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Fording the Fjord

September 8, 2014

Maneuvering amid ice ranging from chunks to icebergs, MIT-WHOI graduate student Rebecca Jackson and Dave Sutherland of the University of Oregon conduct operations in the Sermilik Fjord on the east coast of Greenland. The research team, led by WHOI oceanographer Fiamma Straneo, are investigating the accelerating flow of glaciers into the ocean. The team installed moorings in the fjord in Greenland to measure the temperature and velocities of currents moving from the open ocean to the Helheim Glacier, which empties into the fjord. They showed that warming ocean waters may be reaching the terminus of the glacier, increasing melting, and allowing the glacier to flow faster. (Photo by Fiamma Straneo, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)