Event 137

Greenland
Rapid thinning of the Greenland ice sheet in coastal areas, especially of outlet glaciers, has been measured in two studies during the 1990s. The coastal land ice loss is attributed to a combination of warming-driven factors, including increased melting during warmer summers, high snow accumulation rates feeding the outlet glaciers, and increased rates of melting at the bottom of glaciers due to ocean warming.

Photo: Icebergs from the rapidly moving glaciers of Disko Bay.

Event 10: Heat wave. Event 20: Frogs spawning early. Event 21: Birds laying eggs early. Event 22: Early leafing of trees. Event 28: Butterfly range shift. Event 31: Alpine meadow changes. Event 32: Penguin decline. Event 33: Sea bird decline. Event 35: Shoreline sea life shifting. Event 36: Disappearing toads. Event 65: Retreating Glaciers. Event 68: Permafrost thawing. Event 69: Snow-cover decrease. Event 70: Warming of Antarctica. Event 109: Decrease in hibernation. Event 117: Antarctic plants change. Event 137: Thinning of ice sheet.

Gary Braasch, who documents climate change through photography, provided us with these photographs. Many more examples of his work can be found on his web site, World View of Global Warming, http://www.worldviewofglobalwarming.org.