Massive Melting in Greenland

Many researchers have stated that the ice sheets in Greenland are melting at an unprecedented pace. Scientists estimate a 6 meter rise of sea level once all ice sheets in Greenland melt.

In July alone, roughly 197 million tons of Greenland ice melted into the Atlantic Ocean. Although it is normal for ice sheets to melt during the summer due to the rise in sea temperature, ice was melting at an unexpected rate.

A reason why the melt of ice sheets in Greenland has caught so much attention among scientists is due to its vast size. It is the second biggest ice sheet in the world and covers around 1,710,000 square kilometers, which is roughly 80% of Greenland. The region is 7 times larger than the United Kingdom and holds around 2,850,000 cubic kilometers of ice.

According to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), if the ice sheet melts at the same pace as now, sea levels will rise approximately 1.6 meters in the next 200 years (click here for more information). Moreover, if the ice sheets in Greenland melt completely, sea level will rise up to 6 meters, putting countries such as the Netherlands, China, and Indonesia to risk.

The main reason for the acceleration in melting of ice sheets is enhanced global warming. Climate change has become a global issue and according to World Resources Institute (WRI), we, as humans, emitted 37.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas in 2018 (click here for more information). Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide creates a thick layer in the atmosphere which traps heat radiating towards earth and prevents heat from escaping. This causes the rise in temperature and thus, accelerates the melting of ice sheets.

Many scientists are working hard to reduce the melting of ice sheets and to slow down the process. Scientists are planting Siberian larch in Greenland, a plant that can survive at a cold climate, which will reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, reducing the enhanced global warming. Scientists hope that this project will become larger in scale, and slow down the climate change in Greenland. More countries are adopting renewable energy to decrease dependency on fossil fuels for energy, which will cut down green house gas emissions.