Possible impacts of a 1000 km long hypothetical subglacial river valley towards Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland

12 November 2020

The topography of the rock below the Greenland ice sheet is not well known. One long valley appears as a line of dips because of incomplete data. So the authors use ice model simulations that unblock this valley, and these create a watercourse that may represent a form of river over 1000 km long under the ice. When they melt ice at the bottom of the ice sheet only in the deep interior, water can flow down the valley only when the valley is unblocked. It may have developed while an ice sheet was present.

The press release from the Hokkaido University can be found at: https://www.global.hokudai.ac.jp/blog/possible-1000-kilometer-long-river-running-deep-below-greenlands-ice-sheet/

Contact: Christopher Chambers (youstormorg@gmail.com)