In Greenland, glacier melts to fill 7.2 million olympic swimming pools
Greenland has experienced a meltdown large enough to fill 7.2 million Olympic-size swimming pools, between 15-17 July. The alarming incident was captured on a satellite image showing what surface runoff of 18 billion tons looked like.
The European Union’s Copernicus satellite captured the scene, showing melting water flowing along the surface of the mainland, supposed to be a whitish color because it was typically frozen, in turquoise and different shades of blue, caused by climate change, the British media reported.
The surprising melting in Greenland happened because of a heat wave that swept the region at a steady 60 degrees when temperatures were typically no more than 50 degrees at this time of year, according to CNN, which first reported the issue.
IT ALSO RAISES THE SEA LEVEL
Although there have also been numerous meltdowns in previous years, the last one is twice as large as usual, and experts warn that this has greatly contributed to the global sea level rise.
A senior research scientist told USA Today that most of the melting was caused by warm air from the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The Greenland ice sheet is the second largest freshwater ice floe on the planet. Antarctica is at the top of the list.
