Kangerlussuaq Glacier (, meaning 'large fjord'; old spelling ''Kangerdlugssuaq'') is the largest
glacier
A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
on the east coast of the
Greenland ice sheet
The Greenland ice sheet is an ice sheet which forms the second largest body of ice in the world. It is an average of thick and over thick at its maximum. It is almost long in a north–south direction, with a maximum width of at a latitude ...
.
It flows into the head of the
Kangerlussuaq Fjord, the second largest fjord in East Greenland.
In 2016 the glacier had retreated further inland than at any time in the previous 33 years. Continued rapid retreat is likely.
See also
*
List of glaciers in Greenland
This is a list of glaciers in Greenland. Details on the size and flow of some of the major Greenlandic glaciers are listed by Eric Rignot and Pannir Kanagaratnam (2006)
Ice sheets and caps
*Greenland Ice Sheet
*Ad Astra Ice Cap (Greenland), ...
References
External links
*
Glaciers Not On Simple, Upward Trend Of Meltingsciencedaily.com, Feb. 21, 2007 "Two of Greenland's largest glaciers (Kangerdlugssuaq and Helheim) shrank dramatically ... between 2004 and 2005. And then, less than two years later, they returned to near their previous rates of discharge.
Glaciers of Greenland
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