The intrusion of warm ocean water beneath Greenland’s Petermann Glacier is the culprit in the accelerated melting it has experienced since the turn of the century, and computer predictions indicate that potential sea level rise will be much worse than previously estimated. On average, the melt rate has increased from about 3 meters per year in the 1990s to 10 meters per year in the 2020s. The glacier shifts by several kilometers–or thousands of feet–as tides change. Warmer water and greater seawater intrusion beneath the ice explains the observed thinning along Petermann’s central flowline.
Climate Crisis Blog
