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Monitoring the Ice

July 25, 2015

In 2006, scientists at WHOI and the University of Washington discovered that cracks can form suddenly at the bottom of lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet and drain the lakes within hours. To learn why these cracks, or hydrofractures, form, the researchers installed a network of GPS receivers to record subtle movements of the ice before, during, and after a sudden drainage. In 2015, the researchers published a new study that revealed a fascinating sequence of forces and events that triggers the cracks. The water drains to the bedrock, lubricating the flow of ice to the sea and accelerating sea level rise.(Illustration by Jack Cook, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)