The Jakobshavn Glacier in Greenland, studied for over 250 years, has significantly contributed to the modern understanding of climate change and glaciology. This famous glacier is a massive ice stream flowing from the Greenland Ice Sheet into an Atlantic fjord. It is one of the fastest-moving glaciers globally and has undergone dramatic changes due to global warming. Historically, Jakobshavn has been responsible for calving some of the largest icebergs ever recorded. The glacier plays a critical role in the depletion of the Greenland Ice Sheet by discharging vast amounts of ice into the ocean, measurably contributing to global sea-level rise. This massive calving highlights growing concerns about the accelerated ice loss in Greenland, which adds freshwater to the North Atlantic and may disrupt global ocean currents. The glacier is heavily influenced by ocean temperature changes, particularly the increasing inflow of warm Atlantic water. These warm currents significantly enhance the glacier's melting rate. A novel and controversially debated approach to mitigating glacier melting and its impact on sea-level rise is polar engineering. Scientists propose building underwater barriers or artificial sills on the seabed at the fjord entrances of major outlet glaciers. These structures aim to block or redirect warm currents, preventing them from reaching the glacier's base and accelerating melting from below.

The artwork “arctic shield” captures the grandeur of the Jakobshavn Glacier and its immense icebergs. The artist spent several days photographing these surreal, monumental ice formations, navigating close to them in a small boat. However, their arrangement in the triptych, compressed and restructured, creates a sense of unnatural order that disrupts the organic randomness typical of Arctic ice formations. The immersive landscape feels both otherworldly and artificial. In the foreground, a mysterious white line traverses the ocean, symbolizing a barrier and the idea of polar engineering. It also obstructs the path of an approaching Greenland whale, evoking tensions between human efforts to control nature and the repercussions on the natural world. The backdrop of a starry night sky adds a layer of mystique, emphasizing the vast temporal and spatial scales of the Arctic environment. Together, the triptych’s elements inspire reflection on the fragility and magnificence of the Arctic in the face of climate change.