Since 1978, three ice shelves have completely collapsed. According to the researchers, these do not really contribute to a higher sea level, but they did serve as a dam for other ice. Because those plates have now disappeared, a large amount of ice can sink into the ocean. The plates that are still there started to melt even faster between 2000 and 2020. During the same period, the temperature of the ocean near Greenland also increased.
Northern Greenland’s glaciers were long believed to remain stable, but that has only changed in the past twenty years. There is enough ice there to raise sea levels by 2.1 meters. Between 2006 and 2018, 17.3 percent of sea level rise is thought to be due to melted ice in northern Greenland.
The researchers expect that the rate at which the ice melts may increase even further in the future, but will remain at least the same as now, because the sea is also becoming warmer due to climate change.