Greenland’s Ice Melts Faster than Presumed

A recent study shows that ice on Greenland melts four times as fast as it did 15 years ago, according to Sermitsiaq. While in 2003, some 111 km3 of ice melted every year, that figure had nearly quadrupled a decade later, to 428 km3 per year.

It has already been known that inland ice in particular in northwestern and southeastern parts of Greenland have melted significantly due to glaciers responding to climate change and warmer temperatures. However, recent studies show that there is an accelerating loss of ice in southwestern Greenland too, where there are no glaciers. The reason for this is believed to be changes in the atmosphere.

The studies are based on data from NASA’s GRACE climate satellites combined with data from 57 GPS stations called GNET on Greenland.