Greenland ice sheet cracking open quicker than before, say scientists

The world’s 2nd largest assemblage of crystal – the Greenland Ice Sheet – is cracking unfastened quicker than previously, scientists person warned.

Using 3-D maps of its surface, researchers person recovered crevasses person got importantly wider and deeper astatine the sheet’s fast-flowing edges betwixt 2016 and 2021.

The study, published successful the diary Nature Gioscience, volition beryllium utilized to amended models astir the aboriginal behaviour of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

The nonaccomplishment of crystal connected Greenland has been down a oversea level emergence of astir 14mm since 1992, scientists person said.

If the full Greenland Ice Sheet was to melt, oversea levels could emergence by 7 metres, they said.

Study pb writer Dr Tom Chudley, of Durham University’s Geography Department, said: “In a warming world, we would expect to spot much crevasses forming.

“This is due to the fact that glaciers are accelerating successful effect to warmer water temperatures, and due to the fact that meltwater filling crevasses tin unit fractures deeper into the ice.

“However, until present we haven’t had the information to amusement wherever and however accelerated this is happening crossed the entirety of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

“For the archetypal time, we are capable to spot important increases successful the size and extent of crevasses astatine fast-flowing glaciers astatine the edges of the Greenland Ice Sheet, connected timescales of 5 years and less.

“With this dataset we tin spot that it’s not conscionable that crevasse fields are extending into the crystal sheet, arsenic antecedently observed – instead, alteration is dominated by existing crevasse fields getting larger and deeper.”