Will there be a new ocean pathway in Svalbard?

It’s interesting to visualise glacier changes in Svalbard. At the end of Hornsund fjord, Hornbreen has been retreating consistently. Below is a GIF showing these changes. The glacier shares a catchment with the neighbouring Hambergbreen to the east, which is also retreating. At some point in the future, these 2 glaciers will retreat and lead to a new oceanic channel through Hornsund fjord and into the eastern waters of Svalbard. This event could be quite a dramatic retreat as both glaciers lose their pinning points against the southern fjord boundary. This could have drastic consequences on ocean circulation in the region with cascading effects for ecosystems.

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