In the Arctic, sea ice is melting faster than current models predict, researchers at the University of Copenhagen warned on Tuesday. "Our analyzes of conditions in the Arctic Ocean show that we clearly underestimated the rate of increase in temperature in the atmosphere closer to sea level, which ultimately melted the pack ice faster than we did. planned, "Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen, professor of climatology, said in a statement from the University.
According to the authors of the study published at the end of July in the journal Nature , the exceptional rise in temperature currently observed in the Arctic is only preceded by a similar increase during the last ice age. At that time, temperatures over the Greenlandic ice sheet rose several times, between 10 and 12 degrees, over a period of 40 to 100 years.
Alarmist predictions
Until now, scientists have based their estimates on a stable and slow increase in temperatures in the Arctic, but the new study shows that the rate of increase is more sustained. "The changes happen so quickly during the summer months that the ice pack is likely to disappear faster than most climate models have ever predicted," warned Jens Hesselbjerg Christensen.
In June 2019, an impressive photo of early melting ice taken in northwest Greenland toured the world. We see sled dogs progressing painfully in a fjord whose pack ice is covered by two or six centimeters of melted ice. Facing the snow-cleared mountains, the team seems to walk on water.
An irremediable meltdown for some scientists
According to a recent study from the University of Lincoln, melting ice in Greenland is expected to contribute 10 to 12 cm of sea level rise by 2100.
Other scientists believe the melting of the Greenland ice sheet is irreparable. According to them, it would continue to shrink "even if global warming stopped today" because snowfall no longer compensates for the loss of ice.