Its name may suggest otherwise, but Greenland is a country well-noted for its icy environment. Notably, there’s so much ice stocked within the country’s borders that, if they were to suddenly melt, then the ocean’s level would rise by a solid twenty-three feet. While the world isn’t in danger of that happening suddenly, it’s in danger of that happening gradually — and it’s already started.
Back in August 2014, glaciologist Eric Rignot and his team — in conjunction with NASA — went to Greenland to map out the conditions of its icy structures. In the time since, they’ve made some important discoveries: warm ocean currents are eroding glaciers, cavities are causing the ice to break apart more easily, and even the ice underneath the water’s surface is being undercut. All of those contribute to the current situation, wherein Greenland is losing its ice at an unnervingly-fast pace.
The obvious takeaway is that something bad is happening, and steps need to be taken to stop it. Right now, there isn’t an easy solution; the top priority is the launch of Ocean Melting Greenland, NASA’s five-year project to research the country’s condition in deeper detail. They might not find a remedy embedded in the melting ice, but that won’t stop them from trying.
