EARTH'S MOST SPECTACULAR PLACES

by Ann M. Cairns
 
denmark ice island glacier

Ilulissat Icefjord, Denmark

Near the top of the world, lies the glacier Ilulissat Icefjord.

Situated on the west coast of Greenland near the town of Ilulissat and north of the Arctic Circle, this site offers scientists a magnificent natural laboratory for studying climate change and icecap glaciology.

It's significant because the area is actually a combination of several extraordinary natural phenomena. A huge ice-sheet moving at the rate of 62 ft. (19 meters) per day. Now, combine that with the dramatic sounds of a fast-moving glacial ice-stream careening into a fjord already covered by icebergs. It makes for some incredible icy fireworks not found anywhere else on Earth.

The Ilulissat Icefjord is one of the fastest and most active glaciers in the world, calving more ice per year than any glacier outside Antarctica.

Credit: iStockphoto

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Image Credits Ann M. Cairns, U.S. National Committee, International Year of Planet Earth, iStockphoto

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