Glacier the size of Manhattan breaks off in Greenland
This is from the movie Chasing Ice, by American director Jeff Orlowski. This clip shows as they caputure a glacier calving – a glacier the size of Manhattan, an area over 80 square km.
This beautiful clip from the movie shows what the film makers observed as they were perched on the side of the mountain in Greenland. They were waiting to capture a dramatic calving event. The power of this event is absolutely breathtaking, and the loud hum of the glacier ripping apart is testament to the huge force that is breaking the glacier in pieces.
The calving force broke parts 300 to 400 feet (92-121 meters) tall and shot pieces of ice 600 feet (over 180 meters) in the air! The echo is eerie. At one point of the video, a giant whale, though we can’t tell what kind, comes up for a look.
This is the largest witnessed calving event ever caught on tape. The duration of this was around 75 minutes. The only way to give this event context is to imagine an area the size of Manhattan breaking off and the buildings collapsing, the buildings rolling over on themselves. The only difference is the “buildings” would actually be 2-3 times bigger than actual!
Ever faster glacial recession
The event is disturbing too. To put it in perspective, it took this icefield 100 years to recede 8 miles: from 1902 until 2001. However, from 2001-2010, the glacier receded 8 miles. That is, in 10 years it receded more than it did in the previous 100 years.
Chasing Ice is an incredible journey featuring magnificent glaciers that transform along with our changing climate. The movie documents the studies of photographer James Balog, who is investigating the relationship of people with nature.
If you are interested in the movie, check out the site at chasingice.com
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