Greenland's coastline expands by 1,000 miles, new islands emerge
Greenland surprises scientists: its coastline has expanded over two decades. This expansion results from glacier melting, which has uncovered new areas. Unknown islands have also emerged from the water.
Greenland, the largest island in the world, has gained about 1,006 miles of new coastline over the past 20 years, according to researchers in their analysis published in the scientific journal "Nature Climate Change". This glacier retreat has uncovered previously ice-covered lands, a process known as deglaciation, which results from climate warming.
This is the effect of glacier retreat
An international team of researchers used satellite data to analyze changes in Northern Hemisphere glaciers. "Greenland contains the largest average glacier retreat area in the Arctic. The glacier with the longest new coastline, Zachariae Isstrom in northeast Greenland, is responsible for >81 km [50 miles] of new coastline, which is more than twice as much as any other glacier in the hemisphere. The majority of glaciers exposing the longest coastline are in Greenland with almost all of them attached to the ice sheet," write the study's authors in "Nature Climate Change".
From 2000 to 2020, about 1,533 miles of new coastlines were revealed, 66 percent of which can be attributed to Greenland. Along with new areas, glacier retreat has uncovered 35 new islands with areas greater than 0.2 square miles, 29 of which are located in Greenland.
The study highlights that climate change will continue to impact our planet, transforming its landscape and resources. The melting glaciers reveal potentially resource-rich regions of the Arctic, such as oil, gas, and minerals.
Greenland, although an autonomous territory under Denmark, remains a focal point for world powers, which see its potential for exploiting new resources. What poses a threat to some can be an opportunity for development for others.
