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Author Topic: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland  (Read 10977 times)

Espen

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I have done some studies with C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher one of the very large outlet glaciers in the North of Greenland, and I realized the not so big giant anymore retreated up to 24 km over 14 years from 1999.

Please click on the image to enlarge! It is very large
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 12:01:00 AM by Espen »
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Espen

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / North Greenland
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2014, 05:19:10 PM »
C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher update, not much happening since May 2013, but still signs of retreat.

Please click on image to start animation!
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Espen

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / North Greenland
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2014, 11:41:47 AM »
C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher is on the move:
« Last Edit: August 02, 2014, 12:00:14 PM by Espen »
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Espen

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2016, 06:54:42 PM »
 C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher is preparing for a large calving, the width of this calving front is 10 km!:

Click on image to enlarge!
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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2016, 10:49:33 PM »
Nice spotting. Seems odd for mid-January?

Monitoring is a lot easier than in the olden days -- 1990 -- when people had nothing more than the occasional photo from an airplane.

And that was a big break-through from the 1920's when they didn't even have those. One of the applications   vindicated Bretz's theory of the Missoula Floods and formation of the Grand Coulee, though a lot of geologists didn't believe the first pictures either, for 40 years! Very similar to the treatment Wegener got with plate tectonics.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Harlen_Bretz

North Greenland Glacier Velocities and Calf Ice Production
AK Higgins
Polarforschung 60 (1): 1-23, 1990
http://epic.awi.de/28269/1/Polarforsch1990_1_1.pdf

Espen

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #5 on: July 30, 2016, 02:06:28 PM »
C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher together with Harder Gletscher (right) was influenced by the same full moon arctivity around July 20 2016 as Ryder Gletscher:
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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #6 on: August 05, 2018, 11:38:47 AM »
C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher is relatively active compared to many other Arctic Glaciers this season, the left arm of the glacier is now free from the butt rest further ahead (rock), and the left calving front will presumably be retreating down along the Nunatak (island) in the middle of the glacier.
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Espen

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #7 on: July 29, 2019, 06:16:47 PM »
Temperature at C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher:
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Alphabet Hotel

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #8 on: July 30, 2019, 05:55:39 AM »
boom!

Not only is the ice at the entrance breaking apart, there is a lot of surface melt as well.

Niall Dollard

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #9 on: September 04, 2019, 01:28:55 AM »
I am intrigued by this large cigar shaped berg that's been moving up and down Victoria Fjord when the fast ice breaks. It measures approximately 12 km by 2km.

This summer it has been moving a lot.

I have had a look back through other years on sentinel and also on Worldview. Sometimes it pivots about a central point. It has migrated towards the top of the fjord but I wonder is it a piece that calved not around 1999/2000 ?

Looking at Espen's 1999 image, I wonder could it have broken from the magenta circled area ?

Is the berg we are now looking at, one that began life 19 years ago ?

I'll attach a few images going back through the years. 

Niall Dollard

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #10 on: September 04, 2019, 01:33:06 AM »
Early image from worldview in 2001

More or less same place on 24 July 2003

Then it starts a big move end July & August 2003 (GIF of 7 day movement from Aug 9th)
« Last Edit: September 04, 2019, 01:51:04 AM by Niall Dollard »

Niall Dollard

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #11 on: September 04, 2019, 01:45:59 AM »
More images Aug 2005

August 2008

Sept 2015

Aug 2017







Niall Dollard

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2020, 12:09:02 PM »
The sun has returned to Victoria Fjord and here is that large cigar shaped piece embedded in the sea ice after overwintering.

It's located about 25 kms from the mouth of the fjord. Who knows will it escape into the Nares Strait this year ? 

Niall Dollard

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Re: C. H. Ostenfeldt Gletscher / Victoria Fjord / North Greenland
« Reply #13 on: September 30, 2020, 01:01:17 AM »
Despite such a warm summer the cigar shaped berg hasnt moved much this year. There was a little late break up near the berg around September but it hasnt moved much from its wintering spot.

Here's an image from Sept 18th. New ice forming in the open spots around. Settling in for winter.

June and July were very torrid with melt visible in the ridges. Second image is from June 17th.