Recent research indicates the Greenland Ice Sheet is rapidly deteriorating, with a 4.3% increase in glacial crevasses observed from 2016 to 2021. This rise in cracks, particularly notable in certain regions where crevasses increased by 25%, suggests that glaciers are melting and sliding into the ocean faster than anticipated. Scientists warn of a possible domino effect that could hasten the ice sheet's disappearance, contributing significantly to rising sea levels, estimated to rise by an additional 30cm by 2100 due to this melting.
As deep cracks form in the ice, they help break up the sheet into icebergs and allow warmer meltwater to flow across the ice.
This trend is particularly concerning because it suggests that the glaciers are melting and flowing into the sea faster than previously expected.
A growing number of new crevasses forming over a given time is, therefore, a key indication that the ice sheet is melting faster in response to global heating.
Already, scientists estimate that the Greenland Ice Sheet has contributed 14mm to sea level rises since 1992.
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