Kangerlussuaq Glacier 1985 and 2016

Kangerlussuaq Glacier

In these images you can see a comparison of the Kangerlussuaq Glacier, located in the Kangerlussuaq Fjord in east Greenland in August 1985 and August 2016.

It is the largest glacier on the east coast of the Greenland ice sheet. In this direct comparison you can see that it shrank during this time period. While stable over much of this 31-year-period, it had phases during which it retreated, especially between 2004 and 2006, but since then appears to be more or less stable with phases of slow advancing.

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You can download a full-size comparison image with a scale of 30 meters/pixel here on Flickr.

Kangerlussuaq comparison 1985 and 2016

Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 data courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.