The Shocking Discovery of Melting Glaciers in Greenland

The Shocking Discovery of Melting Glaciers in Greenland

Sustainability Awakening

Greenland's Petermann Glacier is a vital part of the world's climate system.

But a new study reveals that scientists may be underestimating the amount of melting yet to come from glaciers that end in the sea.

Petermann acts like a doorstop, holding back vast quantities of land-based ice. As the glacier thins, inland ice moves faster into the ocean, raising global sea levels.

The researchers used satellite radar data from three different spacecraft constellations to obtain precise readings of the glacier's height and vertical motion.

They found that seawater is intruding deep into northwest Greenland's Petermann Glacier, thinning the ice from below.

Most computer models used to project ice melt from marine-terminating glaciers like Petermann assume that little to no melting occurs at the grounding line.

However, the glacier is rising and falling with the tides, as water flushes underneath it and penetrates more than a mile inland multiple times per day, the study found.

Seawater has even carved a 670-foot-tall cavity underneath the ice, further weakening the glacier's ability to hold ice in place.

This finding surprised the scientists, particularly how far inland the relatively warm ocean waters are moving.

The study suggests that current sea level projections are too low and could be as much as two times too low.

The findings may help explain why computer models have trouble accurately depicting the pace of recent glacier retreat and historical glacier melt events during Earth's history.

The study highlights the urgent need for further research and action to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

The discovery of melting glaciers in Greenland is a wake-up call that current sea level projections are too low.

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It's time to take action to mitigate the impacts of climate change before it's too late.

You can read a detailed analysis, here.

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