Data shows that Greenland’s ice shelves have lost a third of their volume since 1978.

The largest floating ice shelves in the polar ice cap have lost about a third since 1978. In one study Published On November 7 Natural communicationScientists from the CNRS, along with their Danish and American colleagues, believe that much of this thinning is due to an increase in the temperature of the surrounding ocean, which causes the floating extensions of the glaciers to melt.

Until now, the glaciers in this region were considered stable, unlike the more sensitive areas of the polar ice cap, which began to weaken in the mid-1980s.

Located in northern Greenland, these ice shelves play an important role in regulating the amount of ice discharged into the ocean by acting as large frozen „dams”. Although Greenland is already responsible for 17% of the current rise in sea levels, weakening these barriers could lead to an increase in the amount of released ice, and further rise in water levels.

These results were obtained using field observations, aerial photography and satellite data combined with regional climate models.