STOCKHOLM, Sweden – Greenland’s second-largest ice shelf, the Petermann, is melting faster than expected — and not for the reason scientists initially thought.
What’s happening?
A new study published in Nature Communications revealed that warm ocean water isn’t the only factor speeding up ice loss, as summarized in a Stockholm University report.
Based on models supported by expedition data, even when the surrounding water temperature remains constant, the ice continues to melt rapidly. That’s because of a surprising mechanism researchers are considering as a turbulence-driven melting regime.
“We may see the devastating consequences of this process unfold within this century,” Abhay Prakash, lead author of the study, said, per the Stockholm report.
Why is the melting ice shelf important?
This new understanding could reshape how we think about polar ice loss and its ripple effects on communities across the globe.
When ice shelves melt, they no longer act as barriers, slowing the flow of land ice into the sea. That can lead to more land-based ice melting and contributing to rising sea levels, which can, among other effects, cause higher water levels in coastal areas during extreme weather events.
The study found that cold, fresh meltwater rushing out from beneath glaciers creates upward turbulence, drawing in warm Atlantic water from below.
Eventually, the system gets saturated with heat. But instead of slowing down, melting actually speeds up, driven by turbulence.
And it may not be just a Greenland problem. Scientists believe similar patterns could unfold in other high-latitude areas if meltwater input increases, signaling even larger global consequences.
“The implications extend beyond Greenland,” Prakash said in the university report. “At present, Antarctica does not exhibit meltwater discharge at levels comparable to Petermann. However, this may change in the future.”
According to NASA, Greenland’s ice mass is melting at an average rate of about 267 billion tons per year, while Antarctica’s is melting at an average rate of about 136 billion tons per year.
What’s being done about the melting ice?
While this science is new, there is evidence that rising air temperatures are connected to rising ocean temperatures. That means limiting the pollution that’s trapping heat on our planet and understanding its effects even better are urgent for multiple reasons.
