Greenland Warming Lags, but Bound to Catch Up in Future

A new study has suggested that Greenland is lagging behind rest of the northern hemisphere's warming trend and that it's bound to catch up soon.

Air temperatures have been rising steadily in the northern half of the planet since about 1975, when scientists think the effects of human-induced global warming began to dominate the climate.

World's Fastest-flowing Glacier Putting Greenland's Ice Sheet and World in Danger
Dramatic images taken at least every six hours over an entire year, using time-lapse technique, reveal how the world's fastest-flowing glacier is draining Greenland's ice sheet and

But, Greenland was left behind, perhaps kept cool when dust released from the eruptions of Mount St. Helens, El Chicon and Mt. Pinatubo reduced the amount of sunlight hitting the ice.

Around 1985, the icy island started to thaw, and has continued apace ever since.

Climate scientists have been alarmed by the speed of the melting, watching as glaciers recede and meltwater pools in lakes on top of the ice.

Thinning of Greenland Glacier Attributed to Ocean Warming
A new research has attributed the thinning of one of Greenland's largest glaciers to ocean warming preceded by atmospheric changes.

Now, according to a report in Discovery News, in an analysis of temperature records in Greenland from 1840 until 2007, Jason Box of Ohio State University and a team of researchers found that the ice sheet remains between 1.0 and 1.5 degrees Centigrade behind the rest of the northern hemisphere.

They also determined that it should catch up in the coming decades.

Greenland's Ice Glaciers are Losing Nearly Three Times Ice This Year
Scientists have determined that Greenland's ice glaciers are losing nearly three times ice this year as compared to last year.

"The temperature increase could be three to four times what we've seen already. If that holds it will be far above anything we've seen before," said David Bromwich of Ohio State University. "The ice will continue melting and probably accelerate in the future," he added.

If Greenland's ice sheet ever melts entirely, the results would be catastrophic.

Warm Showers Create Extreme Ice Melt In Greenland
A new research by an international team of scientists has suggested that Greenland is experiencing the most extreme ice melting in 50 years due to recent warm summers.

The water unleashed into the ocean would be enough to raise sea level 6.5 meters (21.3 feet), jeopardizing the homes and lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Though that's not likely to happen any time soon, Greenland is already starting to look slushy, and an additional degree or two of warming could be dangerous.

"We've said (in a previous study) that if you sustain between 2 and 7 degrees (3.6 to 12.6 Fahrenheit) of warming, Greenland's ice will be gone," said Richard Alley of Pennsylvania State University.

"It's already warmed a good chunk of one degree, so if you add another 1-1.5 on top of that, you're at the low end of really worry, and a lot closer to the upper end, too," he added.

Source-ANI
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