Renowned oceanographer Dr Fiamma Straneo of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, with support from Greenpeace, found that warm subtropical waters are flowing into Greenland’s southeastern fjords and driving melting of the glaciers year-round. They also found water temperatures on average 1C higher than shown in previous data.
Dr Straneo installed measuring instruments in Greenland’s Sermilik and Kangerdlugssuaq Fjords in 2009, as part of Greenpeace’s Arctic expedition, and returned in 2010 to collect them. Over the year, the instruments recorded the water temperature, contributing to the first long-term data series on conditions in the fjords. This is important for showing that warming waters play a significant role in the melting of glaciers in Greenland.