The trawling of thousands of satellite measurements using artificial intelligence has shown researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and University of Copenhagen that meltwater in tunnels beneath Greenland’s ice sheet causes it to change speed, and in some places, accelerate greatly towards the ocean.
The trawling of thousands of satellite measurements using artificial intelligence has shown researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and University of Copenhagen that meltwater in tunnels beneath Greenland’s ice sheet causes it to change speed, and in some places, accelerate greatly towards the ocean. This can increase melting, especially in a warming climate, which is why the study’s researchers think that it is important to keep an eye on.
The Greenland ice sheet is enormous, making up nearly half of all fresh water in the northern hemisphere. But rising temperatures on Earth are causing it to melt – and the world's oceans to rise. As such, the ice sheet’s movements are closely monitored.
Using extensive satellite measurements, researchers from the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and University of Copenhagen’s Niels Bohr Institute have conducted a study that shows how movements of the ice sheet appear to be closely linked with meltwater flow beneath the ice.
Using artificial intelligence, the researchers analysed ice movements that they can now divide into four categories based on movement patterns. According to the researchers behind the study, this information has been missing from our understanding of why the velocity of ice at the same site can change over time, which is an important piece of knowledge for making more precise climate models for, among other things, sea level rise.
Read more at University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science
Image: The Greenland ice sheet is enormous, making up nearly half of all fresh water in the northern hemisphere. But rising temperatures on Earth are causing it to melt – and the world's oceans to rise. As such, the ice sheet’s movements are closely monitored. (Credit: Photo: Baptiste Vandecrux (GEUS))
