Extreme and Erratic Melting Has Accelerated on Greenland Ice Sheet

Nature Communications, November 1

Meltwater runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet has increased by 21% over the past forty years, and has also become 60% more erratic from one summer to the next. As global temperatures have risen, extreme melting events across this ice sheet are becoming more frequent and intense. For example, meltwater runoff from Greenland has increased global sea levels by one centimeter (equivalent to 3.5 trillion tons of water) within the last decade; but a third of this total was produced during just two hot summers: 2012 and 2019. Such record-breaking levels of ice loss increase the risk of flooding and threaten the stability of marine ecosystems worldwide. The flow of melting freshwater and ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet will only become more variable and intense as the planet warms and unless carbon emissions are reduced.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-26229-4

帕姆·皮尔森

最新帖子

Carbon and Nitrogen Release Due to Melting Permafrost in Arctic River Deltas

Nature Communications, 29 May 2026 The soils of Arctic river deltas store large amounts of…

1 周 ago

Himalayan Mountain Infrastructure Increasingly Exposed to Climate Risks

Scientific Reports, 27 May 2026 Rising global temperatures increase the exposure of communities and infrastructure…

1 周 ago

Permafrost Thaw Increases Infrastructure Risks and Economic Inequality in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Global Environmental Change, 20 May 2026 In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, reducing greenhouse gas emissions could…

1 周 ago

Warming Near 1.5°C Commits Coastal Louisiana to Substantial Sea-Level Rise

Nature Sustainability, 4 May 2026 Sediment records from the Last Inter-Glacial (LIG) period suggest that…

2 周 ago

Over Four Decades of Winter Arctic Sea Ice Loss Primarily Driven by GHG Emissions

NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science, 20 May 2026 Human-caused warming has been the primary driver…

2 周 ago

Sudden Meltwater Lake Drainage Speeds Up Greenland Ice Loss

Nature Communications, 27 May 2026 Sudden drainage of meltwater lakes through water-filled fractures can locally…

2 周 ago