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Media Advisory 08-022

Still Images and Video Available: Lakes of Meltwater Can Crack Greenland's Ice and Contribute to Faster Ice-Sheet Flow

Photo of Greenland surface lake

Surface lakes of meltwater dot the Greenland Ice Sheet and some drain to bedrock.


April 17, 2008

For video on Betacam SP of the Greenland ice sheet and researchers in the field, contact Dena Headlee (703) 292-7739 / dheadlee@nsf.gov.

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

In findings embargoed for release on April 17, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded researchers investigate the role of surface meltwater on the flow of the Greenland Ice Sheet and outlet glaciers.

The research was conducted by glaciologists Sarah Das, of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Ian Joughin, University of Washington and published in a pair of companion papers in the online journal Science Express this week.

NSF is making available to the news media b-roll video shot on the Greenland ice sheet and still photos, at print resolution, taken by the researchers.

The papers will be printed in Science magazine on May 9. Co-authors of the work include Mark Behn, Dan Lizarralde and Maya Bhatia of WHOI; Ian Howat, Twila Moon, and Ben Smith of UW; and Matt King of Newcastle University.

The research was funded by NSF, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Woods Hole's Clark Arctic Research Initiative, and its Oceans and Climate Change Institute.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Peter West, NSF, (703) 292-7761, email: pwest@nsf.gov
Sandra Hines, University of Washington, (206) 543-2580, email: shines@u.washington.edu
Michael J Carlowicz, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, (508) 289-3771, email: mcarlowicz@whoi.edu

Program Contacts
William J. Wiseman, NSF, (703) 292-4750, email: wwiseman@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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