The Receding Breiðamerkurjökull Glacier, Iceland

  • Released Wednesday, May 6, 2026
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Breiðamerkurjökull, an outlet glacier of Iceland’s Vatnajökull ice cap, has been in rapid retreat for decades. As the ice shrinks, it expands the deepening Jökulsárlón lagoon. Warm saltwater from the North Atlantic flows into this basin, accelerating the melting and calving of the glacier's edge. Because these icy landscapes are too vast and remote to measure entirely from the ground, Landsat’s record is vital for tracking trends over time.

A infrared-color Landsat time series of Iceland’s Breiðamerkurjökull glacier spanning from 1985 to 2025, revealing the rapid retreat of the ice edge and the expansion of the Jökulsárlón glacial lagoon over time.

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NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

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This page was originally published on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 4:26 PM EDT.