The largest glacial calving ever recorded- Chasing Ice (2013)

One concern scientists have is that if the outlet glaciers along the coastline, which make contact with the ocean waters, lose more ice, they may allow the far larger mass of land-based ice behind them to make a push toward the sea.

“This is the first time anyone has ever observed a sudden acceleration of ice loss in the downhill (outlet) portions of a really long ice stream. So, we are in terra incognita,” said study coauthor Michael Bevis of Ohio State University, in an interview with Mashable.

Khan told Mashable that the northeast Greenland ice stream may be destined for the same fate as the more famous Jakobshavn glacier in west Greenland, which has been thinning and retreating for more than a decade, at an increasing rate of about 30 gigatons per year.

Additionally, Khan said northeast Greenland has a similar downward-sloping topography to Jakobshavn where the ice meets the bedrock and sea floor, and, since the ice stream extends so far inland, the northeast ice stream constitutes a bigger risk than Jakobshavn does for contributing to sea level rise.

“Ice loss will continue and likely increase like Jakobshavn. Furthermore, the northeast drainage area is twice that of Jakobshavn. Thus, here we have a giant which could be Greenland’s largest contributor to sea level rise in [a] few years,” Khan said in an email conversation