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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Air temperature in Arctic hottest in 115-years: walrus habitats threatened

It is an undisputed fact that the air in the Arctic is heating up, with the temperatures being the hottest in 115 years. As a result, the melting ice is destroying walrus habitat and forcing some fish northward as indicated in a global scientific report. Air temperature anomalies over land were 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit (1.3 Celsius) above average. It was the highest since records began to be kept in 1900 as per the 2015 Arctic Report Card which is an annual peer-reviewed study issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
This has been reported in ibnlive.com dated 16 December 2015.

The annual sea ice maximum occurred on February 25, about two weeks earlier than average, and was "the lowest extent recorded since records began in 1979."
The NOAA chief scientist has cautioned that warming is happening more than twice as fast in the Arctic than anywhere else in the world. This is attributed to climate change, and its impacts are creating major challenges for Arctic communities. He added that what happens in the Arctic doesn't stay in the Arctic.
NOAA chief scientist Rick Spinrad made these observations at the annual American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco.
The average annual air temperature was measured over land between October 2014 and September 2015 and it showed a 5.4 degree Fahrenheit (three degrees Celsius) increase since the beginning of the 20th century. Moreover, the minimum sea ice extent, measured on September 11, 2015, was the fourth lowest in the satellite record since 1979 and the snow cover across the Arctic has also been declining, and is down 18 per cent per decade since 1979. This year, Greenland experienced its first significant melting event since 2012, and lost more than half of its surface area.

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

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The Arctic is gradually losing its ice cover leading to global warming

#globalwarming A group of 63 scientists from 13 countries have created a report card of the Arctic and the findings should be a cause of worry because it reveals several single-year dramatic changes, unlike other years. The broad conclusion is that the Arctic and its future are looking dimmer every year.
As per the report, during spring and summer of 2014, Earth's icy northern region lost more of its signature whiteness that reflects the sun's heat. Dark land and bodies of water surfaced – these absorb more energy, keeping yet more heat on already warming planet. The result is rise in global warming.
The report also states that spring snow cover in Eurasia reached a record low in April. Moreover, the Arctic summer sea ice continued a long-term, steady decline. And, worse, Greenland set a record in August for the least amount of sunlight reflected in that month.
The report is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies.
It seems that while the U.S. East Coast shivered during January's cold snap from a polar vortex that slipped south, parts of Alaska were 18 degrees warmer than normal. These ae not good signs for the health of our Earth.