'I was reporting on climate change at a glacier. Then I got stuck there.' denisechow writes about her night stranded on the edge of Greenland's fast-melting Helheim Glacier. ClimateInCrisis
I tried not to panic, but my mind was racing. While I didn’t feel unsafe, I did remember that as we were loading up the helicopter, Holland had casually pointed out an orange and black bag containing a shotgun — just in case he needed to fend off polar bears.
The same helicopter that took the four of us out to the enormous ice field would immediately return to Tasiilaq to pick up the four other researchers on David’s team, and once they arrived, I would have my ride back into town that same evening. Holland’s team is trying to understand what’s driving the staggering ice melt. This summer alone, an estimated 440 billion tons of ice has been lost from Greenland’s ice sheet — and some scientists say it could be more. It’s thought that glaciers like Helheim are melting from below, eroded by warming oceans. The complex interplay between atmospheric, ocean and ice conditions is what Holland and his colleagues were here to investigate.
“The story is really to follow the warm water,” Holland said. “If we follow the warm water, everything else will fall into place. What we need to figure out is, how did warm water show up near ice?” “The glacier is always talking to us,” Denise Holland said as she stirred a big pot of lightly bubbling chili.In this spot, tucked just inside the Arctic Circle, the sun sets late in mid-August and dusk lingers far into the night. Over dinner, David Holland and Rougeux discussed priorities for the next day.
David and Denise Holland let me stay in one of their igloos, which made for a relatively comfortable camping experience.Once inside the gray-colored structure, I rolled out a foam pad onto one of the two narrow sleeping ledges. It felt like I was in a spaceship or a submarine. I fell asleep quickly, thankful for the warm sleeping bag.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Scientists chart troubling signs of Greenland climate changeWatch NBC’s Al Roker join Stephanie Ruhle and Ali Velshi with his new reporting from the glaciers of Greenland, where scientists are charting troubling signs of climate change.
Read more »
An island imperiled: Climate change threatens Greenland — and its way of lifeCrisisInClimate: As their home melts, Greenlanders confront the fallout of climate change.
Read more »
Your Beautyblender Is Probably A Cesspool Of Bacteria Right NowFind out the fastest way to clean a Beautyblender and which soap to use.
Read more »
China's property investment growth at four-month high in AugustChina's property investment grew at its fastest pace in four months in Augu...
Read more »
An Ode to Lil' Kim's 'Ladies Night,' One of the Best Posse Cuts of All TimeWith seven female rappers in the Hot 100 for the first time in a decade, we revisited the 1997 single that pioneered rap's sisterhood.
Read more »