Greenland's Melting Ice , Could Exacerbate Global Warming.
NBC reports that global warming
is transforming Greenland, making
the frozen landmass more green. .
According to a new study, melted portions
of Greenland's ice sheet and glaciers have
left behind wetlands, shrub vegetation
and sections of exposed rock.
The paper, published in the journal 'Scientific Reports,'
highlights concerns over Greenland's retreating
ice and how it threatens environmental stability.
The melting has exacerbated sea level rise
and contributed to greenhouse gas emissions
from methane-producing wetlands.
NBC reports that Greenland is often
considered an indicator for the global
climate crisis, as small temperature changes
can have a dramatic impact on the environment.
Scientists have warned that if the Greenland ice
sheet were to completely melt, it has the potential
to raise global sea levels a catastrophic 23 feet.
The new study has found that approximately
11,000 square miles of Greenland's ice
has melted in the last three decades.
Over the same period, the amount
of vegetated land in Greenland has
increased by about 33,7774 square miles. .
The amount of wetlands nearly quadrupled
in that time, most notably around the town of
Kangerlussuaq on Greenland's western coast.
We have seen signs that the loss of ice
is triggering other reactions which will
result in further loss of ice and further
‘greening’ of Greenland, where shrinking
ice exposes bare rock that is then
colonized by tundra and eventually shrub. , Jonathan Carrivick, Earth scientist at
the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom
and one of the study's authors, via NBC