Rise of the ocean.

Sea level rise quickens as Greenland ice sheet sheds record amount.

Greenland's massive ice sheet saw a record net loss in the last year, raising red flags about accelerating sea level rise. That is equivalent to an additional three million tons of water streaming into global oceans everyday or six Olympic pools every second. According to a study by Communications Earth and Environment, last year's loss of mass was at least 15% above the record in 2012 but even more alarming are the long term trends.  

586 billion tons was the net loss of ice from the Greenland ice sheet in 2019 due to changing weather pattern.

The alarming rise in water level

Crumbling glaciers and torrents of melt-water slicing through Greenland's ice block - as thick as ten Eiffel Towers end-to-end - were the single biggest source of global sea level rise in 2019 and accounted for 40% of the total, reported researchers.

Redrawing world's coastlines soon

If all of Greenland's ice sheet were to melt, it would lift global seas by seven metres (23 ft). Even a more modest rise of a couple of metres would redraw the world's coastlines and render land occupied today by hundreds of millions of people uninhabitable.

Total ice sheet lost in 2019 - 1.13 trillion tons. 55% melted ice and 45% from glaciers sliding into sea.

Climate change

Changing weather patterns - also a consequence of climate change - has resulted in less cloud cover and less snow. These high pressure systems have also resulted in warmer, sunny days, accelerating the loss of mass.

Retreating sheet

Until 2000, Greenland's ice sheet - covering an area three times the size of France - generally accumulated as much mass as it shed. Over the last two decades, the pace of global warming has upended this balance.

Seventh highest melt days in 2019

According to NSIDC, melting on the Greenland ice sheet for 2019 was the seventh-highest since 1978. The ice sheet has experienced a general increase in melting, with melt-day area for 2019 totaling 28.3 mn square kilometres for the season. Despite the less-than-record number of melt days, models show that 2019 had very large net ice loss for the year.

The ice sheet is now tracking the worst-case global warming scenario.....2019 and the four other record-loss years have all occurred in the last decade.......we need to prepare for an extra 10 cm or so of global sea level rise by 2100 from Greenland alone.

- Andrew Shepherd, director of the Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling at the University of Leeds.

Tailpiece.

Got up half an hour later than our usual time. Suma gave us the scare that her ward has been made a 'containment zone' due to four Covid cases. The chores and was ready by a half past 9. Earlier, Suma had fetched up since the policemen on duty let her come for work!

It was a quiet Sunday, otherwise.

All set to go to Kochi, for Lekha's medical review, tomorrow. We'll return by evening and Suraaj will be the chauffeur.