The Greenland ice sheet, the second largest body of ice in the world, is cracking more rapidly than ever before due to climate breakdown. A study using high-resolution satellite imagery found that crevasses, or wedge-shaped tears in glaciers, have significantly increased in size and depth over five years.
Researchers used 8,000 three-dimensional surface maps from commercial satellite imagery to assess crack evolution between 2016 and 2021. The results show a faster rate of change than previously detected. According to Dr. Tom Chudley, lead author of the study, this is surprising given that previous studies showed changes over decades.
The Greenland ice sheet has been contributing around 14mm of sea level rise since 1992. This increase is due to melting ice and warmer ocean temperatures, driven by climate change. The study’s findings suggest that cracks in the ice sheet are related to its accelerating movement, which could lead to up to a meter of sea level rise by 2100 and 10 meters by 2300.
Chudley hopes the high-resolution mapping used in the study will improve future projections of sea level rise, crucial for planning and adapting to climate change over the next three centuries.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/feb/03/greenland-ice-sheet-cracking-study