Climate experts warn of concerns arising from robust plant growth on Greenland ice sheet

Significant regions of Greenland are seeing a rise in vegetation as a result of the ice sheet melting, raising the possibility of problems including increasing sea levels, higher greenhouse gas emissions, and unstable terrain. Large ice-covered areas have changed into marshes, shrub growth, and bare rock, according to a research conducted between the 1980s and the present.

A study conducted since the 1980s has recorded significant changes, revealing that extensive ice-covered areas have been transformed into barren rock, wetlands, and shrub growth. This transformation is bringing about a noticeable shift in the environment.

Also read: Global warming has upped Greenland glacier melting five-folds in 20 years

Satellite records analysis indicates that in the last thirty years, approximately 11,000 square miles of Greenland's ice sheet and glaciers have melted. This area is comparable to the size of Albania and represents 1.6% of the total ice cover in Greenland.

The amount of land covered by vegetation has increased by 33,774 square miles as a result of the ice retreating. This expansion covers an area that is more than twice as large as it did when the study first started.

The results indicate that wetlands, a source of methane emissions, are nearly quadrupling throughout Greenland.

According to scientists, the ice is receding due to rising air temperatures; during the 1970s, the area has warmed up twice as quickly as the rest of the world. The average yearly air temperature on Greenland from 2007 to 2012 was 3C higher than the average from 1979 to 2000.

Watch: Northern Greenland's ice shelves are receding

The results show indications that additional ice loss is being caused by the growing vegetation.

The report's lead author, Dr. Michael Grimes, stated, "The flow of sediments and nutrients into coastal seas is being considerably altered by the expansion of vegetation, which is happening in tandem with the retreat of glaciers and the ice sheet."

Also read: Three of eight ice shelves in Greenland have collapsed

Dr. Grimes emphasised the significance of these changes, especially for Indigenous populations whose traditional subsistence hunting practices depend on the stability of these fragile ecosystems. Additionally, the loss of ice mass in Greenland plays a substantial role in contributing to global sea level rise, presenting significant challenges both in the present and for the future.

In order to keep an eye on the situation, the researchers have utilized their data to create a model that will identify Greenland regions that are most likely to undergo marked and fast change in the future.

(With inputs from agencies)