From the Little Auk colony we have a fantastic view of Hansbreen glacier.
Every so often we hear a big BOOOM! Huge pieces of the glacier are calving off leaving light blue scars on the glacier face.
It’s hard to actually see the pieces fall because sound travels slowly and by the time we hear it, the ice has already fallen. What we can see is the piece resurfacing from under water and the large slow circular wave it creates when it comes up. Afterwards pieces of glacier ice float onto the beah and get left there at high tide. The pieces are sculpted into bizarre Dr. Suess-like shapes.
The ice is filled with tiny bubbles that pop and crackle as the ice melts–capsules of air from when the ice was formed. By drilling into glacier ice scientists can sample air from the past. Measurements of carbon dioxide levels in these bubbles of old air have shown that CO2 levels were much lower in the past.
More photos (click on the links):
Some Dr. Suess characters on the beach.
Stranded glacier ice.
We have had an update from Jorg Welcker who is working on Little Auks north of here in Kongsfjorden. All of the chicks in that colony have hatched!
