More than 80% of Greenland’s landmass is covered by the vast Greenland Ice Sheet, whose dimensions are so enormous that they are difficult to comprehend. It spans an area of 1.7 million square kilometers and contains approximately 2.8 million cubic kilometers of ice. At its thickest point, the ice cap is over three kilometers deep. The ice sheet acts as a giant reflector of the sun’s energy, contributing to a cooling effect for the entire planet. If it were to melt completely, global sea levels would rise by more than seven meters. In the past three decades, the ice sheet has become the epicenter of international climate research. Through scientific studies and observations on the ice, researchers gain not only models for future climate changes but also insights into the climate of the past. In recent years, the ice sheet has been darkening more during the melt season due to the spread of snow and ice algae on its surface. The abundance of glacier algae colors the ice surface dark gray, reducing its albedo—the surface's reflectivity—which accelerates the melting of the ice sheet. There is a growing “dark zone” running parallel to the ice sheet margin for which glacier algal blooms are responsible. Scientific climate models predict that this melting will further raise sea levels, potentially affecting millions of people worldwide over time. The influx of freshwater into the oceans impacts marine ecosystems, altering food sources and biodiversity. The planet´s cryosphere is an especially sensitive indicator of climate change. We need the ice masses at the poles to maintain the global balance of water, temperature, and weather.

The work "arctic streams" visualizes the process of darkening of the Greenland Ice Sheet and the formation of massive meltwater rivers. The triptych consists of several palimpsest-like layers of images that weave together micro and macro perspectives. The foundation is a series of aerial photographs taken by the artist during multiple helicopter flights over the ice sheet. These are partially blended with close-up and detailed images of the ice surface. Electron microscope images of algae collected from the ice sheet float in spherical form above the ice. These microorganisms are responsible for the widespread color transformation of the ice. The dark, cracked ice surface, crisscrossed by glacier crevasses, contrasts with the turquoise-blue, crystal-clear meltwater rivers that meander through the endless ice landscape. Like branching veins, they wind through the ice, their deep blue tones standing out sharply against the gray shades of the ice. The Greenland Ice Sheet is melting at an unprecedented rate due to climate change. In recent years, hundreds of billions of tons of ice have been lost, causing the ice cap to retreat and global sea levels to rise—a process that is becoming increasingly difficult to reverse.