GREENLAND -- It can be considered as one of the hottest days in Kulusuk, Greenland when people in the community heard what sounded like a huge explosion from offshores. It turned out to be the breaking off of ice from a huge glacier the size of a soccer field. It was more than five miles away from the shore but the sound was so intense it caused people to panic.
In the beginning of August this year, Greenland has reportedly lost 12.5 billion tons of ice to melt, the biggest loss that has ever happened in a day. Nothing like it has ever happened in its history and it's another stark reminder for everyone that the problem on climate change is real.
NASA has its base in Kulusuk, Greenland. The Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) program of the agency is based in Greenland because the heatwave that scorched Europe and the United States has forced it to travel to the world's biggest islands this year. The heat was the highest ever recorded that it triggered massive melting of the ice.
Josh Willis, a NASA Oceanographer, along with his team, studied how the ice glaciers are being attacked not only by the rising air temperatures but also of the warming of the ocean waters from beneath. It is one of the reasons why the ice breaks off that easily because it has been attacked from underneath.
"There is enough ice in Greenland that could increase ocean waters by as much as 7,5 meters, which is practically 25 feet. An enormous volume that could drown many of the low lying areas in the world, particularly communities living around the coastlines. This problem in Greenland basically plots what would happen to communities when sea level rises," said Willis. " People should be rethinking about moving inland as many meters of the coastlines will be eaten up by the rising water levels and there is nothing we can do about it."
When scientists came to visit Helheim, they flew over a lake that didn't come with any floating ice. This is a sight not often seen in Greenland.
"It is very rare that there are no noticeable temperature variations. At this point, one would notice the colder waters in the upper hundred meters or so, but right not, it is warmer waters up until the glaciers and on to the surface," said Ian Fenty. He is a climate scientist at NASA. "The warmer waters now have direct contact with the ice over its entire face underneath the waters. It has caused supercharging of the melting process."
The melting of Greenland ice has a significant impact on the world. Billions in tons of ice that are melting could cause oceans to rise and flooding to happen. "We are all connected by the same ocean and if we want to save the world, we have to work together," Willis said.
