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Introduction:
TheGreenlandicesheetismorethan100,000yearsold.Scientistscorethrough
fourkilometersoficetostudyproxiesforclimate.However,theimportanceofthe
Greenlandicesheetstretchesbeyondscientificinformation.TheGreenlandicesheetisthe
secondlargestbodyoficeintheworldaftertheAntarcticicesheet.Icesheetsprovide
95100%ofglobalalbedo,makingtheGreenlandicesheetanimportantimpactortosolar
radiation(Than2012).Greenhousegasesarealsobeingincreased,muchofwhichis
attributedtohumaninteraction.In2012meltingontheGreenlandicesheetjumpedfrom
40%ofsheetsurfacemeltonJuly8thto97%sheetsurfacemeltfourdayslater(see
fig.1)(Than2012).ThemeltingoftheGreenlandicesheetwilldecreaseglobalalbedo,
increasesealevel,andpossibleaffecttheNorthAtlanticconveyorbelt.
Discussion:
TheinternationalGreenlandIceSheetMonitoringNetwork(GLISN)lists33
researchstationswiththecommongoalofmonitoringtheGreenlandicesheet.
MeasurementsoftheGreenlandicesheetmeltingbeganin1979andby2002melting
hadincreasedby16%(Howatet.al2013).Overthepastfortyyears,satelliteimages
showthatmeltwaterlakeshavesignificantlyadvanced.Enhancedmeltwatereffectis
whenglacialmeltontooftheicesheetisfunneledthroughmoulinsandreachesthe
glacialbase(althoughsomemoulinsdrainintotheocean,nottheglacialbase).Asthe
waterbuildsup,itformsabarrierbetweentheicesheetandtheglacialbaseandactsasa
lubricant.Thisnotonlyleadstoanincreaseinmelt,butitalsoallowsfortheicesheetto
slide.Theincreaseofthemeltwaterlakesandaswellastheequilibriumlinemoving

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fartheruptheicesheetshowsnolimitformeltwaterexpansion(Howatet.al2013).
Onceicesheetbegins,itformsapositivefeedbackloopandthemeltingaccelerates
toanexponentialanderraticpace.AtastationinGreenlandcalledSwissCampin2005,
scientistsdiscoveredthroughGPSreadingsthatduringmelting,theicesheetdidntshrink
insize,butinsteadwasslidingfromitsfoundation.From1996,thereadingswere
movementrateof13inchesaday,toin2001whenmovementratewas20inchesaday
(Kolbert2006).FurthermeltingoftheGreenlandicesheetisenhancedbythesurface
meltwatersinkingtothebedoftheice,creatingacushionbetweenthebedrockandthe
icesheet,acceleratingthemeltingaswellastheicesheetslip.Attheendofthelastglacial
period,muchoftheNorthernHemispheresglaciersrecededinjustafewthousandyears,
eventhoughittookmanythousandsofyearsforthemtogrowtotheirmaximumsize.
Thissuggeststhatwhenanicesheetmelts,flowratesincrease,whichincreasesthinning
andperpetuatesthecycle(Kolbert2006).
Asstatedintheintroduction,theGreenlandicesheethasdramaticallyincreased
sincethen.Infact,theicesheetmelthadameltingbreakingyearin2010,onlytobe
brokenin2012.InaperiodoffourdaysinJuly2012,thepercentageofmeltwentfrom
40%to97%,showninthefigurebelow.LeftshowsJuly8th,withJuly12thshownatthe
right.TheredshowsmeltontheGreenlandicesheetduringthosetimes.

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http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/07/120725greenlandicesheetmeltsatellitesnasaspacescie
nce/

ManyfactorscontributetotherapidityoftheGreenlandicesheetmelting.Twoof
themaincausesoftheincreasedmeltingare;enhancedmeltwatereffectandforce
imbalance.Thisleadstothesecondmaincause,becausethereisnowanimbalanceof
forcesontheicesheet.Thiscausesthelineofequilibriumtoberaised,andtheicesheet
beginstobreakandcrack(Fettweiset.al2013).
Increasedprecipitationisanotherfactorintheimbalanceofforcesonthe
Greenlandicesheet.Astheclimatewarm,snowaccumulationinGreenlandincreases.The
accumulationofsnowatthetopoftheicesheet,alongwiththeglacialrunoffflowingto
theglacialbasemakestheicesheettopheavy.Thisalsoleadstoapositivefeedbackloop
andperpetuatesthecycleofmelt(Raeet.al2012).Becausetheicesheetisnowtop

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heavy,itbecomesunbalancedanditbeginstocrack.Thecrackingiceislessstableandit
canbreakoffintotheocean,increasingmeltandperpetuatingthecycle.
WhatdoesthismeanfortheEarth?Themostdramaticconsequenceofthemelting
Greenlandiceisraisingsealevels.DuringthepreviousinterglacialcalledtheEemian,
evidenceshowsthatsealevelswereasmuchas15feethigherthanpresentday(Kolbert
2006).TwomajortheoriesnamedifferenticesheetsresponsibleforthehigherEemian
sealevel:oneclaimsitwasmeltwaterfromGreenland,anotherstatesitwasthecollapseof
theWestAntarcticicesheet.Boththeoriesagreethatmeltingicesheetsareresponsible
forthehighsealevel(Kolbert2006).IftheentireGreenlandicesheetweretomelt,
scientistsprojectthatsealevelwouldrisesevenmeters(Wilton2013).
IftheGreenlandicesheetweretomelt,notonlywouldthesealevelrise,butglobal
albedowoulddecrease.Albedoregardsthereflectivityofanobject.Ifanobjectreflects
thesunsrays,itwillhaveahighalbedoratingandthenumberwillbecloserto1.Ifithas
lowalbedo,theratingwillbecloserto0.ThealbedoofTheGreenlandicesheetis.91,
meaningitreflectsmostofthesunsrays(Wilton2013).IftheGreenlandicesheetwere
tomelt,theninsteadofthehighlyreflectiveice,therewouldbeexposedearthandocean,
whichabsorbsthesunsrays.Insteadofthesunsenergybeingreflectedbackintothe
space,itwouldstayintheEarth,andleadtofurtherclimatewarming.
Theglacialmeltwaterthatcouldcausesealevelrisecouldalsocausethe
thermohalinecirculationtoshutdown.Thermohalinecirculationisthecirculationin
whichtheoceantransferswarmandcoldwater.Ifanabundanceoffreshwaterwereto
beintroducedtotheocean,thatwouldcausethesaltwatertosinktothebottomofthe

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ocean.AstheGreenlandicesheetismeltingatexponentiallevels,moreandmorefresh
waterisbeingleakedintotheocean.BecauseoftheGreenlandicesheetmeltwatergoing
intotheocean,thethermohalineconveyorcouldbedampened.Thiswouldslowdownthe
circulationofwarmandcoldwater,aswellastheairitcarries.Anegativefeedbackloop
canbemadefromthisscenario,andinsteadoftheclimatecontinuingtowarmandthe
Greenlandicesheetincreasinginmeltpercentage,theseeventscouldbedampened(Rae
et.al2012).
Conclusion:
Furtherresearchneedstobedoneinordertofindouttheextenthumanshave
causedthemeltingoftheGreenlandicesheetandmostimportantly,whatcanbedoneto
savetheGreenlandsicesheet.Aspointedoutinthehockeystickcontroversy(seefig.2),
mostoftheclimatethatweliveintodayacceleratedduringtheIndustrialRevolution.By
thetimethemajorityofthepublicrealizesthatlosingGreenlandsicesheetisdetrimental
toEarthsclimate,itwillbetoolatetoundothedamage.TheoutcomeoftheGreenlandice
sheetmeltingwillbereinforcedandempoweredbecausemanyoftheeffectsform
positivefeedbackloops.Manypositivefeedbackloopsalsotriggerotherclimateevents,
whichstartofmorepositivefeedbackloopstoglobalwarming.

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http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/globalwarming/myths/thehockeystick

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Fettweis,X.,Franco,B.,Tedesco,M.,VanAngelenJ.H.,LenaertsJ.T.M.,VanDenBroekeM.
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