Photo Credit: Michalea King
As more nations experience weather-related disasters, the climate crisis is now more readily apparent. For instance, in reaction to heat waves, the Greenland ice sheets have already begun to melt. As a result, global sea levels could increase by almost a foot if the problem is not resolved promptly, which would be catastrophic for all life on Earth.
Sadly, experts predicted that rising sea levels would still occur even if all nations stopped emitting planet-heating mechanisms right away. This comes from a study published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, which reports on findings related to the climate.
According to the study, at least 10 inches of sea level rise would result from melting Greenland ice sheets. The same amount of water level rise over the past century has been brought on by Greenland, Antarctica, and thermal expansion.
The meltwater runoff was determined to be the primary cause of the phenomenon by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. Further research revealed that 3.3% of Greenland’s ice sheets would soon begin to melt as a result of environmental changes. The percentage is equal to 110 trillion tons of ice, and if it melted—which scientists predict it will inevitably do—it would result in a sharp rise in sea levels.
Jason Box, a scientist from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and the study’s lead author, said, “[The sea level rise from this melted ice will occur] regardless of any foreseeable future climate pathway this century. This water is technically already under the bridge.”
The journal’s authors did not provide a specific timeline for when the ice sheets would eventually melt, but they believe that the process has already begun and may end by the turn of the century.
“[The research was solely to estimate] a minimum, or a very conservative lower bound [of sea level rise from melting in Greenland] and in the virtually-certain event that climate continues warming, the sea level commitment only grows,” added Box.
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The melting ice sheets in Greenland and their effects
The melting of ice sheets as large as Greenland’s could be easily facilitated by the rise in temperatures. The surrounding waters have also warmed up as a result of the temperature change, hastening the erosion of the sheet’s edges.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US coastline may grow by 10 to 12 inches over the following 30 years. In action, high tides will happen more frequently—more than ten times annually. In addition, during periods of heavy rain, storm surges will increase and spread further, harming both people and property.
The amount of ice in Greenland, according to scientists, has the potential to raise sea levels by 25 feet worldwide if it all melts. They also noted that the predicted sea level would not be consistent globally. It will be uneven, with some areas suffering more than others.
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Disasters are happening around the globe
One of the nations experiencing the effects of climate change is Greenland. Stronger monsoons, more frequent typhoons, unfavorable community conditions, an energy shortage, and heat-related deaths are just a few effects of the abrupt temperature changes.
Energy shortages have already been experienced in many parts of China as a result of damage to the hydropower plants. In fact, in order to save energy, the Sichuan province’s authorities shut down some facilities.
As a result of the high demand for energy, several businesses in the area have already advised employees to adjust the offices’ air conditioning systems.
More than 33 million Pakistanis have already been impacted, and thousands more have been forced to leave their homes. One thousand people have died as a result of the heavy rain in Pakistani provinces, and the death toll could rise if the rains continue. In addition, the nation’s weather bureaus predict that the rains will continue and harm the nation’s roads, infrastructure, vegetation, and other areas.
The UK as a whole is also experiencing extreme heat. For instance, France has been battling numerous wildfires left and right. The French fire bureau already requested volunteer firefighters more than two weeks ago in order to increase their manpower in the face of simultaneous wildfires occurring in several regions of the nation.
Source: CNN
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