Dark patches of open sea that appear in the ice-choked water around Helheim Glacier may reveal new clues about how a rapidly changing Greenland glacier loses ice, according to a Penn State-led team of scientists.
“Greenland is losing a lot of ice, and it drains from the interior of the ice sheet to the ocean through outlet glaciers like Helheim,” said Sierra Melton, a doctoral candidate in geosciences at Penn State. “Understanding what’s happening at these glaciers is important.”
During warm periods, enough meltwater drains from underneath Helheim that plumes of buoyant fresh water rise to the surface of the sea in front of the glacier and are visible as patches of open water, the scientists said.
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