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Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.

Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.
Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.
Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.
Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.
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(68°43′37″N, 49°28′59″W)
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334404
Linder, Christopher L.
Sarah Das watching water drain through cracks in the ice.
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07/19/2008
graphics/PD4_greenland/cl_20080719153942.jpg
When lakes on Greenland's ice sheet drain each summer, scientists know that the water disappears through cracks in the ice, flows over bedrock, then heads out to sea. But how long does that process take? And what path does the water take, exactly, as it flows from ice sheet to ocean? To learn more about these under-ice pathways, scientists have been scouting for spots in the still-draining lakes to put in fluorescent dye to track the water's path (this spot was ultimately nixed for the final waterfall pick).
Image of The Day caption:
Associate Scientist Sarah Das studies the relationship between ice sheets and global climate, and that often means long walks on frozen expanses. When lakes on the surface of the Greenland ice sheet disappear each summer, she guessed that the water drained through cracks in the ice, eventually making its way out to sea. But how? Das and her team learned that water filling large glacial lakes can build up enough pressure to crack the ice below and send torrents of water straight down to the bottom of the ice sheet. The water then flows over the bedrock, acting as lubrication between ice and ground, speeding up the glacier s flow toward the ocean.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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