Vanishing Ice in Greenland

Dr. Sebastian H. Mernild, a post-doc fellow at the International Arctic Research Center and Water & Environmental Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, is in Santa Fe this weekend. The internationally renowned researcher will join Frito Friday for a casual and informative discussion on his research on the Greenland Ice Sheet in a climate perspective.

Greenland is the world’s largest island, and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) is the Northern Hemisphere’s largest terrestrial permanent ice- and snow covered area. Scientists have been monitoring the ice sheet for decades and are discovering that the ice appears to be melting. If true, what will a green Greenland mean for the rest of the world?

Dr. Sebastian H. Mernild discusses the future perspectives for this scenario at Frito Friday, October 5. He says, “Ice mass and snow cover serve as water reservoirs that are highly vulnerable to ongoing climatic variations and change. The Arctic is undergoing a system-wide response to climatic change, and the effect of a warmer and wetter climate on terrestrial cryospheric and hydrological processes and their components have already been documented.”

He says, “A GrIS loss of 257 km3 yr-1, and a freshwater runoff contribution to the ocean of 392 km3 yr-1 occurred for the period 1995–2005. The modeled average runoff from the GrIS represents a contribution of ~1.1 mm yr-1 to global sea level rise.” In other words, melting ice in Greenland means rising coastlines world wide. Join Dr. Mernild to learn more about his perspective on the future of Greenland’s ice and the world’s coastlines.

Click here for more information on Dr. Mernild’s work.