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Earth Science

Greenland Ice Sheet May Be More Vulnerable To Climate Change, Study Finds (glasgowtimes.co.uk) 22

Posted by msmash from the closer-look dept.
Climate change may be having more impact on the melting Greenland ice sheet than previously thought, new research suggests. From a report: The study found rising air temperatures amplify the effects of melting caused by ocean warming, leading to greater ice loss from the world's second largest ice sheet. Experts liken the effect to how ice cubes melt more quickly if they are in a drink that is being stirred -- the combination of warmer liquid and movement accelerates the melting process. Previous studies have shown that rising air and ocean temperatures both cause the Greenland ice sheet to melt, however the new study, by researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and California San Diego, reveals how one intensifies the effects of the other.

Dr Donald Slater, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who led the study, said: "The effect we investigated is a bit like ice cubes melting in a drink -- ice cubes will obviously melt faster in a warm drink than in a cold drink, hence the edges of the Greenland ice sheet melt faster if the ocean is warmer. But ice cubes in a drink will also melt faster if you stir the drink, and rising air temperatures in Greenland effectively result in a stirring of the ocean close to the ice sheet, causing faster melting of the ice sheet by the ocean."
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Greenland Ice Sheet May Be More Vulnerable To Climate Change, Study Finds More

Greenland Ice Sheet May Be More Vulnerable To Climate Change, Study Finds

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  • It may? (Score:3)

    by oogoliegoogolie ( 635356 ) on Thursday October 13, 2022 @04:39PM (#62964375)

    Ambiguity much?
    Every reasonable person should be tired of these faux-absolute "It may" headlines. Stating "It may" also opens the possibility that "it"may not."

  • Destabilized Jet Stream = Rainy Greenland (Score:4, Interesting)

    by laughingskeptic ( 1004414 ) on Thursday October 13, 2022 @04:45PM (#62964393)
    This year, our destabilized jet stream has allowed a couple of very large and very persistent weeks-long cyclones to form off the southeastern coast of Greenland. These have not only pummeled Greenland with warm rain, but have helped to pump warmer Atlantic air up into the Arctic. These sorts of cyclones are not even part of the existing considerations for global warming impacts in Greenland. These storms are part reason we are seeing the Arctic warm faster than the rest of the planet, so we see them in the trends of the data, but they are yet not in the models as a discrete contributing phenomenon to the melting ice sheet. Is this year an aberration or will this become the new norm? We don't know, but if you are trying to predict how quickly Greenland is going to melt it matters a lot. Once again we have another demonstration of the well documented tendency towards being overly conservative in the global warming science community.

    • Is this year an aberration or will this become the new norm?

      This year is not an aberration. It is an old norm. The location of the jet stream in North America has little affect on them. Arctic cyclones are common as dirt, and can be much bigger than Atlantic tropical hurricanes. The largest known Arctic cyclone was literally as large as the entire diameter of the Arctic Ocean, recorded in 2012. It was a single cohesive storm circling the entire ocean at its rim, 5000 km wide. Smaller arctic cyclones are common occurrences and just as persistent as Atlantic hur

  • With the onset of Autumn, "Global Warming" is old and busted. "Climate Change" is the new hotness. End of transmission.

  • REEE! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Something something something climate change.
    Something something something WE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!

  • just to point out that there enough _real_ things to worry about besides those that "may" happen. And if a study concludes "maybe" then that means the researchers themselves are unsure but grant money necessitates a statement ... and getting further grant money means you can't say "no effect", "no concern", "nothing to see here", etc. Just the way it is. So save yourself the time.

  • I am soooo tired of hearing about the greenland ice sheet. Just let me know when it's all gone. Until then, stfu.

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