Ice, Ice, Greenland

In an article on Science Daily, writers used data from GFZ GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Helmholtz Centre to determine why Greenland is so icy. They name three essential causes for the glaciation: 1)the mountain peaks must reach high enough altitudes to allow for freezing ice, 2) Greenland must have shifted far enough north to decrease sunlight exposure and consequential warming, and 3) Earth's axis shifts to move Greenland even further north. This is related to the second learning objective: learning about climate change up until the present.

They also provide an interesting quote, that "the ice on Greenland could only form due to processes in the deep Earth interior. Large-scale glaciations in the Arctic only began about 2.7 million years ago; before that, the northern hemisphere was largely free of ice for more than 500 million years" (ScienceDaily). The article then details these different effects and how they would result in the icy condition of Greenland. My interest in this article stemmed from our brief discussion of ice in Greenland. To read more, visit the story at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150105112506.htm.

Watkins Mountains in southeastern Greenland: /Peter Japsen, GEUS

MLA Citation:
GFZ GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Helmholtz Centre. "Why is Greenland covered in ice? Processes in deep Earth interior created conditions for glaciation." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 5 January 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150105112506.htm>.