An international team of scientists will spend two months this summer in Greenland analysing the rate at which glaciers are melting and their climatic impact on the North Atlantic and at a global scale.
The researchers will travel to the Arctic island to study glacier behaviour using a wide range of technologies, as part of the five-year GIANT project led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in collaboration with 17 other institutions and funded by the UK government’s advanced research agency.
The research aims to predict with the greatest possible precision when the so-called “tipping point” will be reached — the threshold at which climate change in the region could become irreversible, a milestone some experts estimate could arrive in the 2040s, BAS said in a statement today.
“We know that Greenland is losing ice at an unprecedented rate and that this will affect the surrounding ocean, from coastal fjords to the currents that carry heat to Western Europe,” said BAS climate scientist and GIANT co-creator Kelly Hogan, describing the expedition as “extremely ambitious and urgent.”
The problem is that there is currently insufficient information about the interaction between Greenland’s glaciers and the surrounding ocean, and it has not been possible to monitor the island’s nearly 200 fjords with computational models — something the expedition will attempt to address.
According to BAS, the implications of ice melt on the Danish-governed island extend far beyond its inhabitants: globally, the flow of fresh water into the North Atlantic could alter the patterns that regulate Europe’s climate and weather, as well as contributing to sea level rise.
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During the expedition, researchers will use drones, underwater robots, satellites and instruments embedded in glacial ice to study glacier behaviour at every scale. They will incorporate fjords into the UK’s main climate model and develop a prototype early warning system to anticipate glacial changes. The coordinated observation system will allow researchers to study glacier behaviour at multiple levels, with the data collected feeding directly into AI-based computer models.
The research vessel Sir David Attenborough will serve as a floating laboratory, also making detailed measurements of the depth, shape, temperature, salinity and ocean currents of the fjords.
BAS oceanographer Pierre Dutrieux, a specialist in autonomous instruments for capturing data from extreme oceanic and ice environments, said that understanding how glaciers melt and fracture requires reaching the meeting point between ice and ocean, and that the latest generation of robotic sensors makes it possible to “work in this dangerous environment that would otherwise be inaccessible.”
Nevertheless, professor Paul Holland, who leads the computational modelling work on the GIANT project, cautioned that predicting ice loss precisely may not be possible, but that the knowledge gained will improve climate prediction capabilities and understanding of Greenland’s potential future impact on the Atlantic. The team also hopes the early warning prototype will provide “crucial data” to help governments prepare for and adapt to the consequences of climate change.
