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Melting Greenland ice reveals ancient warm period and threats of future sea level rise

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Meltwater lakes are seen on the Russell Glacier front on Greenland's ice sheet.
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Overview

  • Long-lost ice core shows large parts of Greenland were ice-free about 400,000 years ago, with climate similar to today.
  • Previous assumptions of Greenland being frozen for millions of years have been overturned by the new ice core evidence.
  • Past melting during moderate warming suggests Greenland ice sheet is highly sensitive to human-caused climate change.
  • Complete melting of Greenland ice sheet could raise global sea levels by around 7 meters (23 feet), with severe impacts.
  • The newly analyzed ice core provides evidence of Greenland's warm, ice-free past and highlights concerns about stability of current ice sheet.