The trend towards melting is particularly pronounced in Svalbard, but it is present throughout the Arctic. The loss of ice on land in turn has feedback effects on the climate: land absorbs more solar radiation than ice and snow and therefore warms up even faster; to a lesser extent, this also applies to exposed ice compared to snow.
Edge of a small ice cap on Storøya in northeast Svalbard. Numerous small meltwater channels are visible on the surface of the ice cap. Wet firn and exposed ice absorb more solar radiation than dry, white snow, which leads to increased melting. The ice-free land that is now exposed next to the ice cap is also better able to convert solar radiation into heat.
The impact on the marine ecosystem is yet another issue: increasing amounts of sediment-laden meltwater are flowing into the previously mostly clear water of the fjords and coastal waters. Due to its sediment load, the meltwater is murky and opaque, allowing little light to pass through. This in turn has an impact on algae growth, which is dependent on light for photosynthesis.
Meltwater with sediment load at Monacobreen in Liefdefjord.
But the changes of the marine ecosystem of the Arctic are another story. More about that later.