Not sure if this is the right thread, but the open thread has been very noisy lately. Looking at Bremen concentration map at http://iup.physik.uni-bremen.de:8084/ssmis/arctic_SSMIS_nic.png I notice quite a large polynia south of Nares Strait since a couple of days. How do folks here explain such a feature at this time of the year? Is it usual or "new normal"?

Speaking about the Gulf Stream what about the shutdown of thermohaline circulation hypothesis? We have been warned in Europe to be prepared to the weakening of the Gulf Stream and return of terrible icy winters. What we are seeing today seems to go exactly the other way round. Any recent works on this issue?

In France Southern Alps at elevation 1000m a week ago we had mild temperatures well over 20°C in the afternoon. Yesterday we got 10cm of snow pushed by a sustained north wind. Over 60cm in the high valleys of Queyras. See this impressive record for Col Agnel, with temperatures dropping about 15°C in two days.

Comparing images of MODIS between yesterday and today might give some clues about what is going on between the calving front and the ice island. July 30: July 31: The ice island itself has pivoted clockwise about 30°, sort of "rolling" on the right bank of the fjord. Meanwhile the configuration of icebergs behind the island has been completely messed up. But I would guess that the long narrow one indicated by the red spot, about 3 km long, is the same in the two images. Looks like there is a strong anti-clockwise current there moving this stuff around.

Back to Petermann since after all it is the original topic :) Today's view is clear from clouds. http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r03c03.2012212.terra.250m The ice island has drifted more than 20km since the calving event, that is more than 1km/day. At the same speed it will take between one and two more weeks to enter Nares main stream.

http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r02c03.2012212.terra.250m Looks like multi-years fast ice is giving way everywhere in this northeastern coast. Can experts confirm? Will this ease the way out through Fram?

Great discussions here I've been lurking at for at least one year ... but I jumped in only yesterday (on a last year's post about Jakobshavn Isbrae evolution) and Neven pointed me back to this thread. A question to all and maybe Werther in particular. Beyond reflectivity, aspects of the ice sheet surface, and calving monitoring, I was wondering if other indicators are taken into account, to assess the (liquid) water flow from the ice sheet into the sea. Based on my local mountains experience (France, Southern Alps), looking at the state of water downstream one can learn a lot about what is happening upstream. In particular the color of water is a good indicator of the quantity of mud or rock flour carried, itself an indicator of melting intensity. This idea came to me while looking at http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r02c02.2012178.terra.250m and seeing how far the "muddy waters" extend downstream in the fjords. The various flavors of brown, grey and turquoise (the latter being characteristic of rock flour ... at least here at home), and how far they extend seaward down the fjords, is certainly something that can be compared at similar dates. Has that kind of study already be done?

Fair enough, Neven. Let's start my small contribution to this blog by monitoring this particular spot. I would also be interested in whatever information/figures about the many melt ponds (well, rather lakes given their size) on the ice sheet in this area, and their contribution to the general flow of water (both liquid and ice) towards the sea, to which extent they are drained inside the ice etc.

I've been lurking at this blog (great stuff) and this thread in particular for quite a while. The view on Jakobshavn Isbrae those days is quite clear on Modis, and the flushing of icebergs into the bay seems interesting to follow. See http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/imagery/subsets/?subset=Arctic_r02c02.2012177.terra.250m. Any chance to get an animation of the current period?

To go along with Danny, I don't know where you get the impression of this "grand top-down vision". From the beginning, the Semantic Web has rather been developing along the lines of ontological diversity ... maybe too much diversity and lack of coordination, actually ... And Google has not *built* this "bottom-up directory of meaning", it has just cleverly *harvested* it like it has harvested everything else of value on the Web.