Greenland Land Mass Rising as Ice Sheet Melts
20.05.2010 - Land & Geology, Ice & Snow, Arctic
In a recent study published in Nature Geoscience, researchers at the University of Miami have found that the Greenland Ice Sheet is melting so quickly that the land underneath is rising at an accelerating pace. Some coastal areas – where the ice sheet is losing mass the most quickly – are rising as fast as 1 inch (2.5 cm) per year, and if current trends continue, it could be as much as 2 inches (5 cm) per year by 2025. A similar process is affecting the islands of Iceland and Svalbard, which also have ice caps.
The research team used specialized GPS receivers positioned at various places on the coast of Greenland to determine how quickly the Greenland landmass has been rising since 1995. The measurements are limited to coastal areas where rock is exposed and where most ice loss occurs – areas where GPS data are most sensitive to changes.
Tim Dixon, professor of geophysics at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) and principal investigator of the study, explained that the fact that it’s possible to see the land lift up in response to the melting ice sheet. Even more worrisome is that the rise seems to be accelerating, which implies that the rate of melting ice is accelerating." Co-author Shimon Wdowinski said their study “is consistent with a number of global warming indicators, confirming that ice melt and sea level rise are real and becoming significant."
If the acceleration of uplift and the implied acceleration of melting continue, Greenland could soon become the largest contributor to global sea level rise, according to co-author and Ph.D. candidate Yan Jiang.
