According to the US Snow and Ice Data Center Report, on August 14 possible for the first time rain fell at the highest point. Rain was observed for hours at a measuring post over 3,000 metres up on the Greenland ice sheet.
What do scientists have to say?
On 23rd August, Martin Stendel, a researcher at the Danish Meteorological Institute said “This is an extreme event as it may never have happened before”. “It’s probable that this is a sign of global warming.”
Temperatures unbalanced at the ice sheet
The scientist said that the temperatures at the peak of the sheet have risen above freezing only nine times in the past 2,000 years. Of which three events have happened in the past 10 years — but on the previous two occasions, in 2012 and 2019, there was no rain, he further said.
Scientist Stendel said that it can’t be proved
“We cannot prove whether it rained or not on the six occasions before but it’s very unlikely, which makes the rainfall we observed even more remarkable”.
With a surface area more than three The ice sheet has covered a surface area of Greenland and locks up enough water which can be a cause for global warming by rising sea level up to seven metres. The melting has become a matter of concern among scientists, as warming in the Arctic is faster than the global average.
What European study has to say?
According to a European study the melting of the Greenland ice sheet is expected to contribute 60 percent faster than the previous records as it will rise in sea levels by 10 to 18 centimetres by 2100.
