GREENLAND

Copyright infringement not intended

In News:

• Zombie ice from the massive Greenland ice sheet will eventually raise global sea level by at least 27cm on its own, according to a study released
• Zombie or doomed ice is ice that is still attached to thicker areas of ice, but is no longer getting fed by those larger glaciers. That's because the parent glaciers are getting less replenishing snow. Meanwhile the doomed ice is melting from climate change, said study co-author William Colgan, a glaciologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland.
• The unavoidable 27cm in the study is more than twice as much sea level rise as scientists had previously expected from the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet. The study in the journal Nature Climate Change said it could reach as much as 78cm. By contrast, last year’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report projected a range of 6cm to 13cm for likely sea level rise from Greenland ice melt by the year 2100.
• According to a recent study, nearly 75% of Greenlanders are in the favour of extracting and exporting sand left by melting ice sheets.
  • The melting of glaciers due to climate change has resulted in the deposition of sand and gravel along the coasts of Greenland.
• The majority of Greenland’s indigenous population wants their government to evaluate the outcomes of sand exports and extraction on the country’s economic development and environment.
• Arctic countries like Greenland have been struggling with the long-term implications of climate change, primarily due to their over-reliance on the commercial fishing industry.
• Greenland is trying to diversify its economy through mining, oil extraction and tourism.

About Greenland

• Greenland is an island country that is a part of Denmark.
• It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans.
• Greenland is the world's largest island.
• The citizens of these countries are all Danish nationals.
• With a population of 56,081 (2020 data), it is the least densely populated region in the world.
• Greenland's capital is Nuuk, About a third of the population lives in Nuuk.
  • It is the capital and largest city of Greenland.
• Though a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe.
• The population is concentrated mainly on the southwest coast, while the rest of the island is sparsely populated.
• Nearly 75% of Greenland is covered by a permanent ice sheet.

Top of FormBottom of Form

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/29/major-sea-level-rise-caused-by-melting-of-greenland-ice-cap-is-now-inevitable-27cm-climate