Mittivakkat Glacier, Research glacier in Sermersooq, Greenland
Mittivakkat Glacier is a large ice field on Ammassalik Island in southeast Greenland, sitting at approximately 973 meters in elevation. Scientists have been measuring and studying this ice continuously since the late 1800s to understand how it changes over time.
Scientists began documenting this glacier in 1898 and found that it has steadily retreated over more than a century. In 2005, researchers uncovered 13th-century reindeer bones beneath the ice, showing that the area was once free of glacial ice.
The region is closely connected to settlements on Ammassalik Island, where people have long understood how to move through and live alongside glacial landscapes. The ice shapes the way life unfolds here, influencing how the community relates to the land around them.
This glacier sits in a remote location and is only accessible with proper preparation and equipment for visiting. The best time to visit is during the brief summer season when the weather is more stable and daylight lasts longer.
This location holds one of the longest unbroken records of glacier measurements in the world. Over more than a century of continuous monitoring, it has become an invaluable record for understanding how the Arctic climate is changing.
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