Special Tour to See Greenland’s Melting Glaciers

Greenland’s Ice sheet and glaciers are at record melt rates. (NASA image)

“Greenland’s Melting Nears Tipping Point”

was a New York Times Headline article last week. On Saturday The Guardian (London) ran an editorial:

“Rising Sea Level: a Warning from Greenland”

Their lead paragraph was: “Ice sheets are melting faster and in different ways than scientists expected. As well as limiting carbon emissions, we must adapt.” I could not have said it any better. These messages may not seem to be as attention-grabbing as the tabloids in the supermarket checkout line, but they should command a lot more attention.

What is happening in Greenland now will determine how soon the first meter – about 3 feet of higher base sea level – arrives at every coastal community in the world. That is not hype. The ice sheet and glaciers on Greenland hold enough ice to raise global sea level an estimated 25 feet (~7 meters) if they fully melt. Full meltdown will almost certainly not happen for centuries, but the accelerating melting happening now is raising the likelihood that we could get several feet of global sea level rise, within decades. I am not prone to exaggeration or trying to alarm anyone. But I have no doubt whatsoever the “the world” will be caught off guard by the acceleration of sea level rise. Every year that we dispute, delay, and deny that sea level will be many feet higher will cause multiplied damages and disruption in the decades ahead.

Announcing Exclusive Fact-Finding Trip to Greenland – Sept 8-15, 2019

I have led four fact-finding trips to Greenland including one for the US Coast Guard, one for the US Air Force and the others for nonprofit philanthropic organizations. They are always eye-opening for the participants. Frankly, they are eye-opening for me too. Every time I go, I am astounded at the change.

8 Page Brochure. Download link below.

Understanding firsthand what is happening on Greenland is so critical to global sea level rise that the nonprofit International Sea Level Institute is organizing a very exclusive “fact-finding” expedition to Greenland in September for major donors who can support the Institute’s work. Details are in a brochure, that can be downloaded here.  It will be an unforgettable experience.

Having been to the Arctic and Antarctica, I strongly recommend Greenland as the best place to see what is happening with the melting ice sheet, melting glaciers, and calving icebergs. This is not a standard tour it is an expedition. A chartered helicopter will take us far out onto the ice sheet where we will see the meltwater streams up close. A ship will take us to a huge remote glacier. Private briefings will be given by world-class experts such as glaciologists, military leaders, and the Inuit, the native people of the high Arctic. Early September is a great time of year to visit Greenland with moderate temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s Fahrenheit (2-10 Celsius).

This is “ground zero” for melting ice, calving icebergs, and rising seas. It is one thing to hear that we are in a new era; it’s quite another to experience it firsthand. Earth is in a warming mode that has not occurred in over a hundred thousand years. To stand on a glacier where we are but specks on an expanse of ice that extends to the horizon in all directions is profound. You will leave Greenland changed forever.

Expedition follows small meltwater channel; helicopters in the distance. (Photo: Englander)

We expect the trip to fill quickly. The program was just announced yesterday (January 28) and already has three places reserved. Only eight spots remain. Because the funds are paid to our nonprofit (tax exempt), it should qualify to receive funds from other nonprofits, family foundations, and trusts and may be tax deductible for US taxpayers. If anyone has questions or wants to reserve a place, they should contact me ASAP via the special email address below.

 

By John Englander January 29, 2019 Sea Level Rise