Cracks in Eternal Ice: Glacier Fractures Accelerate Greenland Ice Sheet Decline

Mon 3rd Feb, 2025

Recent research highlights a concerning trend regarding the Greenland Ice Sheet, indicating that fractures within the ice are expanding at an alarming rate. This phenomenon is believed to be exacerbated by climate change, leading to a potential acceleration in ice loss.

A study published in the journal Nature Geoscience reveals that the size of glacier fractures has significantly increased over a five-year period. Researchers from an international team, led by scientists from Durham University in the UK, analyzed over 8,000 three-dimensional surface maps derived from satellite imagery. Their findings suggest that from 2016 to 2021, fractures at the rapidly flowing edges of the ice sheet have not only grown larger but also deeper.

These glacier fractures, often shaped like wedges, form due to uneven movement of the ice. The flow of ice varies, being faster at the surface and middle than at the edges or deeper layers, resulting in tensions that cause the ice to crack.

The study indicates that climate change is altering these dynamics. Rising temperatures have increased the flow rate of the ice, contributing to the expansion and deepening of these fractures. Specifically, at the peripheries of the ice sheet, where significant glaciers flow into the ocean, the speed of glacier movement has surged. In some areas, the volume of glacier fractures has increased by as much as 25% between 2016 and 2021.

While this increase has been somewhat offset by a decrease in fractures at Sermeq Kujalleq, Greenland's fastest-moving glacier, the overall trend points to a concerning future. The temporary slowdown of this glacier during the study period has ended, with its speed again on the rise, suggesting that the balance between the growth and closure of glacier fractures may have shifted.

As temperatures continue to rise, the expectation is that more glacier fractures will form. This is attributed to the glaciers reacting to warmer ocean temperatures, which causes them to move faster. Meltwater that fills these fractures further drives the cracks deeper into the ice.

According to researchers, the data shows a clear trend: not only are these fracture fields expanding inland, but existing fields are also enlarging and deepening. As these fractures grow, they contribute to the mechanisms that promote faster glacier movement, pushing water and warmth into the ice sheet's interior and accelerating iceberg calving into the ocean.

This cascading effect could further expedite ice loss in Greenland, leading to significant consequences for global sea levels. Since 1992, the Greenland Ice Sheet has contributed approximately 14 millimeters to global sea level rise. If the current trends persist, projections indicate that the melting ice could raise sea levels by up to 30 centimeters by the year 2100.

In the long term, if all of Greenland's ice were to melt--a process that would take many centuries--the sea level could rise by as much as seven meters. This dramatic increase could reshape coastlines and impact millions of people worldwide.


More Quick Read Articles »