Due to the abnormal high temperatures that swept across the globe, 8.5 billion tons of ice melted in Greenland in just one day on the 27th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Sumi Hwang] Concerns about climate change are growing as the abnormal heatwave sweeping the globe is causing massive melting of Greenland's ice.
According to the Danish Meteorological Institute on the 30th, 8.5 billion tons of ice melted in Greenland in just one day on the 27th. CNN reported that this amount of water could cover the entire state of Florida in the United States with about 2 inches (approximately 5 cm) of water.
If the reference point is moved to the 24th, the total amount of melted ice reaches 18.4 billion tons. Although this does not surpass the record high set in 2019, it is the third largest amount since satellite observations began.
Ted Scambos, a senior researcher at the University of Colorado, said, "Nearly half of the eastern region of Greenland melted on the 27th, which is very unusual," adding, "It is a serious situation."
Since the mid-1990s, when climate change began in earnest, the melting of Arctic ice has been consistently cited as a serious environmental issue. Scientists have particularly expressed concern that if Arctic ice melts due to abnormal heat, causing sea levels to rise, cities adjacent to the sea could be directly exposed to natural disasters such as floods and tsunamis.
If the current trend continues, sea levels are estimated to rise by at least 2 to 10 cm by the end of the 21st century. In fact, in Greenland, which recorded the highest melt in history in 2019, 532 billion tons of ice melted into the sea, resulting in a 1.5 mm rise in sea level.
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