Scientists Warn , Greenland Ice Sheet , Melting Faster Than Predicted.<br />Scientists have warned that Greenland's ice sheet is <br />melting faster than previously estimated, with losses <br />believed to be about 20% worse than initial predictions. .<br />CBS reports that Greenland's <br />ice sheet has lost an estimated <br />3,163 square miles of ice since 1985.<br />According to researchers, earlier <br />estimates failed to track calving, <br />or melting at the edges of an ice sheet.<br />Study co-author Chad Greene and his <br />colleagues found that Greenland's ice sheet <br />loses about 119 square miles of ice every year. .<br />The study found that seasonal <br />variability could be a predictor of <br />ice mass loss over the long term. .<br />The team notes that the ice loss could impact <br />ocean circulation patterns, which could alter <br />how heat energy is distributed across the Earth.<br />CBS reports that previous studies have <br />identified the Greenland ice sheet as <br />the second-largest driver of sea level rise. .<br />One study found that the melting of a single <br />sheet caused over 17% of the sea level <br />rise that occurred between 2006 and 2018.<br />As the planet grows warmer, glaciers <br />and ice sheets melt faster than they <br />are able to accumulate new snow and ice.<br />Oceans absorb about 90% of the warming on <br />the planet. When both the air and oceans are warmer, the melting of ice sheets is amplified.
