Water-driven fracture propagation beneath supraglacial lakes rapidly transports large volumes of surface meltwater to the base of the Greenland Ice Sheet. These drainage events drive transient ice-sheet acceleration and establish conduits for additional surface-to-bed meltwater transport for the remainder of the melt season. Although it is well established that cracks must remain water-filled to propagate to the bed, the precise mechanisms that initiate hydro-fracture events beneath lakes are unknown. Here we

Scientists were baffled last year after meltwater lakes atop Greenland's ice sheet suddenly drained out at rates rivaling Niagara Falls.

Greenland seeks to expand its energy and minerals industries to secure the revenues to gain full independence from Denmark. The 2014 oil price crash hit oil exploration hard, bringing disappointment to the local oil industry but relief to global environmentalists.

Sea level rise sped up over the last two decades rather than slowing down as previously thought, according to new research.

Fjords from Alaska to Norway soak up potentially damaging carbon from the atmosphere, making the steep-sided inlets an overlooked natural ally in offsetting man-made climate change, a study showed

A new study using evidence from a highly detailed ice core from West Antarctica shows a consistent link between abrupt temperature changes on Greenland and Antarctica during the last ice age, givin

Providing a vital clue to the future of Greenland, scientists have measured how the island's ice sheet reacted to a warm period 8,000 to 5,000 years ago when the temperatures were two to four degre

Greenland is melting, so what does this mean for the future?

Rising temperatures are causing Greenland's meltwater lakes to drain at a dramatic rate, disappearing in a matter of just a few weeks, according to a new study.

In a warming climate, surface meltwater production on large ice sheets is expected to increase. If this water is delivered to the ice sheet base it may have important consequences for ice dynamics. For example, basal water distributed in a diffuse network can decrease basal friction and accelerate ice flow, whereas channelized basal water can move quickly to the ice margin, where it can alter fjord circulation and submarine melt rates. Less certain is whether surface meltwater can be trapped and stored in subglacial lakes beneath large ice sheets.

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