Spitsbergen’s sea-outlet glaciers have retreated at an exceptionally rapid rate over the past two years. On average, their glacier fronts have retreated by around 200 metres – the greatest retreat recorded since systematic measurements began.
As reported by the Norwegian Polar Institute on 28 September 2026, satellite measurements for the period 2024 to 2026 show a new record. Since this series of measurements began in 2013, no comparably rapid retreat of the archipelago’s sea-outlet glaciers has been recorded.
This trend is particularly evident at Kronebreen, Monacobreen and Storisstraumen on Austfonna. There, the glacier fronts retreated by 600 to 900 metres within two years. For ten other glaciers, the retreat was so severe that their fronts now lie entirely on land and no longer have direct contact with the sea.
According to the researchers, warmer seawater plays a key role. It can melt the glacier fronts from below, creating cavities beneath the ice and thereby accelerating calving. This process can continue even when air temperatures have already fallen below freezing.
This change has consequences for the fjords of Spitsbergen. When glaciers no longer flow directly into the sea, the supply of meltwater and nutrients changes, as do the living conditions for numerous marine species. At the same time, glacial melt and ice loss contribute to global sea-level rise.
The new observations show just how rapidly Svalbard’s coastal and glacial landscape is currently changing.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal