Greenland Ice Sheet's Temperature at 1,000-Year High: Research Finds
A new study shows that human activities likely contribute to the warming of the central-north region of Greenland and accelerate ice loss from the Greenland ice sheet, with an average temperature increase of 1.5C from 2001-2011.
If greenhouse gas emissions continue, the Greenland ice sheet will cause a 50-centimeter global sea-level rise by 2100, potentially leading to coastal flooding due to holding over 3 million cubic kilometers of water.
Scientists used ice cores from the Greenland ice sheet, which serve as a "frozen time capsule" to examine past climates, to reveal that human activities are likely contributing to warming and accelerating ice loss from the ice sheet.
Dr. Maria Horhold, a glaciologist at the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and the lead author of the study, stated: “The time series we recovered from ice cores now continuously covers more than 1,000 years, from year 1000 to 2011."
The research team found that melting from the ice sheet in Greenland has greatly increased since the early 2000s, contributing significantly to rising sea levels worldwide.
Greenland is losing trillions of tonnes of ice every decade, and this loss is only accelerating.
The potential sea-level rise of 7 meters poses a risk to human civilization and destabilizes necessary systems for a stable and resilient planet for all, warn researchers.
They also noted that the Atlantic Ocean current plays a role in the rainfall over the Amazon rainforest, which is one of the most important carbon sinks on Earth, and is currently drying out and losing its capacity to store carbon.
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