Global Warming Could Melt Greenland Ice Sheet
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Greenland’s huge ice sheet could melt within the next 1,000 years and swamp low-lying areas around the globe if emissions of carbon dioxide and global warming are not reduced, scientists said Wednesday.
A meltdown of the massive ice sheet, which is more than 1.8 miles thick, would raise sea levels by an average 21 feet, threatening countries such as Bangladesh, islands in the Pacific and parts of Florida.
Researchers have calculated that a rise in the annual average temperature in Greenland of more than 5.5 degrees Fahrenheit would be sufficient to melt the ice sheet. A British team reported in this week’s issue of the journal Nature that a temperature rise of that degree is likely.
