Greenland glaciers melting twice as fast, threatening Europe's climate
Greenland's glaciers are melting at an alarming rate, and scientists say this will have consequences in Europe as well. The last decade has seen a peak in extreme ice melting in Greenland.
Research published in the "Journal of Climate" by a team from the University of Barcelona highlights dramatic phenomena related to ice melt in recent decades. These episodes are now twice as frequent as they were between 1950-1990. In the summer of 2012, as much as 672 billion tons of ice melted, equal to the volume of 244 million Olympic swimming pools. In 2019, 617 billion tons melted. For comparison, the average mass of melting ice in the summer from 1980 to 2010 was about 331 billion tons. Experts note that up to 40 percent of melt episodes in recent decades can be considered extreme, and in the north of the island, this percentage is as high as 50 percent.
This loss of surface melting ice must be added to the loss resulting from other dynamic processes, such as the calving of glaciers directly into the sea and the flow of glaciers into the ocean. These processes are also accelerated by increased melting – highlight the scientists.
Ice melting is directly related to global warming. Studies show that the Arctic is warming four times faster than the planet as a whole due to greenhouse gases.
Scientists note that increased ice melting is associated with extreme temperature increases caused by the influx of warmer and more humid air masses from northern latitudes. These problems are further exacerbated by stagnation of air circulation over Greenland during the summer, increased sunlight, and decreased sunlight reflection by snow and ice.
International climate reports predict a significant increase in temperatures in polar regions, which will accelerate the trend observed in this study – warn the researchers.
Glaciers are melting in Greenland. Consequences worldwide
The melting of glaciers in Greenland is a significant factor contributing to sea-level rise and affects atmospheric circulation patterns, which can impact Europe's climate.
Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns can impact the socio-economic situation and natural ecosystems, and contribute to the increase of extreme climatic events in neighboring regions of the North Atlantic – state the experts.
This indicates an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change in the coming decades – the scientists conclude.
