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A study has found widespread mass loss of glaciers and ice caps in Greenland since the start of the 20th century.

The research provides critical insights into long-term changes to the glaciers and ice caps as a result of climate change, which has contributed about one fifth to global sea-level rise in the last decade.

Using historical data, scientists mapped 5,327 glaciers and ice caps that existed at the end of the Little Ice Age in 1900, a period of wide-spread cooling when average global temperatures dropped by as much as 2°C. They were then able to reveal that these fragmented into 5,467 glaciers and ice caps by 2001.

The study—Mass Loss of Glaciers and Ice Caps Across Greenland Since the Little Ice Age—published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, said Greenland's glaciers have lost at least 587 km3 of ice over the last century, accounting for 1.38 millimeters of sea-level rise.

It estimated that the speed at which the water melted between 2000 and 2019 was three times higher that the long-term—since 1900—average.

Lead author, Dr. Jonathan L. Carrivick from the School of Geography at the University of Leeds, said, "The impact of meltwater run off from Greenland into the North Atlantic extends beyond global sea-level rise, affecting North Atlantic ocean circulation, European climate patterns, and Greenlandic fjord water quality and marine ecosystems."

"This has immense implications on humans too, with these glacier changes having a direct impact on the economic activities of fishing, mining, and hydropower, as well as affecting people's health and behavior."

How do we even tell the public this?

Unfortunately you could broadcast this to the general public and they wouldn’t get it. They’d think 0.4°F warmer is nothing because in their understanding of temperature 0.4°F is minuscule.

This needs to be explained differently.

weatheriscool wrote: ↑Fri Jun 02, 2023 2:51 pm

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