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NOVA scienceNOW: Fastest Glacier
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Program Overview
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Scientists are studying how the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier in western
Greenland is getting smaller and moving faster due to increased
melting over the past ten years.
This NOVA scienceNOW segment:
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examines the rapid changes in Greenland's Jakobshavn Isbrae
glacier.
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notes that the glacier is moving faster and thinning more than
expected. From 2000 to 2005, the glacier's speed increased
dramatically—instead of moving one foot per day, which is
normal for a glacier, the speed of the Jakobshavn Isbrae glacier
has increased to an astounding 113 feet per day, and no one
knows why.
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reports that, compared to a decade ago, average temperatures in
Greenland have increased 2ºC during the summer and 6ºC
during the winter, leading to 60 percent more annual glacial
melting.
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explains that during the summer, some of the upper layer of
Greenland's ice sheet melts, producing pools of meltwater. This
water seeps through the ice to the bottom of the glacier,
lifting it and making it glide faster.
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states that annually the glacier spews 12 trillion gallons of
freshwater into the ocean and that in 1999, the ice front
extended eight miles beyond its present 2005 location.
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describes how scientists use satellites to monitor ice mass
movement and ground stations to measure changes in the ice
sheet.
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suggests that understanding the changes in Greenland's ice sheet
will provide insight into global climate change.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after the program
is taped off the air.
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