Researchers aboard M/V Adolf Jensen examine a glacier in southeast Greenland during a recent cruise to study the melting of icebergs produced by glaciers. Photo by physical oceanographer Fiamma Straneo, who was chief scientist for the National Science Foundation-funded cruise.
“The bigger context is that with increased ice discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet, the numbers of icebergs discharged by Greenland has increased and we need to understand where and how they melt,” Straneo wrote.
Straneo's recent work has focused on the interplay between Greenland's glaciers and a warming ocean. Read more about her and that research in this profile.
The cruise was a collaboration among Scripps, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Northwestern University and University of Oregon. In addition to classic instruments like conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) samples, the expedition followed and imaged icebergs with an autonomous underwater vehicle, drones, and an autonomous surface vehicle known as the Jetyak.
Related Image Gallery: Photo of the Week 2018
Related Video: Fiamma Straneo in 99 seconds