Researchers from the German Space Agency, and the University of Washington say the Greenland glacier, presumably the glacier that released the iceberg which sank the Titanic, is sinking at record speeds.
The glacier, which is known as the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier, is the fastest shrinking glacier, according to records. However, the speed at which it melts into the sea has grown even faster, quadrupling between the 1990s and 2012.
According to a new study, the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier is shrinking at around 150 feet per day since summer 2012, which is faster than any glacier on earth to date. That's around 11 miles per year, and it will only get faster as climate change continues to worsen.
"Analysis of the data shows that the annual average of the flow rates for Jakobshavn Isbræ in 2012 and 2013 is almost three times greater than 20 years ago. During the summer period, the flow rates are over four times higher. The maximum speed measured by the scientists in the summer of 2012 was 17 kilometres per year; this is more than 46 metres per day," the research paper, which has been published in open access journal The Cryosphere, said.
Dana Floricioiu, research co-author, is very impressed with the rate at which the glacier is sinking. She has been studying it since the middle of 2008, and said this has been the fastest the glacier has ever been melting since that time.
"We are now seeing summer speeds more than 4 times what they were in the 1990s on a glacier which at that time was believed to be one of the fastest, if not the fastest, glacier in Greenland," said Ian Joughin, a researcher at the University of Washington's Polar Science Center, and lead author of the study.
"These flow rates are unprecedented: they appear to be the fastest ever recorded for any glacier or ice stream in Greenland or Antarctica," the researchers said.
As the glacier shrinks, several icebergs may break loose and travel towards the mainland, which could cause problems for vessels navigating the sea waters near that region.
Strangely enough, nearby glaciers did not experience large retreats such as the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier. It is not certain why this is, but there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel nonetheless.
Researchers believe the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier will slow its pace within a century once it hits bedrock. By then, it won't be as large as it is now, and probably won't be seen as something of much importance.
