Melting Point Greenland

Published On: January 8, 2014
410 words
Views: 1538

In the summer of 2012, one of the most vital ecosystems on earth, the Greenland ice sheet, experienced a meltdown that alarmed scientists the world over.

Greenland is an island encased in ice and it’s the world’s second largest ice sheet after Antarctica. That summer, ninety-seven percent of the surface ice melted. “Melting Point” is a comprehensive examination of this event. The 2013 National Headliners Award First Prize Environmental Reporting.

Videographer Snorre Wik shot the footage under tough conditions—hauling around 1,000 pounds of gear by helicopter, by SUV (on Greenland’s mostly dirt roads) and out on a thinning ice sheet made treacherous by the sun. His efforts were both breathtaking and disturbing. Additionally, Jens Christiansson is responsible for filming the destruction of the Watson River bridge. Marco Tedesco and his team of researchers filmed the moulins and ice cap during the record meltoff.

More Info Climate State

Greenland Goes Green: Ice Sheet Melted in Four Days PBS

 

Marco Tedesco‘s scientific site on Greenland melt, including data, maps, plots, discussion, and scientific literature.

National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Get satellite images and information about surface melting on the Greenland ice sheet.


August 28, 2013 Greenland’s surface ice melt season reached a peak in late July, coinciding with a period of very warm weather. Greenland’s melt season this year will be closer to average than was 2012, with far less melting in the northern ice sheet and at high elevations. Nevertheless, an all-time record high temperature for Greenland may have been set in 2013. http://nsidc.org/greenland-today/2013/08/late-season-warmth-extends-2013-greenland-melt-seasonbriefly/

The Danish Arctic research institutions present updated knowledge on the condition of two major components of the Arctic: The Greenland Ice Sheet and the sea ice http://polarportal.org/en/home/

NOAA Arctic Report Card has been issued annually since 2006. It is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the current state of different components of the Arctic environmental system relative to historical records. The Report Card is intended for a wide audience, including scientists, teachers, students, decision-makers and the general public interested in the Arctic environment and science.
2013 Greenland Ice Sheet http://www.arctic.noaa.gov/reportcard/greenland_ice_sheet.html

About the Author: Santimvah

Santimvah
Climate State contributor.
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    Snorre Wik
    Snorre Wik
    December 22, 2012 9:02 AM

    Thank you very much for watching!

    PhotoByHE Havar Espedal
    PhotoByHE Havar Espedal
    December 24, 2012 12:48 AM

    Amazing ! You sir are a Rock Star !

    fenajo69
    fenajo69
    January 21, 2013 12:51 AM

    Great documentary on Greenland. Thank you so much!

    Ed Chavez
    Ed Chavez
    February 1, 2013 11:32 PM

    *Learn* more about the world you live in.

    James Kennedy
    James Kennedy
    February 6, 2013 9:49 PM

    Beautifully done!

    James Kennedy
    James Kennedy
    February 6, 2013 9:54 PM

    Whoa, scary reference to the Titanic.

    Kailash Shrestha
    Kailash Shrestha
    March 1, 2013 1:33 PM

    uploaded on 21st december 2012

    Snorre Wik
    Snorre Wik
    May 17, 2013 3:17 AM

    thank you!

    Snorre Wik
    Snorre Wik
    May 17, 2013 3:18 AM

    thank you!

    Snorre Wik
    Snorre Wik
    May 17, 2013 3:18 AM

    thank you!

    Snorre Wik
    Snorre Wik
    May 17, 2013 3:18 AM

    thanks, bro! Happy 17th!

    PhotoByHE Havar Espedal
    PhotoByHE Havar Espedal
    May 17, 2013 3:20 AM

    And Happy 17th to you sir :D I will be shooting a wedding this saturday so
    I won’t be able to do the Caderock park meeting

    brian king
    brian king
    May 22, 2013 4:29 PM

    scarey stuff.

    Karen Hegelund Nielsen
    Karen Hegelund Nielsen
    June 4, 2013 9:41 PM

    Interesting

    7779juliana
    7779juliana
    June 19, 2013 11:50 AM

    Thanks for posting this vid.. very educational…

    Larkinchance
    Larkinchance
    June 25, 2013 1:36 AM

    They say that they want an iron mine but you can sure bet that they are
    look for something else… With all the scrap iron in the world why build a
    mine in Greenland?.. I would not trust that company.. Their geologist have
    found something more lucrative..

    pattersonkeith
    pattersonkeith
    July 1, 2013 5:36 AM

    great doc, really hope to visit here in the next couple of years. i’m even
    looking to living there for a year and maybe teach kids english or
    something for work

    pattersonkeith
    pattersonkeith
    July 1, 2013 5:44 AM

    i do think that some drilling could be great for greenland economically,
    the world’s future could depend on what greenland has to offer for oil. but
    i do agree it has it’s downfalls when it comes greenland’s nature and all

    zohanthecat
    zohanthecat
    July 1, 2013 9:21 PM

    gold and diamonds. canadian north full of it.

    jULia rusdan
    jULia rusdan
    July 14, 2013 1:52 AM

    are you from Greenland?

    Kurt Seljeseth
    Kurt Seljeseth
    July 15, 2013 7:57 PM

    The news documentary Melting Point, by Snorre Wik, nominated for a National
    Emmy Award

    Rich Green
    Rich Green
    August 15, 2013 2:47 AM

    It is so highly important that we realize that the earth is constantly
    changing. It is , yes, very cyclical and the earth is part of a dynamic
    changing orbisphere. We can no longer think of it as part of mans diong any
    more than we can think we have a thing to do with the changing tectonic
    plates that cause mass destruction, tsunamis, pyroclastic flows that
    deposit huge amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. We are not that capable
    of changing what already has started millions of years ago!

    Lakeguy1234
    Lakeguy1234
    September 9, 2013 12:21 AM

    Yes Rich, the earth is changing and this time it is us who are changing it.
    Do a little research with an open mind and you might be surprised what you
    find out…

    toxic haze
    toxic haze
    September 22, 2013 7:32 PM

    what does beer cost in greenland

    stthomasaquarius
    stthomasaquarius
    September 28, 2013 9:54 PM

    I think you are thinking of the Antarctic.

    gabriel524able
    gabriel524able
    October 2, 2013 3:10 AM

    You do realize that there have been 12 meltdowns in the past, long before
    the human race ever existed, right? It’s a normal process. Research it! Man
    made global warming is a myth! We are still technically in the ice age!

    Scott F
    Scott F
    October 4, 2013 6:04 AM

    i’m all for the earth warming up. no more cold winters.

    Mehdi Al-Lawati
    Mehdi Al-Lawati
    October 22, 2013 9:17 PM

    Oh please, come over to southern Middle East and you might change your mind
    :P

    Scott F
    Scott F
    October 23, 2013 7:40 AM

    you guys got great weather, sunny every day. too hot? small price to pay
    for everyday blue skies. i would just put on my shorts and sandals and turn
    on the aircon

    Nathan Ackerman
    Nathan Ackerman
    November 4, 2013 6:16 PM

    important story, great cinematography. thanks for doing this.

    buchananstreet
    buchananstreet
    November 19, 2013 4:09 AM

    total bunch of total bullshit ! turn on the BULLSHITOMETER ! BULL SHIT! !
    how sick I am of neurotic, obsessed, rigid eyed and hellishly ugly
    american scientist women spread ing irrational panic on all kinds of
    things – just because these ugly and greedy white ” science ” women they
    have orgasm problems! they cant fuck and cannot BE fucked and let
    themselves go in bed and THATS why they run around the world inventing
    new THREATS wherever they step, to satisfy their needed modicum of DANGER
    missing in their sad and festering beds at home . period.now GLOBAL
    WARMING has become their latest psychotic obsession in their mania to
    save and dominate our world which they think is THEIRS. matterfact, in
    2013 the ice caps on BOTH poles have practically DOUBLED compared to
    2012 but about THAT they suspiciously now keep their big and rational
    mouths SHUT. it has simply DOUBLED and THATS no GLOBAL WARMING at all. read
    NASA studies, watch the satellite fotos and read anchorage newspapers
    and GET INFORMED a bit. now, even if YOU say that a slight increase in
    ice is no recovery, im telling you that a DOUBLING within ONE single
    year is simply the end of all global warming nonsense talk. it hasnt
    increased a meagre ten percent or so but has DOUBLED WITHIN ONE SINGLE
    YEAR and THATS world COOLING and NOT warming. its all a rude bunch of
    bullshit they keep lying to us with. i know that STALIN said : ” if the
    theory and the facts do not match – then to hell with the facts !” and
    THAT attitude is exactly what these evil mainstream science gun women
    and wanky creep types with no balls keep whining along with -they are
    a bunch of pseudo scientific STALINISTS posing as THE REAL THING and
    pretending that THEY are the high priests of truth, just because their
    divorced middle class parents were able to finance them university in
    which unfortunately their stupid kids learned nothing but a bunch of
    nonsense.

    buchananstreet
    buchananstreet
    November 19, 2013 4:10 AM

    JUST ANOTHER FUCKING PIECE OF PROPAGANDA FOR THE GLOBAL WARMING MAFIA
    WHICH BLAMES CO2 FOR ALL EVILS IN THIS WORLD AND WANTS TO TAX SMALL
    BUSINESSES WORLD WIDE TO HELL IN ORDER TO INSTALL A DICTATORSHIP OF BIG
    CORPORATIONS

    Peter von Ann Arbor
    Peter von Ann Arbor
    November 25, 2013 1:58 AM

    I was there this year, by ship and helicopter. Saw a lot. Incredible.
    Scary. Am a geologist, etc. One contributor to ice melt not mentioned is
    soot on ice increases absorption of solar rays. Yup, the white snow/ice is
    graying, mostly due to coal and forest fires.

    Don’t like sharing more commentary with morons (sorry you enlightened
    ones).

    NewEstonia
    NewEstonia
    November 30, 2013 4:23 PM

    Those who say that we are still in a ice age and that the climate change is cyclic are contradicting themselves. Because if we are in an ice age and the ice is melting then it means that the melting is caused by something else than nature. That leaves pretty much only humans.

    xZoN3LiinK
    xZoN3LiinK
    December 5, 2013 3:16 AM

    this documental is very good. i learned a lot

    Shawn Smith
    Shawn Smith
    December 26, 2013 5:41 AM

    I’m going to drive my car for no reason until the ocean is high enough to destroy NYC.

    Virak Thong
    Virak Thong
    January 6, 2014 2:00 AM

    Why most environmentalists always live in the most expensive home and
    flying around with private jet like Al Gore and blaming on gasoline?raise
    more taxes?

    rageridersrx
    rageridersrx
    January 21, 2014 3:55 PM

    check out greenlands lost squadron lost in wwII when these planes were recovered in the 90’s they were buried under 260 feet of ice

    Hank Justice
    Hank Justice
    January 22, 2014 5:08 PM

    Ice loss in Greenland has been estimated at 93-191 giga-tons per year from
    1992-2011. So, 1 gtn of ice = 1 km3 (cubic) of ice. Total volume of ice
    mass in Greenland is about 5 million Km3. If we set the melt rate at 142 gt
    per year, that is 0.003 % of its total ice mass, for the next 90 years, the
    total loss will be 0.3% (by 2100). Furthermore, it will be totally melted
    in 35,211 years. Catastrophic huh?

    Hank Justice
    Hank Justice
    January 22, 2014 5:18 PM

    Furthermore, the melt rate of Antarctica and Greenland is about 1/24th that
    of the Holocene Transgression which was ~ 10mm/yr for 10,000 years! Bottom
    line is that we are no where near that rate. Much faster than anyone
    predicted? Don’t think so, at least from a geological standpoint. Must
    understand our past. Need to take another look at it.

    Dan Ski
    Dan Ski
    January 26, 2014 3:27 AM

    Greenland sounds like a great place to live if you like the cold.

    Dan Ski
    Dan Ski
    January 26, 2014 3:47 AM

    I believe the north ice is getting smaller but i also hear the south pole
    is getting bigger. I would assume that would off balance the system. This
    could be the natural cycle and eventually the north will get ice and the
    south will shrink. I do still think we pump too much crap into the air and
    waters though.

    Kirk Niese
    Kirk Niese
    January 28, 2014 2:36 PM

    Thank you for sharing this. I’ve been showing this to my class of 8th
    graders as we talk about how Greenland and Antarctica are barometers for
    climate change. Not very uplifting but VERY important for our future
    generations to see.

    sunshineuk1965
    sunshineuk1965
    February 14, 2014 5:35 PM

    Greenland is set to get raped. And the moguls will drill, dig, and frack
    the country to death then the ice will disapear and we all die. Yoopie
    pass the deer sausage!

    Vulcannons
    Vulcannons
    February 15, 2014 2:42 PM

    i think its great its melting. Nothing is forever and its time for a
    change. Keep in mind that Greenland wasnt always covered in ice. Its time
    some other country take Greenlands place.

    Kaspar Emir Vasilios Indra Nathan Duco
    Kaspar Emir Vasilios Indra Nathan Duco
    February 15, 2014 7:44 PM

    very interesting documentary indeed :) This will help people understand more all about nature of our mother earth , as apart of this modernized world we should do our part of protecting it and preserving it for the next generation of human …….

    NoEcologyNoEconomy
    NoEcologyNoEconomy
    February 17, 2014 8:35 AM

    Force Rush Limbaugh to stand on one of those eroding banks. The GOP are evil.

    NotSoSmartAtheist Kek
    NotSoSmartAtheist Kek
    February 19, 2014 5:36 AM

    I hope it will rain or snow on the panet for like 8 months non stop just so I can see all u bitchis panic.

    saltpan8005
    saltpan8005
    February 19, 2014 8:52 AM

    So Greenland is melting. What does that mean for the people of this earth? Changes you can’t imagine and not in 100 years but now. in California there has been 1.21 inches of rain in almost a year, less than most extreme deserts. The economies of all the country’s in the world will be affected and so will the wildlife. This isn’t God’s revenge like some think but the earths attempt to shake off a bunch of fleas who are poisoning her.

    stephen feldmeier
    stephen feldmeier
    February 19, 2014 1:24 PM

    Everyone is fearing global warming for the retreating of the glaciers. For
    the glaciers to stop retreating the Earth will have to have a constant
    below freezing temperature above the 45th parallel year around, in other
    words the United States would be part of the north pole. This is what it
    took to make glaciers in the first place, freezing temperatures year around
    which was known as the Ice Age. People are fearing the winter that the
    North East is having this year and that we were in climate change because
    of the green house gases.

    Well let’s look at some facts!
    Here is is Earth’s atmosphere

    Nitrogen (N2) 780,840 ppmv (78.084%)
    Oxygen (O2) 209,460 ppmv (20.946%)
    Argon (Ar) 9,340 ppmv (0.9340%)

    Carbon dioxide (CO2) 397 ppmv (0.0397%)

    Neon (Ne) 18.18 ppmv (0.001818%)
    Helium (He) 5.24 ppmv (0.000524%)
    Methane (CH4) 1.79 ppmv (0.000179%)80,840 ppmv (78.084%)

    With CO2 being less than 1 half of a tenth of a percent, there is no way it
    can reach the levels to where it will start effecting temperatures. The
    danger is plants and plankton need CO2 to survive. The people should fear
    that the CO2 levels are too low.

    All we are doing is witnessing the last of the ice age melting and people
    are panicking. They would start to panic if the reverse were happening if
    Iceland would remain below freezing year around. You can’t have winters and
    summers and except the glaciers to remain the same. The earth is still
    going to have it’s warming cycle and cooling cycle. We just happened to be
    in the warming cycle, when the cooling cycle starts and Earth goes back to
    the Ice Age then what happens? Come people common sense goes a long way in
    nature.

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