Greenland is losing ice at a fast rate with global sea level rise

A study in the Nature Climate Change journal reveals widespread loss of ice from Greenland. The extent of loss could result in global sea level rise of nearly a foot. There is no apparent way to prevent this from happening even if the world stopped releasing planet-heating emissions immediately. The overall loss could trigger at least 10 inches of sea level rise, irrespective of the climate warming scenarios. That would be a matter of concern because it would be equal to the total rise over the last century from Greenland, Antarctica and thermal expansion. Researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland made note of changes in ice-sheet volume in and around Greenland. It seems meltwater runoff was the primary driver. Subsequently, relying on "well-established theory," they rang the danger bells. The Greenland ice sheet -- equivalent to 110 trillion tons of ice -- will cease to exist as the ice sheet reacts to the changes that have already occurred. Greenland ice losses set to raise global sea levels by nearly a foot, new research shows. The authors did not specify a timeline but their prediction is that the change in sea levels can occur by the end of the century.

Massive sheets of ice sheets can melt at a fast rate when the air temperature is warm. Moreover, the warmer ocean water also erodes the sheet around the edges. Incidentally, a current report released earlier this year by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration cautions that coastal regions of the United States could expect 10 to 12 inches of sea level rise in the next three decades. This could mean increase in the frequency of high tide floods and storm surges would spread further inland. In case all the ice melted, it would lift sea levels by roughly 25 feet around the world. This extent of sea level rise could leave some places devastated. The amount of ice that melted in Greenland between July 15 and 17 alone was approximately 6 billion tons of water per day. That is a whole lot of water.

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Speed bumps on roads add to the pollution levels

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has indicated that introducing measures which stop vehicles from continually stopping and starting would go a long way in reducing harmful emissions from cars and will also help motorists to economize on fuel.
In its opinion, enforcing average speed checks and variable speed limits across the motorway network could help lower the levels of deadly air pollution.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 1 December 2016.

Air pollution accounts for 5% of all deaths in England - about 25,000 deaths a year. The health watchdog has proposed a number of measures and a series of initiatives that would help lessen the impact of pollution. These are -
(i) review the use of speed bumps on roads because some of these tend to cause drivers to accelerate and decelerate towards them
(ii) introduce "no-idling" zones around schools. Usually, parents leave their car engines running during drop-offs and pick-ups - this should be discouraged
(iii) explore possibilities of congestion charge zones in towns and cities worst hit by pollution problems - and launch public awareness initiatives such as "car free days"


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


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