Massive Iceberg Threatens the Safety of a Small Greenland Village

A massive iceberg has drifted close to the coast of a remote Greenland village, threatening its safety.

An 11-million ton massive iceberg has reportedly drifted close to the coast of Innaarsuit, a small town in northwestern Greenland, and is now causing panic among residents as it may trigger a series of small tsunamis which could cause widespread damage and flooding.

“We are very concerned and are afraid,” Karl Petersen, a member of the Innaarsuit village council, told CBC.

According to reports, local authorities have already told 33 of the 169 residents of the village living near the iceberg to evacuate their homes and seek refuge on higher ground. Residents with boats were also advised to move their ships inland.

According to reports, the iceberg is melting slowly. Videos taken in the area show chunks of ice cascading into the surrounding water. The event, in turn, produces large waves that crash towards the coast.

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While drifting icebergs are common in the region, authorities said that it was unusual for icebergs this huge to be seen close to Innaarsuit.

“[T]his iceberg is the biggest we have seen… and there are cracks and holes that make us fear it can calve anytime,” Susanne K. Eliassen, another member of the Innaarsuit village council, said.

The satellite data that was taken by the Danish Meteorological Institute put the iceberg at about 650 feet wide and 300 feet above sea level. It is so big that the Europian Union’s Sentinal-2A satellite was able to pick it up from orbit.

The Innaarsuit massive iceberg sighting comes a few weeks after New York University scientists captured and released a June video of a gigantic iceberg breaking free from a glacier situated in eastern Greenland.

William Colgan, a senior researcher at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, told the press in an interview that iceberg events will become more frequent in the years to come.

“Iceberg production in Greenland has been increasing in the past 100 years as climate change has become stronger,” Colgan said.

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