"Greenland Losing Ice Fast, But Not Runaway Pace"

"Greenland's glaciers are hemorrhaging ice at an increasingly faster rate but not at the breakneck pace that scientists once feared, a new study says."



"The loss of ice from the glaciers that cover the island is about 30 percent faster than it was a decade ago, researchers said. That means Greenland's contribution to future sea level rise would be about 4 inches by the year 2100 if ice loss doesn't speed up much more, a study author said.

That may not sound like much, but when other causes of sea rise around the globe are added, the total could still be about 3 feet by the end of the century, researchers said.

'Glacial pace' is not slow anymore,' said study author Twila Moon, a glacier researcher at the University of Washington.

At the same time, 'some of the worst-case possibilities that we had imagined are not coming true at this point,' Moon said. 'So it's not good news, but it's not bad news.'"

Seth Borenstein reports for the Associated Press May 3, 2012.

SEE ALSO:

"Scientists Race to Save World's Rice Bowl From Climate Change" (National Geographic News)


"Greenland's Glaciers Melting Faster, Say Scientists" (Christian Science Monitor)

"Greenland's Ice Melting More Slowly Than Expected" (NPR)

Source: AP, 05/04/2012