Greenland Ice Sheet

In News

A new study found that Part of Greenland’s ice sheet is thinning further inland than previously believed, which will likely lead to greater sea level rise by the end of this century.

• The implications are worrying, as sea level rise already threatens millions of people living along coasts that could find themselves underwater in the decades and centuries to come.

About Greenland Ice Sheet

• It is the largest ice mass in the Northern Hemisphere. 
• It  is protected by cold waters of mostly Arctic origin against the temperate Atlantic waters from the southeast. 
• The Greenland ice sheet is currently the main factor in swelling the Earth’s oceans with the Arctic region heating at a faster rate than the rest of the planet.
• Consequences of dramatically rising sea levels include “increased intensity of storm surges, flooding, and damage to coastal areas 
  • People may become displaced and life farther inland is threatened because rising seas can contaminate soil and groundwater with salt

Source:DH