Greenland’s ice sheet is more sensitive to global warming than previously thought and may already be approaching a critical threshold, researchers in Spain and Germany have found.
The ice sheet may lose its ability to grow once warming reaches 1.6 degrees Celsius since pre- industrial times, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
That’s below the previous best estimate of 3.1 degrees, the scientists at Madrid’s Complutense University and Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found.
“We might already be approaching the critical threshold,” Alexander Robinson, the paper’s lead author and an academic affiliated with both institutions, said in an e-mailed statement.
“The more we exceed the threshold, the faster it melts.”
Bloomberg newsagency reports that the United Nations estimates the Greenland ice sheet contains enough water to raise global sea levels by about seven metres, threatening coastal cities from New York to London and Bangkok.
Even so, the researchers said it could take thousands of years for the entire sheet to melt.
Temperatures have warmed 0.8 degrees since industrialisation began in the 18th century.
This increase marks the lower limit of the 0.8 degree to 3.2 degree range of uncertainty within which the melt threshold could be reached, according to the paper.
With 2.0 degrees of warming, it would take 50,000 years to melt the ice sheet, the scientists said.
At 4.0 degrees, the time frame decreases to 8000 years, and at 8.0 degrees, it’s 2000 years.
The researchers used computer models that were able to replicate past growth and shrinkage of the Greenland ice sheet to project what might happen in the future.
They factored in the effects of melting of the 3000-meter thick ice sheet below certain altitude thresholds, which makes refreezing less likely, even with a return to previous temperatures.
They also included the warming effect caused by exposure of dark land and sea areas that absorb more light rather than reflect it, as ice does.
One Response
The best thing anyone can do for the earth and all the creatures living in it, is to stop all wars and all Colonial conquests.
As long as the earth continues in its present ways nothing will change as far as the warming of the Oceans goes.
If you are living day to day with no aspirations or faith in the future the last thing you are concerned about is what is going to happen to someones Beach House on the other side of the earth.
All the bullshit research and predictions of doom come to nothing if you send your son to machine guns someones children on the other side of the Earth, who probably did not even know you and your son existed.
Bring peace to the World by not wanting to steal other peoples house, food and clothes.
The flooding of the Earth will bring a sense of Vengence to half the World.
Can you imagine the cheers of the World when the people with the guns are drowning and their children are going hungry as well.
Will it be the biggerst party ever?
“Vengence is mine said the Lord”
There may be a God after all.