Insights into supraglacial lake drainage dynamics: triangular fracture formation, reactivation and long-lasting englacial features

14 August 2025

The authors study the evolution of a massive lake on the Greenland Ice Sheet using satellite and airborne data and some modelling. The lake is emptying rapidly. Water flows to the glacier's base through cracks and triangular-shaped moulins that remain visible over the years. Some of them become reactivated. The authors find features inside the glacier that stem from drainage events with a width of even 1 km. These features are persistent over the years, although they are changing in shape.

Please also read the press release by Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI).

Contact: Angelika Humbert (angelika.humbert@awi.de)