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Greenland ice melting four times faster than in 2003; serious implications for sea level rise

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7 years ago

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Threat of rising seas submerging coastal regions and islands of the world is becoming more real and getting closer: after news of Antarctic ice melting six times faster than 40 years earlier, a new report finds that climate change is causing Greenland’s massive ice sheets to melt four times faster than in 2003 – just 15 years ago.

The study says that it may be “too late” to do anything about it.

The study published on Monday, Jan 21, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says this could have dire implications for the planet’s low lying islands and coastal cities, reports CNN.

Eight of the 10 largest cities in the world are near coasts, and 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the planet’s population live in areas vulnerable to rising seas, it said.

Michael Bevis, a professor of geodynamics at The Ohio State University and the lead author of the study, said the research found that humanity may have passed the point of no return when it comes to combating climate change, reported a news agency.

“The only thing we can do is adapt and mitigate further global warming… It’s too late for there to be no effect,” said Bevis.

“This is going to cause additional sea level rise. We are watching the ice sheet hit a tipping point.”

Greenland’s ice has historically melted in cycles due to natural weather phenomena, but rising temperatures have exacerbated the trend, said Bevis.

Greenland, the world’s biggest island, appears to have hit a tipping point around 2002-2003 when the ice loss rapidly accelerated, said lead author Michael Bevis, a geoscientist at Ohio State University.

Bevis and his co-authors found that by 2012, the rate of ice loss had accelerated to nearly four times what it was in 2003. They also found this acceleration largely took place in Greenland’s southwest.

Before this study, scientists understood Greenland to be one of the Earth’s major contributors to sea-level rise — mostly because of its glaciers. Researchers studying sea level rise often focus on Greenland’s southeast and northwest regions, home to large glaciers which see large icebergs break off and flow into the Atlantic Ocean, CNN reported. Those chunks then melt and cause sea levels to rise.

But most of this ice loss is from the land-fast ice sheet itself, not Greenland’s glaciers. The largest sustained ice loss from early 2003 to mid-2013 came from Greenland’s southwest region, which is mostly devoid of large glaciers.

These new findings, Bevis said, show that scientists need to be watching the island’s snowpack and ice fields more closely, especially in and near southwest Greenland, reported Phys.org.

The Greenland ice sheet is 10,000 feet thick in places and contains enough ice to raise sea levels 23 feet (7 meters), said a National Geographic report. These ice sheets have been melting at an “unprecedented” rate, 50 per cent higher than pre-industrial levels and 33 per cent above 20th-century levels.

In the 20th century, Greenland has lost around 9,000 billion tons of ice in total, accounting for 25 millimeters of sea-level rise. (It takes about 360 billion tons of ice to produce one millimeter of global sea-level rise.)

Global warming of just 1 degree C is the main driver behind this massive meltdown of the world’s ice.

All it takes to melt Greenland’s ice sheet is a surface temperature of 1 C and sunlight. “It used to be rare to get temperatures above 0 degrees on the ice sheet, but no longer,” Bevis said. And each degree above 1 C doubles the amount of ice melt.

However, the National Geographic report said, Greenland is dwarfed by the Antarctic ice sheet, which could raise sea level 57 meters if fully melted. Alarmingly, the Antarctic is also undergoing an accelerated melt down, losing six times as much ice as it was four decades ago, a January 14 study reported. Its ice loss averaged 252 billion tons a year over the past decade.

It’s the same story for western North America’s glaciers where ice loss quadrupled since the early 2000s to 12.3 billion tons annually, a recent study revealed. A similar trend is reported elsewhere. In Himalayas, which have the largest number of glaciers after the polar ice caps – more than thirty thousand sq. km of the Himalayan region is covered by the glaciers – the glaciers are disappearing faster every year, said a report, with some smaller glaciers now only half the size they were in the 1960s. Research on the subject, however, pointed out a Down to Earth report, is still disparate and disjointed. Even the number of glaciers, the total area they cover, and the total volume of water stored in them remains clouded in uncertainty.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to meet PM Modi after return from historic space mission

Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently returned from the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission, will meet PM Modi this evening. Parliament will also hold a special discussion on his historic journey.

Published

4 months ago

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August 18, 2025

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Subhanshu shukla

Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening at his official residence in New Delhi.

PM Modi to host meeting with astronaut

According to officials, the meeting at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg is expected to take place between 5 pm and 5:30 pm. Shukla, who arrived in India on Sunday, will also be part of the National Space Day celebrations scheduled for August 23.

Warm welcome in India

The astronaut was greeted at the airport by his family, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, and hundreds of citizens waving the national flag. Shukla had been in the United States for a year, preparing for the Axiom-4 mission, which launched from Florida on June 25 and docked at the ISS the next day. He served as the mission’s pilot.

Emotional note from Shukla

Before his return, Shukla shared an emotional post on Instagram, expressing mixed feelings of leaving his space colleagues while being eager to meet his loved ones and people of India. He also quoted a song from the film Swades, which he had chosen as his anthem on the launch day.

Parliament session on India’s space journey

In honour of Shukla’s mission, the Lok Sabha is holding a special session today to discuss “India’s first astronaut aboard the ISS – critical role of space programme for Viksit Bharat by 2047.” Union minister Kiren Rijiju said the discussion would highlight the importance of India’s space achievements and future goals.

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Shubhanshu Shukla pens emotional note as he returns to India after space mission

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla penned an emotional Instagram post as he returned to India after his 18-day ISS mission, marking a milestone in India’s space journey.

Published

4 months ago

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August 16, 2025

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Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has shared an emotional Instagram post as he heads back home after completing his 18-day mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Astronaut reflects on mixed emotions

In his heartfelt message, written from the aircraft, Shukla expressed the whirlwind of emotions he felt while leaving behind his fellow astronauts, who had been his family during the mission. “As I sit on the plane to come back to India, I have a mix of emotions running through my heart. I feel sad leaving a fantastic group of people behind who were my friends and family for the past year during this mission. I am also excited about meeting all my friends, family and everyone in the country for the first time post mission. I guess this is what life is — everything all at once,” he wrote.

Acknowledges support and inspiration

The astronaut thanked everyone for the love and support he received throughout his journey. He also recalled the words of his commander Peggy Whitson, saying, “Goodbyes are hard, but we need to keep moving in life. As my commander Peggy Whitson fondly says, ‘The only constant in spaceflight is change’. I believe that applies to life as well.”

Shukla ended his note with a line from the song Yun Hi Chala Chal from the film Swades, reflecting his spirit of resilience.

Link to India’s space ambitions

Shukla’s return comes at a crucial time as India advances its space programme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier mentioned that the astronaut would soon return and that he was tasked with documenting his training and ISS stay. This record will serve as a valuable reference for Gaganyaan, India’s first human spaceflight mission.

Over the past year, Shukla trained extensively at NASA, Axiom, and SpaceX facilities. His flight to the ISS as part of the Axiom 4 mission marked a milestone in India’s preparations for future human space exploration.

The Gaganyaan project aims to send Indian astronauts into orbit aboard an indigenous rocket. The government has also outlined plans for a Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035 and a crewed mission to the moon by 2040.

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Shubhanshu Shukla becomes second Indian in space, lifts off for ISS aboard Axiom-4 mission

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla becomes the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after four decades, aboard the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station.

Published

5 months ago

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June 25, 2025

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subhanshu shukla

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force has etched his name in history as the second Indian astronaut to travel to space. Launching aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon on the Axiom-4 mission, Shukla began his journey from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from the very launchpad that propelled Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 moon mission in 1969.

Four decades after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to journey into space in 1984, Shukla’s mission marks a monumental milestone for India’s space ambitions. Speaking ahead of the mission, Shukla expressed the emotional weight of the moment, saying, “I carry with me not just instruments and equipment, but the hopes and dreams of a billion hearts.”

A multinational crew on a scientific journey

Group Captain Shukla is joined by Commander Peggy Whitson from the US, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. The four-member crew is on a mission to the International Space Station (ISS), where they are scheduled to arrive after a 28-hour journey and dock around 4:30 pm tomorrow.

The fortnight-long mission includes the execution of 60 scientific experiments, with seven of them designed by Indian researchers. Shukla is also expected to engage in an interaction with a VIP from space during the mission, adding a special human touch to this scientific voyage.

A mission delayed, but not denied

The Axiom-4 launch had faced multiple delays due to unfavorable weather and technical complications. June 25 finally saw the successful launch, marking NASA’s sixth official date announcement for the mission.

Before lift-off, Shukla shared a heartfelt message with his family: “Just wait for me, I’m coming.” The Indian pilot had been under quarantine for over a month in preparation, ensuring he was in optimal health for the journey.

As the spacecraft orbits Earth en route to the ISS, India watches with pride and anticipation, inspired once again by the courage of its space pioneers.

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