Kerem Yucel Free Mp3 Download AFP | Getty Images A massive ice sheet in Greenland is set to raise global sea levels by nearly a foot by the end of this century in a melting phenomenon driven by human-induced climate change, according to a study published Monday. Findings in the Journal Nature Climate Change show that 3.3% of the Greenland ice sheet will melt, equivalent to 110 trillion metric tons of ice. Ice loss will cause about 10 inches of sea level rise between now and 2100. Scientists have warned that melting is inevitable even if the world immediately stops emitting planet-warming greenhouse gases. The study’s prediction of at least 10 inches of sea level rise is more than double what researchers had predicted from the melting of the Greenland ice sheet. It is the second largest ice sheet in the world behind that of Antarctica and covers 80% of the island. Previous research has suggested that if the entire ice sheet melted, global sea levels could rise by as much as 23 feet. Scientists located in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the US conducted the study using satellite measurements of ice loss from Greenland and ice shape between 2000 and 2019. The researchers assessed the ratio of replenishment from snowfall to loss from ice melt in Greenland and concluded that 3.3% of Greenland’s total ice volume will melt by the end of the century, regardless of how quickly it shrinks the world carbon emissions. Climate change from burning fossil fuels has led to longer summers in Greenland and accelerated the retreat of the island nation’s glaciers and ice cap. A one meter rise in sea level worldwide would have significant consequences for coastal communities, as sea level rise threatens to displace nearly 200 million people by the end of the century. In the US, coastal residents account for 40% of the total US population and $7.9 trillion in gross domestic product, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An iceberg lies in Nuuk during low tide, Greenland, September 7, 2021. Hannibal Hanschke | Reuters
