A glacier is a body of dense ice that forms only on land and constantly moves downhill under its own weight. Sermeq Kujalleq, located in West Greenland, is one of the few glaciers through which the Greenland ice cap reaches the sea. And Ilulissat Icefjord is where that happens—a very active area where some 20-cubic-miles of ice break off annually. The combination of massive ice sheets and the dramatic sounds of glacial ice breaking off make for an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon. Studied for over 250 years, the location has helped develop our understanding of climate change and the formation, distribution and dynamics of ice flow.
—Prepared by the World Tribune staff
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