(Reuters) - Greenland’s ice sheet may have shrunk past the point of return, with the ice likely to melt away no matter how quickly the world reduces climate-warming emissions, new research suggests.
A fishing vessel sails in the ice fjord near Ilulissat, Greenland September 12, 2017.
That melting is already causing global seas to rise about a millimeter on average per year.
If all of Greenland’s ice goes, the water released would push sea levels up by an average of 6 meters — enough to swamp many coastal cities around the world.
“Greenland is going to be the canary in the coal mine, and the canary is already pretty much dead at this point,” said glaciologist Ian Howat at Ohio State University.
Scientists, however, have long worried about Greenland’s fate, given the amount of water locked into the ice.
“We’re talking about how quickly rapid sea-level rise comes to our communities, our infrastructure, our homes, our military bases. »
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