This is a moulin in the Jakobshavn Glacier of Greenland. The Jakobshavn Glacier is the fastest moving glacier on our planet with speeds of up to 30m/day.

In the summer, the increased temperatures cause melt water to form lakes and rivers on the surface of the ice. The water formed flows into deep vertical shafts in the ice called moulins. Scientists are unsure of where the water flowing into thes...e moulins ends up, but it has been speculated that it may be falling to the base of the glacier. Water at the base of the glacier lubricates its motion and enhances its speed. It is believed that eventually the water drains into the the Arctic Sea.

-TT

(Photo Source: Roger Braithwaite, University of Manchester. Courtesy NASA
http://www.peopleandplanet.net/?lid=28754&topic=23&section=45

Article References:
1. BBC: Power of the Planet – Ice - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b008g1kt
2. NASA - http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=44625)See More