Greenland's Fragile Ice: A Threat to Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels
A new study reveals that Greenland was once an ice-free tundra landscape covered by trees around 400,000 years ago, indicating the fragility of Greenland's ice sheet. The melting of the ice sheet during that period caused at least 5 feet of global sea-level rise, despite lower levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere compared to today. This suggests that Greenland's ice sheet may be more sensitive to human-caused climate change than previously thought, making it vulnerable to rapid and irreversible melting in the coming centuries. The study serves as a warning sign that urgent action is needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and prevent significant sea-level rise that could impact coastal cities worldwide.
- Climate change threatens 'fragile' ice in Greenland, study says USA TODAY
- Long-lost Greenland ice core suggests potential for disastrous sea level rise CNN
- Greenland Melted Recently, Shows Higher Risk of Sea Level Rise University of Vermont
- From an Ancient Soil Sample, Clues to an Ice Sheet's Future The New York Times
- Greenland was actually ice-free and green less than half a million years ago KTBS
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