[Issue Video] "60 Billion Tons of Ice Melting Daily"... Greenland Struggling Due to Abnormal Climate

[Asia Economy PD Yoon Jin-geun] The glaciers in the permafrost region of northern Greenland are rapidly melting due to abnormal climate conditions.

CNN reported on the 20th (local time), citing the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), that from the 15th to the 17th, an average of about 6 billion tons of ice melted daily in Greenland. This means approximately 18 billion tons of ice flowed into the sea over three days. Six billion tons is enough to fill 7.2 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.

The reason Greenland's ice is melting rapidly is that the local temperature has risen significantly due to abnormal climate. According to CNN, on the 20th, the daytime temperature in northern Greenland reached 15℃ (60°F), more than 5℃ higher than usual.

When ice melts, sea levels rise. In July 2019, a heatwave caused Greenland's glaciers to melt rapidly, releasing 532 billion tons of water into the ocean. As a result, the global sea level rose by a total of 1.5 mm.

The scientific community is concerned about another massive melting of Greenland's glaciers due to abnormal climate. If all the glaciers in Greenland melt, it is expected that the global sea level will rise by 7.5 meters.

As glaciers in the permafrost region of northern Greenland are rapidly melting, the cause has been attributed to rising temperatures due to abnormal climate conditions. A local research team was seen playing ball on the glacier wearing light clothing such as shorts and short sleeves in a released video. Photo by Aslak Grinsted, screenshot from Twitter video.

Scientists staying in Greenland are also affected by the abnormal climate. Aslak Grinsted, a climatologist at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, posted a video on his personal SNS showing the local research team playing 공기놀이 (Gonggi Nori) on the glacier wearing light clothing such as shorts and short sleeves.