We use cookies to improve your experience, some are essential for the operation of this site.

A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.

A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.
A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.
A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.
A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.
Geolocation data
(68°33′49″N, 49°24′7″W)
Comments (0)
334365
Linder, Christopher L.
A massive, bottomless crack in the ice.
Still Image
07/12/2008
graphics/PD4_greenland/cl_20080712233029.jpg
After a few hours of walking slowly around the lakebed, we found the culprit that had drained the lake (to be accurate, one of the culprits): a massive, bottomless crack. The deep blue color extended down a cleft and ran right into the lake. A few small waterfalls of water still poured into the crack. Tomorrow we hope for clear weather so we can investigate the new cracks further. Everyone feels excited; it's likely that no one has ever observed a lake drainage like this. While the team was initially disappointed that they had just missed the North Lake draining, they can't believe their luck at catching this one, not only with eyes and ears, but also with the precisely measuring sensors on their instruments.
Image of The Day caption:
This researcher stands where hours earlier there was a lake, filled with melted ice water. Once drained, through a massive crack, scientists could step inside the lake bed and learn what happened. Sarah Das and Mark Behn at WHOI are investigating glacial lakes, which form atop Greenland's ice sheet each spring and summer as returning sunlight melts ice and snow. They have found that as lake grow larger, large cracks can open up at their bases, allowing the lake water to drain in a dramatic surge all the way the bedrock at the bottom of glaciers. The water lubricates the base of the glacier, like grease on a railroad track, allowing glaciers to flow faster toward the coast and discharge more ice to the ocean. As global temperatures rise, more lakes and cracks may form, accelerating the flow of ice to the sea.
Photo by Chris Linder
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Labels
This item includes these files
Image
Image
Collections