Sea Level 'Fingerprint' , Confirms the Greenland Ice Sheet , Is Rapidly Melting.
NBC reports that scientists have found unambiguous proof that a phenomenon critical to predicting climate change exists.
On September 29, researchers announced that they detected a sea level "fingerprint" left by the melting of the Greenland ice sheet.
Scientists were able to pinpoint the unique pattern of sea level change which has previously been linked to melting ice.
NBC reports that it is the first time that such a fingerprint has been measured and was made possible with the help of high-resolution satellite observations.
Those fingerprints are then applied to models used to predict sea level rise.
These predictions allow scientists to better understand the impact of climate change and how to best prepare for future threats.
Sophie Coulson, a postdoctoral fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the lead author of the study, says that the melting of the Greenland ice sheet is accelerating.
NBC reports that the Greenland ice sheet covers approximately 80% of the country and contains vast amounts of frozen water.
The team's findings were published in the journal 'Science.'.
Currently, the rapid melting of the Greenland ice sheet is believed to be responsible for as much as 20% of global sea level rise
