Sea levels might rise much faster than thought, data from Greenland suggest
Greenland’s largest ice sheet is thawing at a much higher rate than expected, a new study has revealed, suggesting it will add six times more water to the rising sea levels than previously thought. And the trend may not be limited to Greenland, scientists worry.
The study used GPS measurements and computer modeling to estimate how much ice is being lost due to climate change from the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS), a prominent ice flow that drains ice and meltwater from Greenland’s inland ice-covered basin.
The calculations revealed that, since 2012, NEGIS melting has been speeding up so much that by the end of this century, it will add more than 0.5 inches (1.3 centimeters) of water to the global ocean level. That’s equivalent to the past 50 years’ worth of Greenland’s entire contribution to sea level rise.
