Coldest Regions of Greenland at Highest Temperatures in At Least the Past 1,000 Years

Nature, 18 January 2023

Rising emissions are warming and increasing meltwater runoff in northern Greenland, one of the most remote regions of the ice sheet. Air temperatures in this region are now 1.5°C warmer than in the mid-20th century. In this study, researchers drilled deep into the ice sheet to analyze layers of trapped gas from up to a thousand years ago. As layers of snow accumulate each season, they trap these air bubbles and other dissolved particles into the surface. Over time, these layers create a frozen record of past local air temperatures, revealing warmer temperatures today than at any point in at least the past 1,000 years covered in these core records. This study provides the first conclusive evidence that human activity significantly has increased temperatures and ice loss from even the coldest and highest points of Greenland. Over the past three decades, Greenland’s contribution to global sea levels has grown, with its glaciers melting seven times faster than they were during the 1990s. These findings underscore the urgency of cutting emissions to slow ice loss and reduce committed future sea level rise.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05517-z