Greenland ice melting past 'tipping point': study

The melting of Greenland's ice cap has gone so far that it is now irreversible, with snowfall no longer able to compensate for the loss of ice even if global warming were to end today, according to researchers. "Greenland's glaciers have passed a tipping point of sorts, where the snowfall that replenishes the ice sheet each year cannot keep up with the ice that is flowing into the ocean from glaciers," said a statement from Ohio State University, where several authors of a study published August 13 in Communications Earth and Environment are based. | Above: , a piece of ice floats near Kulusuk (also spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland.

Climate change is having a devastating effect on the world's glaciers, with the ice melt posing a threat to millions of people around the world. In the 1980s and 1990s, the ice cap lost around 450 billion tonnes of ice per year, which was compensated by snowfall, the scientists said after analysing 40 years of data. | Above: A view of the mouth of the Jakobshavn glacier in this satellite handout image from Greenland, June 28, 2020.

But the ice melt has accelerated this century, climbing to 500 billion tonnes and no longer sufficiently replenished with snow. "The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass at accelerated rates in the 21st century, making it the largest single contributor to rising sea levels," the study said. While researchers are in agreement that the Greenland ice melt is worrying, not all agree that it has reached a 'tipping point'. | Above: A fishing vessel sails in the ice fjord near Ilulissat, Greenland September 12, 2017. Picture taken September 12, 2017.

"We don't know how much greenhouse gas concentrations will rise," Ruth Mottram, a climatologist at Denmark's Meteorological Institute told AFP. The published results show that "even if we stabilised temperatures (and greenhouse gas emissions) at the present level, the ice sheet would still continue to melt, but only until the size of the ice sheet is once more in balance with the climate," Mottram said. | Above: Tracy glacier is seen in this satellite handout image from Greenland, September 7, 2018.

Another recent study from Britain's University of Lincoln concluded that Greenland's ice melt alone is expected to contribute 10-12 centimetres to the world's rising sea levels by 2100. The UN's IPCC climate science advisory panel said in 2013 that it expected sea levels to rise by 60 centimetres by the end of the century. | Above: Jakobshavn glacier is seen in this satellite handout image from Greenland, April 5, 2009.

An iceberg calving with a mass of ice breaking away from the Apusiajik glacier, near Kulusuk (aslo spelled Qulusuk), a settlement in the Sermersooq municipality located on the island of the same name on the southeastern shore of Greenland

Tracy and Heilprin glaciers are seen in this satellite handout image from Greenland, September 7, 2018.