07/18/2016
Study finds Greenland lost 1 trillion tons of ice in just 4 years
Greenland ice loss has recently contributed to twice as much sea-level rise than in the preceding two decades. Between 2011 and 2014 Greenland shed 1 trillion tons of ice - that's according to new data from the European Space Agency. The ice loss in those four years alone, corresponds to a 0.75 mm contribution to global sea-level rise each year - about twice the average of the preceding two decades.
■Class discussion: How fast is sea level rising? Are any U.S. cities being regularly flooded by the rising oceans? What can be done to cope with rising sea levels? What percentage of the world’s people live near the oceans? Why do some areas record greater increases in sea levels than other areas? What is subsidence and what causes it? Besides melting ice, how do rising global temperatures raise sea levels?