A recent analysis of satellite images has led to the discovery of growing vegetation in Greenland which are replacing the melting ice sheets and glaciers. Since the 1980s, the region has lost around 11,000 square miles of ice sheets and glaciers which are gradually being replaced by wetlands, shrub vegetation and areas of barren rock.
The study was published on Tuesday, February 13, in the journal of Scientific Reports has expressed concerns over the changing land cover patterns in Greenland which is producing reverberating effects impacting the overall ecology. Greenland is also rendered the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and global warming and is extremely sensitive to minor environmental changes.
“The Arctic has been warming at double the global mean rate since the 1970s. Some of the most pronounced recent warming has been across Greenland, where mean annual air temperatures between 2007 and 2012 were 3 °C warmer compared to the 1979–2000 average. More extremes of temperature and precipitation are expected in the near future as Greenland’s climate resilience decreases and non-linear land-climate system feedbacks develop, including soil development and vegetation change, land surface albedo change, and permafrost degradation. The environmental impacts of Arctic climate change are most obviously manifest in Greenland’s abundant, expanding and rapidly-evolving proglacial landscapes,” the study stated.
According to NBC News, vegetation growth has increased by 33,774 square miles from the mid-1980s through the mid-2010s. The western coast town of Kangerlussuaq has seen the maximum growth in wetlands over the years.
What Are The Major Effects Of Changing Climate On Greenland?
Impacts of climate change has a domino effect on the region’s environment. The study has found some major effects which include: i) loss of ice results in increased thermal retention which would otherwise help cool down the planet by reflecting the sun’s rays ii) permafrost degradation leading to the large-scale release of greenhouse gases like methane iii) “increased deposition of organic matter, both terrestrially and within streams and eventually fjords as a consequence of warming-induced soil formation and permafrost degradation which drives further colonization of vegetation in areas where sediment redistribution is common and stream networks diverge regularly” iv) increased growth of microbes which decompose organic matter and in turn release gases contributing to greenhouse effect.
Cultural Consequences and Global Sea-level Rise
Michael Grimes, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Leeds and lead author of the study also emphasized on the cultural implications of such environmental degradation. There are multiple indigenous communities that engage in traditional hunting practices which are heavily dependent on the ecosystem.
“Moreover, the loss of ice mass in Greenland is a substantial contributor to global sea level rise, a trend that poses significant challenges both now and in the future,” he added.
According to scientific predictions, global sea levels could rise by 23 feet if the ice sheets in Greenland melted completely.
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