Jakobshavn Glacier, also known as Ilulissat Glacier, is a large outlet glacier in West Greenland. It is located near the Greenlandic town of Ilulissat and ends at the sea in the Ilulissat Icefjord.
The calving front of the glacier
Landsat image of Jakobshavn Glacier. The lines show the position of the calving front of the Jakobshavn Glacier since 1851. The date of this image is 2006 and the calving front of the glacier can be seen at the 2006 line. The area stretching from the calving front to the sea (towards the bottom left corner) is the Ilulissat icefjord. Courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory
Aerial view of Jakobshavn Glacier from west side
Aerial view of Jakobshavn Glacier looking to west side
Glacier morphology, or the form a glacier takes, is influenced by temperature, precipitation, topography, and other factors. The goal of glacial morphology is to gain a better understanding of glaciated landscapes and the way they are shaped. Types of glaciers can range from massive ice sheets, such as the Greenland ice sheet, to small cirque glaciers found perched on mountain tops. Glaciers can be grouped into two main categories:Ice flow is constrained by the underlying bedrock topography
Ice flow is unrestricted by surrounding topography
Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand
Vatnajökull ice cap in Iceland
Southern Patagonia Ice Field from ISS, astronaut photo. North is to the right.
Grosser Aletschgletscher, Bernese Alps, Switzerland
