US EditionTwo Studies Reveal Greenland's Ice is Softer and Melting Faster Than Expected
Researchers found thermal convection causes plume-like structures deep in Greenland's ice sheet, revealing ice softness and aiding future sea-level rise predictions.
- A recent Nature Communications study led by the University of Barcelona found extreme Greenland melt events are more frequent, more extensive and more intense.
- Cryosphere researchers modelled a 2.5-kilometre ice slab and found radar-like plumes form only when basal ice is warmer and softer than standard assumptions.
- Measured data reveal the area affected by extreme melting rose 2.8 million km² per decade since 1990, meltwater production increased from 12.7 to 82.4 gigatons per decade, and seven of the 10 most extreme melts occurred since 2000.
- Estimates show Greenland's ice melting could raise sea levels by 24 feet and increase geopolitical attention, as the rapid transformation has global consequences, the study found.
- Under high greenhouse-gas emission scenarios, extreme meltwater anomalies could triple by century's end; thermodynamic intensification drives more water per event, with northern Greenland as a main hotspot.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Record-breaking Greenland ice sheet melt events under recent and future climate - Nature Communications
The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) has experienced a strong intensification of summer surface melting, with extreme events becoming more frequent, extensive, and severe. Despite its importance for global sea-level rise, the mechanisms driving these extremes remain incompletely understood. We analyze extreme melting events over 1950–2023 using an analog-based framework combined with a regional climate model to disentangle thermodynamic and dynamic co…
Greenland ice melt surges unprecedentedly amid warming
A study led by the University of Barcelona and published in the journal Nature Communications shows that climate change has profoundly altered extreme episodes of melting in the Greenland ice sheet by making them more frequent, more extensive and more intense. Since 1990, the area affected by extreme melting episodes has increased at a rate of 2.8 million km² per decade. Additionally, the production of water from ice melt has increased more than…
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