GREENLAND ICE SHEET CRACKING MORE RAPIDLY AMID CLIMATE CHANGE: REPORT

Mon 03 February 2025:

Greenland’s ice sheet is “more rapidly” cracking open as a result of climate change, according to a new study published on Monday.

A new report by UK’s Durham University, led by Tom Chudley, revealed that crevasses had significantly increased in size and depth at the fast-flowing edges of the ice sheet over the five years between 2016 and 2021.

Researchers studied more than 8,000 3-D surface maps created with high-resolution satellite imagery to evaluate the latest situation of the world’s second-largest body of ice.

According to the UN, Greenland’s ice sheet loses 2.5 million liters of fresh water every second, as last year’s statistics showed that it shrunk for the 28th year in a row; in 2023, it lost 80 gigatons of water.

The latest report showed that the sobering trend continues, warning that crevasses are growing “more quickly” than previously detected.

“In some areas at the edge of the ice sheet, where it meets the sea, there was a 25 percent increase in crevasses (with an error margin of plus/minus 10%),” said the study.

Greenland has been responsible for approximately 14 mm of sea level rise since 1992, and researchers believe it could contribute up to 30 centimeters (one foot) by 2100.

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