Nearly 12% of the Greenland ice sheet is already covered in water from
melting, and it's only April. The results have shocked scientists who are
monitoring the gigantic ice-field.
The Danish meteorological institute have stated that 12% is a
"staggering" figure for so early in the year, and have said the
surface water is a record amount for this time in the season.
The research institute wrote on the website Polar Portal: “The
former top 3 earliest dates for a melt area larger than 10% were previously all
in May (5th May 2010, 8th May 1990, 8th May 2006)".
The summer melt is also now expected to be the biggest on record,
especially given how warm the start of the year has been.
The impacts of ice melt in Greenland in recent years has been
so severer that it has made a measurable impact on
the rotation of the earth.
Ice melt is the biggest contributor to rising sea-levels, and so is
almost religiously monitored.
The National Geographic say that continuously rising sea
levels will have a "devastating" impact on coastal habitats, meaning
a higher risk of extinction for some fish and birds.
The encroaching water will of course damage and destroy many homes and
settlements.
Scientists have predicted that sea levels could rise by 2 metres, enough
to submerge much of the east coast of the US. However, stronger predictions of
7m would see enough water to completely flood London.
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