• Health
  • Science
  • U.S.
  • Technology
  • Business
  • World
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • Sports

Building a Better World

News and information

  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Our Team

Shocking: Greenland ice melting far faster than previously thought

September 23, 2016 By Jenny Marchal

Shocking: Greenland ice melting far faster than previously thought

The total ice loss in Greenland is 590 trillion tonnes a year compared to previous estimates of 550 trillion tonnes.

A new study has found the ice in Greenland is melting at a much faster rate than previously thought.

The ice sheet in Greenland is currently losing 40 trillion extra tonnes of ice a year meaning a total of 590 trillion tonnes ice is lost overall – that’s a 7 percent faster rate than climate change experts previously thought.

The research team form Ohio State University shows that the typical evaluation of ice loss is done by satellites but the study suggests there may have been incorrect assumptions made in calculations when observing the total mass loss of ice. It’s down to glacial isostatic adjustment which is when land ‘springs back’ after a large weight of ice has come away and it’s this that may have been underestimated.

The great worry is rising sea levels which need to be monitored closely, however, the new discovery should help measurements in ice loss around the world – he sea levels have seen an 8 inch rise in the past century alone.

It is thought most of Greenland’s ice loss is down to two relatively small glaciers that have made up 70 percent of the ice loss in Greenland over the last 20 years and the new study has shown they have attributed to 40 percent of the ice loss over thousands of years. This will go towards making more accurate predictions in the future.

Despite the extra 40 trillion tonnes a year, lead author of the study Michael Bevis, says it’s not as massive a difference to usual estimates as it seems.

“It doesn’t change our estimates of the total mass loss all over Greenland by that much,” Bevis said. “But it brings a more significant change to our understanding of where within the ice sheet that loss has happened, and where it is happening now.”

Details of the study were published in the journal Science Advances.

Sharing

Facebooktwittergoogle_plusredditpinterestlinkedintumblrmail

Filed Under: Front Page, Science

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Us

Facebookrss

Search:

Recent Posts

  • NASA’s InSight spacecraft makes important course correction May 26, 2018
  • Scientists outraged at latest Trump decision May 15, 2018
  • Huge uproar erupts over major incident at Utah park May 13, 2018
  • Incredible moon discovery stuns scientists May 12, 2018
  • Authorities shocked by discovery about common painkiller May 6, 2018
  • Outrageous crocodile experiment stuns scientists May 5, 2018
  • Great Barrier Reef is too quiet, scientists say May 1, 2018
  • Massive Hiroshima bomb discovery shocks scientists May 1, 2018
  • Earth will be slammed by massive asteroid April 29, 2018
  • Teens are doing something incredibly alarming in schools April 29, 2018
  • Huge discovery in Tasmania stuns scientists April 28, 2018
  • Shocking discovery in New Jersey stuns authorities April 22, 2018
  • Huge volcanic explosion could wipe out the United States April 21, 2018
  • Huge controversy erupts over world’s hottest pepper April 15, 2018
  • SpaceX is about to do something astonishing April 15, 2018

Copyright © 2021 Jones Kilmartin Group, LLC · Metro Pro Theme On Genesis Framework · WordPress