The Greenland ice sheet may melt at a pace that could break records set in 2012 this year as a heatwave from Europe turns north. (Photo: NASA/Flickr)
Jul 30, 2019
Last week's European heatwave is moving north toward the Arctic, where temperatures could trigger record melting in Greenland and affect sea levels worldwide for millennia.
That's according to meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who said on Twitter Monday that the melting event from the heat could result in the loss of 40 billion tons of ice.
"This single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia," said Holthaus. "We are in a climate emergency."
\u201cThis week, 40 billion tons of ice will melt in Greenland as the European heat wave moves north -- enough to measurably raise global sea levels.\n\nThis single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia.\n\nWe are in a climate emergency.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1564414553
The heat is an indicator of the climate crisis that can't be ignored, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted Monday. The congresswoman said the crisis makes the case that her Green New Deal legislation needs to be passed as soon as possible, no matter the concerns about it being "too much, too soon."
"Setting climate goals for 2030 isn't due to some arbitrary political rationale--it's there due to scientific consensus," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Simply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen."
\u201cYou may think the #GreenNewDeal is \u201ctoo much, too soon.\u201d\n\nBut setting climate goals for 2030 isn\u2019t due to some arbitrary political rationale - it\u2019s there due to scientific consensus.\n\nSimply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1564431722
The current spate of Arctic melting may break the record for the region set in 2012. As BuzzFeed Newsreported on July 26, Arctic ice is disappearing at a rate higher than ever recorded--and in 2012, the rate was exacerbated by storms that broke up sea ice in the summer leading to more melting.
This time, it's heat.
\u201c#Arctic sea ice extent is (again) record low for the day. The decline will continue until the seasonal minimum is reached in mid-September. \n\nConsistent satellite data record dating back to 1978 taken from @NSIDC\u201d— Lars Kaleschke (@Lars Kaleschke) 1564389771
On Monday, CNNtalked to Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist with the the Danish Meteorological Institute, who said the 2019 melt is particularly dangerous.
This year's melt is different to the one in 2012 as it is happening persistently every day rather than in extreme bursts, Mottram noted.
She said that Greenland's ice loss has added an estimated 180 gigatons (billion tons) of water to the oceans since the 1 July. This contributes to a global sea level rise of around half a millimeter.
"Summer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet," tweeted climatologist Xavier Fettweis, "resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history."
\u201cSummer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet ... resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history.\u201d— Xavier Fettweis (@Xavier Fettweis) 1564256188
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodmanlaid out the risk to the planet if the Greenland ice sheet melts and noted the connection of climate change to the rapidly disappearing glaciers on the island.
"If the ice sheet melts entirely, it would raise global sea levels by almost 23 feet," said Goodman. "Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth, while July is on track to be the hottest month ever."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Last week's European heatwave is moving north toward the Arctic, where temperatures could trigger record melting in Greenland and affect sea levels worldwide for millennia.
That's according to meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who said on Twitter Monday that the melting event from the heat could result in the loss of 40 billion tons of ice.
"This single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia," said Holthaus. "We are in a climate emergency."
\u201cThis week, 40 billion tons of ice will melt in Greenland as the European heat wave moves north -- enough to measurably raise global sea levels.\n\nThis single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia.\n\nWe are in a climate emergency.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1564414553
The heat is an indicator of the climate crisis that can't be ignored, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted Monday. The congresswoman said the crisis makes the case that her Green New Deal legislation needs to be passed as soon as possible, no matter the concerns about it being "too much, too soon."
"Setting climate goals for 2030 isn't due to some arbitrary political rationale--it's there due to scientific consensus," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Simply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen."
\u201cYou may think the #GreenNewDeal is \u201ctoo much, too soon.\u201d\n\nBut setting climate goals for 2030 isn\u2019t due to some arbitrary political rationale - it\u2019s there due to scientific consensus.\n\nSimply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1564431722
The current spate of Arctic melting may break the record for the region set in 2012. As BuzzFeed Newsreported on July 26, Arctic ice is disappearing at a rate higher than ever recorded--and in 2012, the rate was exacerbated by storms that broke up sea ice in the summer leading to more melting.
This time, it's heat.
\u201c#Arctic sea ice extent is (again) record low for the day. The decline will continue until the seasonal minimum is reached in mid-September. \n\nConsistent satellite data record dating back to 1978 taken from @NSIDC\u201d— Lars Kaleschke (@Lars Kaleschke) 1564389771
On Monday, CNNtalked to Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist with the the Danish Meteorological Institute, who said the 2019 melt is particularly dangerous.
This year's melt is different to the one in 2012 as it is happening persistently every day rather than in extreme bursts, Mottram noted.
She said that Greenland's ice loss has added an estimated 180 gigatons (billion tons) of water to the oceans since the 1 July. This contributes to a global sea level rise of around half a millimeter.
"Summer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet," tweeted climatologist Xavier Fettweis, "resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history."
\u201cSummer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet ... resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history.\u201d— Xavier Fettweis (@Xavier Fettweis) 1564256188
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodmanlaid out the risk to the planet if the Greenland ice sheet melts and noted the connection of climate change to the rapidly disappearing glaciers on the island.
"If the ice sheet melts entirely, it would raise global sea levels by almost 23 feet," said Goodman. "Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth, while July is on track to be the hottest month ever."
Last week's European heatwave is moving north toward the Arctic, where temperatures could trigger record melting in Greenland and affect sea levels worldwide for millennia.
That's according to meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who said on Twitter Monday that the melting event from the heat could result in the loss of 40 billion tons of ice.
"This single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia," said Holthaus. "We are in a climate emergency."
\u201cThis week, 40 billion tons of ice will melt in Greenland as the European heat wave moves north -- enough to measurably raise global sea levels.\n\nThis single heat wave will create a permanent change in our oceans that will linger for millennia.\n\nWe are in a climate emergency.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1564414553
The heat is an indicator of the climate crisis that can't be ignored, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted Monday. The congresswoman said the crisis makes the case that her Green New Deal legislation needs to be passed as soon as possible, no matter the concerns about it being "too much, too soon."
"Setting climate goals for 2030 isn't due to some arbitrary political rationale--it's there due to scientific consensus," said Ocasio-Cortez. "Simply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen."
\u201cYou may think the #GreenNewDeal is \u201ctoo much, too soon.\u201d\n\nBut setting climate goals for 2030 isn\u2019t due to some arbitrary political rationale - it\u2019s there due to scientific consensus.\n\nSimply put, we must draw down carbon by 2030 to stave off climate disaster on levels yet unseen.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1564431722
The current spate of Arctic melting may break the record for the region set in 2012. As BuzzFeed Newsreported on July 26, Arctic ice is disappearing at a rate higher than ever recorded--and in 2012, the rate was exacerbated by storms that broke up sea ice in the summer leading to more melting.
This time, it's heat.
\u201c#Arctic sea ice extent is (again) record low for the day. The decline will continue until the seasonal minimum is reached in mid-September. \n\nConsistent satellite data record dating back to 1978 taken from @NSIDC\u201d— Lars Kaleschke (@Lars Kaleschke) 1564389771
On Monday, CNNtalked to Ruth Mottram, a climate scientist with the the Danish Meteorological Institute, who said the 2019 melt is particularly dangerous.
This year's melt is different to the one in 2012 as it is happening persistently every day rather than in extreme bursts, Mottram noted.
She said that Greenland's ice loss has added an estimated 180 gigatons (billion tons) of water to the oceans since the 1 July. This contributes to a global sea level rise of around half a millimeter.
"Summer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet," tweeted climatologist Xavier Fettweis, "resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history."
\u201cSummer is coming to the Greenland ice sheet ... resulting to the one of largest melt event (a priori the 2nd one) in the ice sheet history.\u201d— Xavier Fettweis (@Xavier Fettweis) 1564256188
On Tuesday, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodmanlaid out the risk to the planet if the Greenland ice sheet melts and noted the connection of climate change to the rapidly disappearing glaciers on the island.
"If the ice sheet melts entirely, it would raise global sea levels by almost 23 feet," said Goodman. "Last month was the hottest June ever recorded on Earth, while July is on track to be the hottest month ever."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.