The Flood Is Inevitable: Research by Scientists

This conclusion was made by scientists at Ohio State University. The acceleration of Greenland’s glacial runoff is primarily due to the retreat of glaciers. The researchers published their results in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment.

Experts evaluated data on 234 glaciers in the Arctic. The study covers 34 years until 2018. According to their results, the rate of melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet is now about 14 percent faster than between 1985 and 1999. In the early 2000s, there was a gradual increase.

According to the researchers, melting can continue even if global warming stops. “The retreat of the glacier has put the dynamics of the entire ice sheet into a state of permanent loss,” said Ohio State University’s Jan Howat, co-author of the study and professor of earth sciences. “Even if the climate stays the same, or even gets a little colder, the ice sheet will still lose mass.”

The authors told Reuters that governments around the world must now prepare for further sea level rise.

Until now, growth has been estimated at an average of about one millimeter per year. If all the ice masses of Greenland were to melt, the researchers estimate that the total rise would be about six meters. This would lead to the flooding of many coastal cities around the world. However, this development would take decades.