Greenland’s Ice Sheet Is Melting

Greenland’s Ice Sheet Is Melting

Greenland, the world’s largest island, located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is losing mass seven times faster than in the 1990s, according to new research.

A study published in Nature in August 2022 revealed that, for the first time, Greenland’s ice sheet is now out of balance with the prevailing Arctic climate and it no longer can support its current size. 

Since the mid-20th century, the Arctic has been warming twice the global rate. This puts increasing pressure on species and contributes to Greenland’s melting ice sheet. 

Researchers have assessed the ratio of replenishment from snowfall to loss from melting ice in Greenland, and they found that even if we were to cease all greenhouse gas emissions today, going off today’s current temperatures, Greenland’s ice loss will raise global sea levels by at least 27.4 centimetres.

This makes the Greenland ice sheet one of the largest sources of contemporary sea level rise.

What Does The Future Hold?

The key question is, what does the rapid ice loss mean for future sea level rise?

Over the past decade, Greenland’s ice loss has contributed to around 1 millimetre per year of global sea level rise. With the current rate, the worst-case scenario will see a 15-centimetre increase, which is insane!

We Shouldn’t Give Up Now. It’s Not Too Late!

We remain hopeful that we can get on track to prevent irreversible flooding to the planet’s coastlines. From what we understand from current research, it is not too late to act on Greenland’s ice sheet.