“Zombie Ice” Raising Global Sea Levels, #1 Final
Comments(2) | A new study in the journal Nature Climate Change warns that huge floating blocks of ice will inevitably melt. These sheets called “zombie ice,” found largely off the coast of Greenland, possess the potential to raise sea levels by as much as 10.6 inches by the end of this century.
But what is zombie ice?. “Zombie ice” refers to ice that is still attached to thicker glaciers, but is no longer receiving the snow it needs to replenish itself. Because it’s not getting the insulation of snow to protect or preserve it, the ice will inevitably “die” but that is a fancy term for melt. Hence, the name zombie ice.
You’re probably wondering why zombie ice is worth worrying about: well, in short, it could overwhelm the world. According to new research, the melting ice sheets near Greenland are likely to raise global sea levels by more than 10 inches. That statistic is confirmed, it is locked in. But here’s the kicker: the worst-case scenario projects a global sea level rise of up to 30 inches.
This is significantly more than previous predictions saw coming. The 10 inches is about double the amount that the most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned of when it projected between 2 to 5 inches of sea levels rising by 2100 due to the melting ice near Greenland. The projected 10-inch lift would push the baseline for ocean levels to the height typically achieved during high tides and storms. Basically, we’ll be sitting at the levels that normally lead to inland flooding — and we’ll be staring down more extreme weather and storms, likely to generate even more destruction to coastlines because of it.
The reason for this dramatic increase in the projected water levels rising is a new understanding of just how much ice is going to be lost in the coming years. The study found that about 3.3% of Greenland’s total ice volume is going to melt no matter what we do to cut back on our carbon emissions. That loss is locked in, meaning about 120 trillion tons of ice is doomed to disappear in the coming years.
The result of all the melted ice means a 10-inch water level rise by 2100, and that’s basically the best-case scenario. If humans fail to cut down on our carbon emissions, we could see three times that amount of rising sea levels.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/08/31/zombie-ice-will-raise-sea-level/
Great job explaining the news article and how its affecting Greenland. Also liked how you ended with how it will be affected in the future.
this story is very informative and good to know, I feel like there could maybe be some grammatical fixes, but otherwise it was overall structured well.