Recently published in nature communications 》New research shows that if Greenland's second largest ice shelf ruptures, it may not recover unless the earth's future climate becomes significantly colder A team of researchers from Stockholm University and the University of California at Irvine investigated whether the Petermann ice shelf in northern Greenland might recover from the rupture caused by future climate change. They used a sophisticated computer model to predict the potential recovery of the ice shelf.
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Henning Å kesson from Stockholm University, who led the research, said: "even if the earth's climate is no longer warming, once the ice shelf collapses, it is difficult to rebuild. If the Petermann ice shelf disappears, a colder climate is needed if you want to recover.".
Ice shelves reduce the mass loss of our polar ice sheets. These goalkeepers thus limit the rise in sea levels caused by climate warming. Å kesson said, "the reasons for avoiding ice shelf rupture should be clearer than before.".
Petermann ice shelf is one of the few surviving ice shelves in Greenland. In 2010 and 2012, Manhattan sized icebergs broke from the ice shelf, causing Petermann to lose 40% of the floating ice shelf. Experts around the world are paying close attention to it. Scientists worry that more ice shelves will break or even collapse, which may accelerate the ice flow of the internal ice layer. In 2018, a new crack was found in the center of the ice shelf, which attracted additional attention to Petermann's health.
