PLANET EARTH
Ice melt is changing Greenland’s coastline shape
Words by Stephanie Pappas
As the Arctic Ocean warms, researchers have observed an acceleration of ice flow into the ocean
© Getty
Rapidmelt is reshaping coastal Greenland, potentially altering the human and animal ecosystems along the country’s coast. Greenland is losing 500 gigatonnes of ice each year, more than can be replenished by new snowfall. Annual ice loss is 14 per cent greater today than it was between 1985 and 1999. The meltwater is lubricating the ice sheet so that it slides more easily on its underlying bedrock, hastening the continued melt.