Greenland's disappearing glaciers expand coast by over 1,600 km
Greenland surprises scientists: its coastline has expanded over two decades. This is a result of glacier melting, which has revealed new areas, and unknown islands have also emerged from the water.
Greenland, the largest island in the world, has gained approximately 1,600 kilometres of new coastline over the past 20 years, according to researchers who published their analysis in the scientific journal "Nature Climate Change." This expansion is due to the glaciers receding, uncovering areas previously hidden under the ice. This process, known as deglaciation, is a result of climate warming.
This is due to glacier retreat
An international team of researchers, using satellite data, analyzed changes in glaciers in the Northern Hemisphere. "Greenland contains the largest average glacier retreat area in the Arctic. The glacier with the longest new coastline, Zachariae Isstrom in northeast Greenland, is responsible for more than 81 km of new coastline, which is more than twice as much as any other glacier in the hemisphere," writes "Nature Climate Change."
From 2000 to 2020, about 2,465 kilometres of new coastlines were revealed, with 66 percent of this being in Greenland. In addition to new areas, the retreat of glaciers has revealed 35 new islands larger than 0.5 square kilometres, 29 of which are in Greenland.
The study, which also involved Polish scientists, highlights that climate changes will continue to affect our planet, transforming its landscape and resources. Glacier melting reveals potentially resource-rich regions of the Arctic, such as oil, gas, and minerals.
Although Greenland is an autonomous territory under the Kingdom of Denmark, it remains at the centre of global power interests, which see potential in exploiting new resources. What threatens some may be an opportunity for development for others.
