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Hidden Secrets

This seemingly solid expanse of ice actually presents a complex oceanographic problem. Surface meltwater flowing through and beneath Helheim Glacier on the left side of the cliff in the center mixes into the salty fjord hidden beneath icebergs to the right. This water speeds melting inside the glacier and also affects ocean currents that reach into the fjord. A team led by WHOI’s Fiamma Straneo and Sarah Das will travel to western Greenland this July with a specially equipped REMUS 100 underwater vehicle to map and measure the underwater glacial plumbing at the base of Sarqardliup Glacier.(Photo by Will Ostrom, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)