Scientists Warn , Greenland Ice Sheet , Melting Faster Than Predicted.
Scientists have warned that Greenland's ice sheet is melting faster than previously estimated, with losses believed to be about 20% worse than initial predictions.
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CBS reports that Greenland's ice sheet has lost an estimated 3,163 square miles of ice since 1985.
According to researchers, earlier estimates failed to track calving, or melting at the edges of an ice sheet.
Study co-author Chad Greene and his colleagues found that Greenland's ice sheet loses about 119 square miles of ice every year.
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The study found that seasonal variability could be a predictor of ice mass loss over the long term.
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The team notes that the ice loss could impact ocean circulation patterns, which could alter how heat energy is distributed across the Earth.
CBS reports that previous studies have identified the Greenland ice sheet as the second-largest driver of sea level rise.
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One study found that the melting of a single sheet caused over 17% of the sea level rise that occurred between 2006 and 2018.
As the planet grows warmer, glaciers and ice sheets melt faster than they are able to accumulate new snow and ice.
Oceans absorb about 90% of the warming on the planet.
When both the air and oceans are warmer, the melting of ice sheets is amplified.
