Kofoed-Hansen Bræ / North East Greenland

[Espen]

Kofoed-Hansen Bræ, is another glacier in the Storstrømmen Glacier complex, found in the opposite end of Storstrømmen and with a terminus facing north between Sønderland to the west and Nordmarken / Søndermarken to the east which is a part of the Jøkelbugt area.
See GEUS map below.
The width of the glacier terminus is +/- 10 km depending on when and where it is measured.
The glacier has shown some retreat between 1973 and 1990 on an average of 6 km again depending on where it is measured.
Since 1999 to 2013 the glacier only moved a little forth and back.

Please click on image to enlarge, for better details!

[Espen]

Another glacier in the reminder series, shows how Kofoed-Hansen Bræ retreated over the last 41 years, the width of the glacier is +/- 12 km at the calving front.

Please click on image to start animation!

[notjonathon]

Espen ,your work on this forum is remarkable. As a long-time lurker with no research of my own to add, I'm generally content just to read. But looking at this animation, the 2014 image seems to show a major shadow line near the bottom of the long crack, suggesting a change in elevation of the top of the glacier. The line is not noticeably there in the earlier image. Is this merely an artifact, or does it mark some feature of the underlying topography? Or might it indicate a thinning of the glacier toward the front?

[Espen]

notjonathon,

Thanks, yes there is definitely a thinning underway, which is notable at the rock shore to right of the glacier (Germania Land), seen as a land expansion.   

[NotaDenier]

Little to no change in the last 5 years.

Is this glacier not exposed to the ocean very much?

Edit: this glacier actually has two outlets. There is one to the south. Espen do you know the name of that glacier? Edit: looks like the outlet to the south is called Storstrømmen based on Espen map of glacier names.  The Kofoed-Hansen glacier is actually melting away from land to the south east of the terminus in the original posts. There must be at least 100km between the glacier fronts.

This glacier does not appear to be very fast and it seems to be melting in situ.

Maybe a new island soon on the far south end of the picture?


https://apps.sentinel-hub.com/sentinel-playground/?source=S2&lat=77.19921940361307&lng=-23.35693359375&zoom=8&preset=CUSTOM&layers=B01,B02,B03&maxcc=100&gain=1.0&gamma=1.0&time=2019-02-01%7C2019-08-23&atmFilter=&showDates=false&evalscript=cmV0dXJuIFtCOEEqMixCMDMqMSxCMDIqMV0%3D

[Often Distant]

A gif spanning most of 50 years. It appears to have not been pushing forward at all through all those years as it retreats.

The situation quietened down on the calving front in recent years, whilst remaining silently persistent on the melting front. No stopping.