Meltdown

  • Released Thursday, April 30, 2015
View full credits

The Greenland ice sheet—a behemoth body of ice composed of layers of 100,000-year-old compacted snow—is particularly vulnerable to climate change. If it were to completely melt, sea levels around the globe would rise by a staggering 25 feet. Recent analysis of NASA satellite, laser and radar data, which spanned nearly a decade, not only indicates that the ice sheet suffered an average loss of about 80 trillion gallons of ice per year between 2003 and 2012, but the resulting changes in ice thickness from region to region also varied each year. These findings suggest that the ice sheet is more complex and thinning more rapidly than previously thought. The implications are vast. Even slight increases in sea level could impact coastal habitats and force hundreds of millions of people to relocate due to the increased risk of flooding. Watch the video to learn more.

Ice sheet measurements since 2003 show increased thinning (green, blue, purple) in coastal areas and thickening (yellow) in the interior.

Ice sheet measurements since 2003 show increased thinning (green, blue, purple) in coastal areas and thickening (yellow) in the interior.

As the interior ice thickens and becomes heavier, it is pulled toward the coast. The lines above depict the direction and speed of moving ice.

As the interior ice thickens and becomes heavier, it is pulled toward the coast. The lines above depict the direction and speed of moving ice.

Ice flows in different regions of the ice sheet are shown here over a map of Greenland’s bedrock topography.

Ice flows in different regions of the ice sheet are shown here over a map of Greenland’s bedrock topography.



Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

Release date

This page was originally published on Thursday, April 30, 2015.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:49 PM EDT.