Warming Climate Accelerated Greenland’s Thaw, Scientists Report

Jan. 16 (Bloomberg) — Climate change led to accelerated melting of Greenland’s ice sheet during the past half-century, scientists said in a study that adds to evidence suggesting sea levels will rise faster than expected.

Global warming has led to a “significant increase” in Greenland summer warmth and ice sheet melt and runoff since 1990, according to the study, published yesterday in the Journal of Climate. In a review of ice thaw from 1958 to 2006, scientists determined that the five biggest melts have occurred since 1995.


The largest thaw — 453 cubic kilometers of ice (109 cubic miles) — was in 1998, followed by 2003, 2006, 1995 and 2002, respectively, according to the report. The ice thaw in Greenland supports what scientists are finding in Antarctica and Alaska, said Konrad Steffen, a co-author of the study and professor of geography at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

“They all give the same story: ice is moving faster into the ocean, and that will add to the sea-level rise,” Konrad said in an interview yesterday. He said that preliminary data suggests Greenland had its largest melt last year.

Bloomberg