Jakobshavn Glacier shows rapid ice loss in new satellite imagery

Satellite imagery released by the European Space Agency (ESA) documents the rapid melting of the Jakobshavn Glacier on Greenland's western coast. A video sequence compiled from images captured between January 2024 and December 2025 illustrates the glacier's movement toward the fjord and the continuous shedding of massive ice blocks into the ocean.

As one of the fastest-moving glaciers in the world, Jakobshavn experiences daily calving of icebergs comparable in size to large buildings. This process is accelerated by warming ocean water contacting the glacier's base, thinning it and making it harder to retain ice.

Data from the Ice Sheet Mass Balance Inter-comparison Exercise (IMBIE) reveals that polar ice sheets have lost approximately 11 trillion tonnes of ice over the last fifty years. This loss has contributed to a global sea level rise of more than 3 centimeters, a change that could threaten between 6 and 9 million people with coastal erosion and flooding. The findings are based on the longest satellite observation series ever conducted, spanning from 1972 to 2023 for Greenland and 1979 to 2023 for Antarctica.