From UCI & JPL
It's not only axiomatic but also factual now that what happens to the glacial mass under the water matters as much as what the eye can behold in the lesser part of the iceberg that juts above, especially, researchers now say, when it comes to melting, cooling and global warming. Teams from Irvine and LaCanada report that they have found that Greenland glaciers melt 100 times faster at their submerged end points than they do on their exposed surfaces. This factor, building on earlier work by others on warm water surging into the fjords surrounding the Greenland ice sheet, helps explain what's happening with one of the globe's great frozen masses. Scientists theorize that, as part of global warming, the Greenland ice -- second only to Antarctica's deep freeze and covering an area almost as large as Mexico -- is melting much faster than believed and contributing to significant rises in ocean levels that could swamp some coastal areas around the planet.
Photo: West Greenland glacier / courtesy Michele Koppes, University of British Columbia
How global warming's affecting Greenland ice conditions, as seen from Irvine
Warming oceans' role in Greenland ice melt, as reported in LaCanada
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