According to a study released on Monday, even if greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to climate change, were to stop tomorrow, the rapidly melting ice sheet in Greenland would raise the world’s sea level by about a foot.
By 2100, the ice sheet will have lost around 3.3% of its entire volume, or an enormous 110 trillion metric tonnes of ice, which would cause the sea level to rise by 27 centimetres.
According to the analysis, it is more than twice as much as had been predicted.
It is an extremely cautious rock-bottom minimum, according to Professor Jason Box of the National Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (Geus), who oversaw the study.
In this century, we may realistically expect to see this number more than double.
According to research that was published in the journal Nature Climate Change, a multi-meter sea level rise is unavoidable due to increased carbon emissions, melting of additional ice caps, and ocean thermal expansion.
By the year 2100, the sea level was expected to increase by two to five inches (6 to 13 cm), according to a report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year.
The most recent study employed satellite observations of ice losses from Greenland and the form of the ice cap from 2000–19 instead of computer models, which were previously used in studies to explain ice cap behaviour.
The amount of snowfall and ice melting was evaluated concerning the balance of the ice.
In ideal circumstances, snowfall deepens the glaciers’ sides and counteracts the effects of edge melting.
However, there is currently an imbalance since not enough restocking is taking place while more ice is melting.
Due to the rising sea levels, millions of people who live in coastal areas are in danger of flooding.
The ice cover will produce a “staggering” 78-centimetre rise in sea level if Greenland’s record melt year of 2012 becomes commonplace later this century.
Nature has already started giving warning us over our negligence in taking care of our only home
Its high time we pay heed to it
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