Scientists from the Technical University of Denmark have discovered that sudden climate change could change the seascape in the Arctic and lead to the emergence of many new islands around Greenland. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Geophysical Research Letters (GRL).
Experts found that Greenland’s bedrock rose by 20 centimeters from 2013 to 2023, the equivalent of two meters per century. This occurs largely due to the disappearance of the ice sheet, which reduces the pressure on the soil below.
The study is based on data from GNET, a network of 61 measuring stations located along the Greenland coast.
The fact that Greenland is rising has been known for a long time. This is because during the last ice age the land was pressed by a thick layer of ice. Although the glaciers receded about 12 thousand years ago, the land was still rising due to the decrease in ice pressure.
In addition, increased ice sheet melting caused by recent global warming has led to greater and much faster elevation of local land along the Greenland coast over the past two decades.
“The rise we have seen in Greenland in these years cannot be explained solely by natural processes after the Ice Age. Thanks to GNET data, we can accurately analyze which land areas are increasing due to climate change,” said Professor Shafqat Abbas Khan, co-author of the scientific study.
Biologists before warned about how the world’s largest sources of drinking water are under threat due to the changing climate.