 | |
| Greenland from NASA's Terra satellite 2002.Cr:NASA |
IN THE NEWS TODAY-
Paris (AFP) Jan 21, 2011 Greenland's icesheet, feared as a major driver of rising sea levels, shed a record amount of melted snow and ice in 2010, scientists reported Friday, a day after the UN said last year was the warmest on record. The 2010 runoff was more than twice the average annual loss in Greenland over the previous three decades, surpassing a record set in 2007, said the study, published in the US-based journal Environmental Research Letters.
Ice melt has now topped this benchmark every year since 1996, according to the paper, derived from long-term satellite and observational data.
Were it to melt entirely, Greenland's icesheet would drive up ocean levels by some seven meters (23 feet), drowning coastal cities around the world.
Ice melt has now topped this benchmark every year since 1996, according to the paper, derived from long-term satellite and observational data.
Were it to melt entirely, Greenland's icesheet would drive up ocean levels by some seven meters (23 feet), drowning coastal cities around the world.
Based on computer models, lead researcher Marco Tedesco, who heads the Cryosphere Processes Laboratory at the City College of NY, estimated that runoff in 2010 was 530 gigatons, or billions of tons, compared to an average of 274 gigatons for the period 1958-2009, and 285 gigatons for 1979-2009. "The process is far from being linear, and it is not possible to simply draw a line" into the future, said Tedesco.But over the last 30 years "there has been an increase in runoff," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment