/s41467-024-45650-z
- The system of atmosphere, land, ice and ocean in the region near the 79N Glacier in northeast Greenland: synthesis and key findings from the Greenland Ice Sheet–Ocean Interaction (GROCE) experiment T. Kanzow et al. 10.5194/tc-19-1789-2025
- Sea level rise contribution from Ryder Glacier in northern Greenland varies by an order of magnitude by 2300 depending on future emissions F. Holmes et al. 10.5194/tc-19-2695-2025
- Insights into supraglacial lake drainage dynamics: triangular fracture formation, reactivation and long-lasting englacial features A. Humbert et al. 10.5194/tc-19-3009-2025
Latest update: 28 Aug 2025
Short summary
The largest floating glacier mass in Greenland, the 79° N Glacier, is showing signs of instability. We investigate how crack formation at the glacier's calving front has changed over the last decades by using satellite imagery and airborne data. The calving front is about to lose contact to stabilizing ice islands. Simulations show that the glacier will accelerate as a result of this, leading to an increase in ice discharge of more than 5.1 % if its calving front retreats by 46 %.
The largest floating glacier mass in Greenland, the 79° N Glacier, is showing signs of...
