In 2019, Greenland glaciers lost about 600 billion tons of ice. This is the highest figure since the beginning of the observations, which started in 1948, for this process.
Columbia University specialists analyzed satellite imagery and meteorological data on the subject of flight altered in the ice cover of Greenland. In 2019, the ice sheet of these places lost about 600 billion tons of ice. The results are published in The Cryosphere.
According to scientists, this is the fastest melting ice in Greenland since the beginning of observations. This means that the ice sheet surface mass balance fell by about 320 billion tons below the annual average for the period from 1981 to 2010. The key role in this event was played not by warming, but by the high atmospheric pressure observed in this region more often than usual.
Frequent high atmospheric pressure prevents the formation of clouds that impede the penetration of sunlight over the southern part of Greenland. In turn, a decrease in the number of clouds led to a decrease in the number of snowfalls forming an ice cover.
Recall another
new study. It showed that ancient methane does not affect the melting of ice in the Arctic. Most of the damage to the atmosphere is caused by carbon dioxide emissions.