Researchers discovered that glacier flow along the edges of the island caused the land to rise as if there was a spring beneath it.
The growth of Greenland has been a long and well-known process. Since the end of the last ice age about 11,700 years ago, the retreat of the ice sheet has gradually eased the burden on Greenland. As a result, glacier isostatic rebound occurs; In simple terms, the island’s bedrock is rising, according to LiveScience.
However, today Greenland is not only subject to this process, but is also experiencing ice loss due to global warming and the climate crisis hitting the planet. Previous studies have already shown that the Greenland ice sheet is losing approximately 262 gigatons of ice per year. At the same time, surrounding glaciers and ice rivers along the Greenland coastline that flow into the sea are losing about 42 gigatons of ice alone, a 2022 study found.
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Now, in a new study, scientists have found that the loss of glacial ice significantly contributed to the formation of the island’s bedrock. But in some parts of Greenland, the loss of glacial ice is responsible for almost a third of the total vertical movement of land.
According to study co-author Danjal Longfors Berg, a graduate student at the Technical University of Denmark, she and her colleagues found that the maximum uplift of the land actually occurred where the greatest mass loss was observed. These areas are also as close as possible to Greenland’s largest glaciers.
During the research, scientists used data from 58 GPS monitors mounted on rocks around Greenland. These monitors were installed in 2007 and were used for surveillance purposes. Scientists then focused on understanding how much of this movement was due to current and previous ice loss and how much was due to long-term recovery.
The study’s findings show that glacial ice loss is responsible for the rise of much of Greenland – 32% and 27.9% of the total increase in two drainage basins in the north and east of the island, respectively. At the same time, the highest bedrock rebound rate is observed near the Kangerlussuaq glacier in southeast Greenland: here the rock is rising at a rate of about 8 millimeters per year. The data also shows that the glacier has retreated 10 kilometers since 1900 and thinned by hundreds of meters at its tip.
The study authors believe that understanding the rebound process could provide an additional way to measure regional ice loss.
Previously Focus He wrote that scientists have proven that Russia and Greenland are smaller than previously thought.
Source: Focus
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