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> The Greenland Ice Sheet, An Ocean of Ice to the Horizon & Beyond
John_Sode
post Jul 16 2005, 12:21 PM
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July 14, 2005


The Greenland Ice Sheet

Although we had seen the Ice Sheet from a distance, nothing compares to witnessing the Ice Sheet up close. Quite literally, the Ice Sheet is nothing shore of magnificent—cold, white, massive, the Ice Sheet is one of the greatest natural features I have ever witnessed, a true ocean of ice stretching beyond the horizon, across the Greenland Island, and almost to the sea on the other side of the island. This magnificent sea of ice reaches a depth of approximately two miles and contains so much freshwater that, should it melt, the oceans would rise nearly 7 meters (over 21 feet). This sheet of ice is the largest freshwater reserve in the Arctic and one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world.

Despite its massive size, the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting along its edges. Evidence for this melting was very clear as we approached the ice sheet along a ramp built by the US Military during the Cold War. The top of this ramp was designed to let vehicles travel directly onto the top of the Ice Sheet. Today, the Ice Sheet is nearly 50 feet below the ramp. So, even though the Ice Sheet still stretches towards it massive moraine, the size of the sheet is decreasing along the edges. This is, without question, something for us to think about.
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