Current:Home > MyGreenland's ice sheet melting faster than scientists previously estimated, study finds-InfoLens
Greenland's ice sheet melting faster than scientists previously estimated, study finds
View Date:2024-12-23 11:30:50
Greenland's ice sheet is melting faster than scientists previously estimated, according to a study released Wednesday in the journal Nature, with the loss believed to be 20% worse than previously reported.
Since 1985, Greenland's ice sheet has lost approximately 5,091 square kilometers of ice researchers found using satellite imagery. Scientists said earlier estimates did not track melting at the edges of the ice sheets, known as calving, which measures ice breaking off at the terminus of a glacier.
Greenland's ice sheet loses about 193 square kilometers of ice per year, researchers found.
Study co-author Chad Greene and his colleagues said they qualified the extent of calving, which increased the scope of ice mass lost.
They combined "236,328 observations of glacier terminus positions" compiled from various public data sets to capture monthly ice melt. Their measurements found that between 1985 and 2022, almost every glacier in Greenland experienced some level of loss.
Scientists found that seasonal variability of glaciers could be a predictor of long-term loss of ice mass, with notable differences in melting during the summer and winter. The study found that during the summer, ocean warming and influxes of meltwater raise ice melting rates and can alter the thickness of the glacial ice. During the winter months, "a melange of sea ice and icebergs" can modify the glacial melt rate.
Researchers in the study noted that "this retreat does not appear to substantially contribute to sea level rise" because most of the glacier margins the scientists measured were already underwater. The loss, however, may play a part in ocean circulation patterns, and how heat energy is distributed across the planet.
However, scientists have previously found the Greenland ice sheet is the second-largest contributor to sea level rise. In an earlier study, scientists found that a single sheet melting was responsible for more than 17% of sea level rise between 2006 and 2018.
Glaciers and ice sheets melt faster than they can gather new snow and ice as global temperatures increase — particularly in the oceans, which absorb 90% of warming on the planet. Having both warmer air and warmer ocean water amplifies the loss of ice.
— Li Cohen contributed to this report.
- In:
- Glacier
- Climate Change
Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]
veryGood! (1)
Related
- Fate of Netflix Series America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Revealed
- Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated
- Former Trump attorney Timothy Parlatore thinks Trump could be indicted in Florida
- Below Deck Alum Kate Chastain Addresses Speculation About the Father of Her Baby
- Get Your Home Holiday-Ready & Decluttered With These Storage Solutions Starting at $14
- Get 2 Bareminerals Tinted Moisturizers for the Less Than the Price of 1 and Replace 4 Products at Once
- A town employee who quietly lowered the fluoride in water has resigned
- Don't Be Tardy Looking Back at Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's Romance Before Breakup
- He failed as a service dog. But that didn't stop him from joining the police force
- Cities Maintain Green Momentum, Despite Shrinking Budgets, Shifting Priorities
Ranking
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- Isle of Paradise 51% Off Deal: Achieve and Maintain an Even Tan All Year Long With This Gradual Lotion
- A town employee who quietly lowered the fluoride in water has resigned
- Solar Thermal Gears Up for a Comeback
- Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
- What it's like being an abortion doula in a state with restrictive laws
- Funeral company owner allegedly shot, killed pallbearer during burial of 10-year-old murder victim
- Expanding Medicaid is popular. That's why it's a key issue in some statewide midterms
Recommendation
-
Tony Hinchcliffe refuses to apologize after calling Puerto Rico 'garbage' at Trump rally
-
Aliso Canyon Released 97,000 Tons of Methane, Biggest U.S. Leak Ever, Study Says
-
Tupac Shakur posthumously receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
-
Arctic Heat Surges Again, and Studies Are Finding Climate Change Connections
-
Tennessee suspect in dozens of rapes is convicted of producing images of child sex abuse
-
Monkeypox cases in the U.S. are way down — can the virus be eliminated?
-
After State Rejects Gas Pipeline Permit, Utility Pushes Back. One Result: New Buildings Go Electric.
-
The 5-minute daily playtime ritual that can get your kids to listen better