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The old expression “Greenland is ice, Iceland is green” may need to be reconsidered.
Greenland’s ice sheet is rapidly melting due to global warming and is being replaced by plants, according to a new study published Tuesday.
Parts of Greenland are turning green for the first time since the Vikings arrived about 1,000 years ago, said study co-author Jonathan Calivic, a geoscientist at the University of Leeds in the UK.
And where just a few decades ago there was snow and ice, there is now scrubland along with barren rock and wetlands, the study says.
How much ice has melted?
An estimated 11,000 square miles of Greenland’s ice sheets and glaciers have melted over the past 30 years, a study says.
Overall, the total area of ice lost over the past 30 years is slightly larger than the area of Massachusetts and about 1.6% of Greenland’s total ice and glacier area.
“Increasing temperatures are associated with land cover changes seen in Greenland,” Calibic said in a statement, adding, “By analyzing high-resolution satellite imagery, we are able to identify changes that are occurring on a global scale. “We were able to create a detailed record of land cover changes.” place. “
According to Viking records, the vegetation was “more extensive at that time”
The last time Greenland was this green was “probably during the Medieval Warm Period” (approximately 900 to 1,300 AD), Calibic told USA TODAY. “As the Viking records suggest, ice sheets may have been less extensive then than they are now, and vegetation may have been more widespread then.”
Why is Greenland’s ice important?
Why should we care about what’s happening in Greenland? In addition to local impacts on humans, flora and fauna, “Greenland’s ice mass loss is a major contributor to global sea level rise.” “This trend poses significant challenges now and in the future,” said Michael, lead author of the study. Mr. Grimes is also a graduate of the University of Leeds.
If all of Greenland’s ice melted, the world’s oceans would rise by about 23 feet, according to NASA.
Additionally, freshwater intrusion into the ocean can affect underwater currents that influence climate and weather in the United States and around the world.
more:Research shows that Greenland was once actually lush. That’s a creepy climate change scenario.
Will Greenland continue to become greener in the future?
Yes, Calibic told USA TODAY, “ice is projected to decline even faster (than in recent decades), which in time will encourage greening through vegetation expansion.” shows that it is already well underway.”
The study was published in the British peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports.
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