The unavoidable 10 inches in the study is more than twice as much sea level rise as scientists had previously expected from the melting of Greenland's ice sheet.
Zombie ice from the massive Greenland ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 10 inches on its own, according to a study released Monday.
Study lead author Jason Box, a glaciologist at the Greenland survey, said it is"more like one foot in the grave." This is the first time scientists calculated a minimum ice loss — and accompanying sea level rise — for Greenland, one of Earth's two massive ice sheets that are slowly shrinking because of climate change from burning coal, oil and natural gas. Scientists used an accepted technique for calculating minimum committed ice loss, the one used on mountain glaciers for the entire giant frozen island.
Although 10 inches doesn't sound like much, that's a global average. Some coastal areas will be hit with more, and high tides and storms on top of that could be even worse, so this much sea level rise"will have huge societal, economic and environmental impacts," said Ellyn Enderlin, a geosciences professor at Boise State University.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Zombie ice' from Greenland will raise sea level 10 inchesA new study finds that Greenland has more than 120 trillion tons of ice that can be thought of as zombie ice that's going to raise sea level globally by at least 10 inches.
Read more »
Justin Fornal conquers Canada to Greenland swim despite thick Arctic iceJustin Fornal and General Aviation pilot Wesley Archer jumped into a single\u002Dengine plane and flew to Greenland for the Great Arctic Swim.
Read more »
Tiny oysters play big role in stabilizing eroding shorelinesAs sea levels rise and buildings by coasts are increasingly endangered, communities around the world are turning to the small but mighty oyster to help stabilize shorelines.
Read more »
What we bought: Cuisinart’s ice cream maker wasn’t my first choice | EngadgetCuisinart's ICE-30BCP1 ice cream maker didn't impress upon first use, but it has helped me make numerous batches of soft, delicious ice cream at home..
Read more »