The glacier has been imaged by the Sentinel-2A satellite

Aug 3, 2015 08:40 GMT  ·  By

Launched earlier this year by researchers at the European Space Agency as part of an Earth observation mission dubbed Sentinel-2, in turn part of the Copernicus Programme, the Sentinel-2A satellite has recently produced a view of the Ryder Glacier in Greenland. 

The image, available in the gallery below, reveals the ice block's terminus, i.e. its snout.

The Ryder Glacier, which drains from the northern margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet into the Sherard Osborn Fjord, is now intensely studied together with other blocks of ice in this corner of the world in an attempt to document shifts in Arctic landscapes.

These shifts, mostly due to climate change and global warming, are best mapped via satellites.

“Satellite imagery is vital to mapping the rapidly changing face of the Arctic,” European Space Agency scientists say. By studying how the Arctic is transforming in this day and age, researchers can make better predictions about sea level rise.

Thus, although they might appear still, glaciers are, in fact, forever changing, their terminus advancing or retreating. Depending on these shifts in their appearance, specialists can determine the amount of ice reaching planetary oceans.

Consequently, they can better estimate future sea level rise and warn the coastlines most at risk.

Satellite view of the Ryder Glacier in Greenland (2 Images)

The Sentinel-2A satellite launched earlier this year
Ryder Glacier terminus
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