A new study has revealed an alarming sixfold increase in ice sheet melts in Greenland.
The research found that melting had become “more frequent, more extensive and more intense”.
“Since 1990, the area affected by extreme melting episodes has increased at a rate of 2.8 million km² per decade,” the study report, published in Nature Communications, said.
“The production of water from ice melt has increased six-fold: while in the period 1950-2023 it was 12.7 gigatons per decade, since 1990 this figure has risen to 82.4 gigatons per decade.”
The report described the change as profound and extreme.
It noted a “clear thermodynamic intensification” of extreme melting events, with more water being produced in each one.
Water production had increased by 25 percent since 1990 compared to the 1950-1975 period.
Future projections under high greenhouse gas emission scenarios indicated that by the end of the century, extreme anomalies in meltwater production could increase up to threefold.
The study was led by Josep Bonsoms, a researcher and postdoctoral professor at the Department of Geography at the University of Barcelona.
Professor Bonsoms said the study had special relevance given the growing international attention on Greenland.
“The rapid transformation of the ice sheet not only has global environmental consequences, such as sea level rise and possible alterations in ocean circulation, but also places the Arctic at the centre of new strategic, economic and territorial dynamics.” he said.
“In this scenario, understanding the mechanisms that intensify extreme melting events is essential for anticipating future risks and guiding policy decisions based on solid scientific evidence.”
The full study can be accessed here
