Greenland is rising as icebergs and ice sheets melt by Zuzana Zelenakova

It is estimated that eighty percent of Greenland´s surface is covered by ice, which is about 1,700,000 square kilometers. Only the Antarctic Ice Sheet is bigger than the one at Greenland. The real surface of Greenland was pushed by enormous weight of ice almost at sea level, so it the ice was to disappear Greenland would most probably look like an archipelago. Greenland is one of the places most affected by global warming. Scientists are worried about acceleration of ice sheet melting that occurred in recent years. The melting not only contributes to the rise of sea level, but it is also responsible for freshwater in the ocean that could affect ocean circulation and s! ubsequently also result in some climate changes in the area. Recently, scientists confirmed that the entire island of Greenland is rising from the waters at an extremely accelerated pace. The reason is that the island becomes lighter and lighter as its ice sheets and icebergs melt. Scientists determined it is being pushed up by 1 inch per year. "It's been known for several years that climate change is contributing to the melting of Greenland's ice sheet," Dixon said in a statement. "What's surprising, and a bit worrisome, is that the ice is melting so fast that we can actually see the land uplift in response." said Tim Dixon, professor of geophysics at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS), who is the principal investigator of the study. According to him, the pace could accelerate to as much as 2 inches per year by 2025. The same situation is also in other places, for example, the European Alps. “During ice ages and in tim! es of ice accumulation, the ice suppresses the land. When the ! ice melt s, the land rebounds upwards. Our study is consistent with a number of global warming indicators, confirming that ice melt and sea-level rise are real and becoming significant,” says RSMAS research associate professor Shimon Wdowinski.

related story (sgx17344): http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20100518/sc_livescience/...

by Zuzana Zelenakova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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