Activity 2.2 – Cyrosphere: Tracy and Heilprin glaciers, Greenland

Greenland’s Tracy and Heilprin glaciers melt. (2017). NASA Global Climate Change: Images of Change.The 1987 image was taken by the Thematic Mapper on Landsat 5. The 2017 image was taken by the Operational Land Imager on Landsat 8. 

 

Tracy Gletscher. (2023). Google Maps

Tracy and Heilprin glaciers, Greenland:

Sept. 28, 1987 - Sept. 30, 2017

The images above display the Tracy and Heilprin glaciers, located in Greenland, at two different time frames. The images show how much these two glaciers have melted since the original picture was taken in 1987. Further proof of this is provided by a Google Maps image from 2023 displaying the same location, which shows how much further the glacier has receded since the year of 2017. These glaciers had been receding at consistent rates for many years. In recent times, however, the recession rate of the Tracy glacier has tripled that of the Heilprin glacier. (NASA, 2017.)

Problem

It is possible that the melting of Greenland's Tracy and Heilprin glaciers will have a substantial influence on the rising of sea levels across the world. Sea levels have the potential to rise as a result of the melting of these glaciers, which adds more water to the ocean. This may have a number of  severe effects on sea life and ecosystems, including issues like floods and erosion. In addition, the melting of glaciers can cause changes in ocean currents and can have an increased effect on weather patterns all around the world. Because less ice equals less reflectivity, which can lead to higher absorption of solar radiation, the melting of the ice can also contribute to the general warming of the Earth. “Although the warm air and the warm water contribute to melting individually, the interplay between the meltwater from the glacier and the warm ocean water also plays a significant role.” (Smith, 2020.) This is a problem because the glaciers continue to melt, causing a number of risks to the environment and potentially even global weather patterns.

Explanation

One of the largest reasons why the Tracy Glacier is melting at such an accelerated rate is due to its connection to a deeper channel of sea water. As the sea water increases in temperature, the glacier also melts at a faster pace. Even though the Heilprin Glacier is melting at a slower pace than the Tracy Glacier, it is also receding very quickly and causing similar consequences.

References

       Greenland’s Tracy and Heilprin glaciers melt. (2017). NASA Global Climate Change: Images of Change. Retrieved from https://climate.nasa.gov/images-of-change/?id=644#644-greenlands-tracy-and-heilprin-glaciers-melt.  

        Smith. (2020, November 5). The Anatomy of Glacial Ice Loss – Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet. Retrieved February 1, 2023, from https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3038/the-anatomy-of-glacial-ice-loss

        Tracy Gletscher. (2023). Google Maps. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tracy+Gletscher/@77.580967,-65.9148057,31560m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x4e4a80370008c6fb:0x9c0562909ce05d2f!8m2!3d77.6586111!4d-66.0369445!5m1!1e4.