Detailed Study about the Greenland Ice Sheet Loss

The see-levels and melting of Greenland ice sheets are increasing across the world, due to the ongoing global warming and climate changes. As a result, many coastal cities and island nations started fearing about an uncertain future. The water-level rise is not going to stop any time soon, scientists warned. 

During this decade, the ice sheets in Greenland are melting like never before. The Greenland ice melting is the major contributor to the sea-level rise across the world. Recently, scientists warned that the melting rate is not going to change in the next decade as well. 

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Here is an analysis of the Greenland ice sheet melting. The data obtained from the observations from 26 individual satellites. The data showcases that the ice sheet in Greenland was very close to the state of balance during the 1990s. But, the annual loss of the ice sheet increased significantly. The data shows that the loss of the ice sheet in 2011 was close to 335 ± 62 billion tonnes. 

Overall, the Greenland ice sheet lost around 3,800 ± 339 billion tonnes of ice between 1992 to the last year, 2018. As a result, the average sea level increased by 10.6 ± 0.9 mm. The decrease in the surface mass balance is responsible for around 52%, around 1,971 ± 555 billion tonnes, of the total ice sheet loses. 

Increased glacier discharge is responsible for the rest 48%, around 1,827 ±538 billion tonnes, of the Greenland ice sheet loss. The level of glacier discharge is increasing significantly with the time; the observation revealed. The number was close to 41 ± 37 billion tonnes in the early part of the 1990s. But it increased to 87 ± 25 billion tonnes in 2018. 

The increasing global warming, owing to the ongoing climate change, is the major reason behind such Greenland ice sheet lose. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is the only solution for such sensitive problems.