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There is so much melting because of 3 reasons: 1)global warming due to
carbon dioxide increases in the atmosphere; 2) the negative phase of the
North Atlantic Oscillation brings less winter snowfall,3) the presence
of the lake caused incresing subglacial melting during the retreat but
also provided a fine grained sediment base over which the glacier
rapidly advanced over (deforming bed) during 1987-1996 advance.
The glacier has been retreating at approximately 100m a year for the last three years, so although a high melting rate was expected, this very warm autumn has lead to approximatley 50m retreat since July.
The glacier will now be too steep and dangerous to work on, so the project will have to move to another glacier.
By charting the dramtic break up of Briksdalsbreen we can predict what may happen to other rapidly melting glacier, particularly the outlet glaciers of Greenland, whose discharge has an important control on the thermohyline circulation, and thus the climate of North West Europe.
1) During the early spring, the glacier wakes up are there are diurnal changes in glacier stress and water pressure. 2) That during spring and early summer the glacier moves by basal sliding, but in August deformation of the till beneath the glacier is a significant component of glacier flow and the clasts rotate within the till (subglacial sediment). 3) That as the glacier retreats the glacier becomes 'wetter' (more englacial channels, more water filled crevasses and more subglacial water bodies).