(ORDO NEWS) — The journal Nature Communications published an article describing work done by scientists from the University of Stockholm and the University of California, Irvine, who conducted a study that answered the question of whether the Petermann Ice Shelf in northern Greenland will recover after being destroyed in the future due to climate change.
The result of the new study is disappointing, as scientists say that if the second largest Greenland ice shelf collapses, it may not recover unless the Earth‘s climate becomes significantly colder in the future. The study used a sophisticated computer model to model the potential recovery of the ice shelf.
“Even if the Earth’s climate stops warming, it will be difficult to restore this ice shelf after its collapse,” scientists say.
Ice shelves reduce the mass loss of our polar ice sheets and thereby limit the rise in sea levels caused by global warming.
Petermann is one of the few remaining Greenland ice shelves that scientists from all over the world are watching: icebergs broke off from it in 2010 and 2012, causing it to lose up to 40% of its floating ice.
In 2018, a new crack was discovered in the middle of the ice shelf, raising concerns about its safety. Although the study was conducted in Greenland, the situation is similar for the ice shelves in Antarctica.
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