Greenland ice sheet nearly double the size of Manhattan breaks off into the ocean | #TheCube

Sentinel 2 image taken on August 27 showing disintegration of the Spalte Glacier
Sentinel 2 image taken on August 27 showing disintegration of the Spalte Glacier Copyright European Union, contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2020
By The Cube
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

The Spalte Glacier breaking off Greenland's largest remaining ice sheet signals more bad news for climate scientists. It comes after two consecutive summers of record temperatures in the region.

ADVERTISEMENT

An ice sheet measuring an area nearly double the size of Manhattan has detached from the Arctic's largest remaining glacier, according to the Danish and Greenland Geological Survey.

The Spalte Glacier, recording at 113 km2 area, has detached from the Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden Glacier in what appears to be "progressive disintegration" of the ice sheet, according to scientists.

The ice shelf has lost 160 km2 since records began in 1999 with significant losses over the past two summers.

The atmosphere has warmed 3 degrees on average since 1980 and the region has experienced record-breaking warming these past two summers.

"We have seen a glacier that was normally locked in ice age conditions is starting to wake up and it's of great concern because this particular ice shelf, the largest remaining in the Arctic, is connected to the largest drainage system of the Greenland ice sheet," Prof. Jason Box, ice climatologist, told Euronews.

Click on the player above as Seana Davis details more.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

US wildfires spark political debate over climate change ahead of Trump visit

Why are citizens' assemblies on climate change necessary?

Climate change 'clearly played role' in Australia's severe fire season