Once-stable Glacier in Greenland disappearing rapidly, study finds

The research team aimed to test the theory that the intrusion of warming waters from the Atlantic into Greenlandic fjords, critical oceanic gateways, can impact the stability of local glaciers and the health of polar ecosystems. The team examined a glacier in the southeastern region of Greenland called KIV Steenstrups Nordre, known as the Steenstrup Glacier. Until 2016, Steenstrup had been stable for decades and was generally insensitive to the rising temperatures that had destabilised so many other regional glaciers, likely because of its isolated position in shallow waters. But, the study found that anomalies in deeper Atlantic water were probably what caused Steenstrup to melt.

The glacier's pace has increased fourfold in just a few years, raising new concerns about how quickly huge ice masses may actually adapt to climate change. Glaciologists have been able to estimate possible glacial ice storage at the poles and how it would affect present sea levels using satellite data. For instance, the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet might result in a nearly 25-foot rise in sea level. The collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet has the potential to raise sea levels by nearly six feet this century, but the collapse of Greenland and Antarctica would take centuries.

Around 10 percent of the planet's population lives in low-lying coastal zones, and any significant rise in sea level can cause increased risk to low-lying islands and coastal communities from storm surges and tropical cyclones. In the US, coastal cities in states like Florida or Louisiana are particularly at risk from sea level rise. However, if climate policies evolve rapidly, humans might have a chance at halting the worst of sea level rise, according to the study's lead author Thomas Chudley.

The study concludes that continued scientific observation of the Steenstrup Glacier should be a priority and other similar glaciers also deserve attention because of their potential to retreat due to warming waters.