Greenland has lost almost 2400 km³ of ice in 13 years: this water could fill the largest lake in Africa. An alarming video

Scientists are alarmed by the fact that Greenland has lost almost 2,400 cubic kilometers of ice in 13 years. This is shown by satellite images from NASA and the European Space Agency.

The researchers showed an alarming slow-motion video of the catastrophic melting of the ice in 30 seconds. For comparison, this water could fill the largest lake in Africa, Space.com writes.

A new study shows that Greenland lost 2347 km³ of ice between 2010 and 2023. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Greenland Ice Sheet has been losing mass since 1998 and is now the second largest contributor to sea level rise after water expansion due to rising temperatures.

But the new study was not just about quantifying ice loss. Both NASA and ESA have satellites that keep a close eye on the region.

According to the scientists, ESA's CryoSat-2 uses radar to measure the height of the earth's surface, while NASA's ICESat-2 uses laser measurements. Both methods have pros and cons. So the researchers wanted to be sure that both measurements would give the same results and could be combined for greater accuracy.

The results showed that the two methods differed by no more than 3% in their estimates of elevation change on the Greenland ice sheet. Their combined results showed that over 13 years, the ice sheet has become thinner by an average of 1.2 meters.

However, scientists note that this average number hides major differences. The video shows how the edges of the ice sheet are melting faster than the center, especially in places where glaciers flow into the sea.

Experts estimate that the edges of the ice sheet have lost an average of 6.4 meters. The outlet glaciers have experienced the greatest loss, with a maximum of 75 meters on the Zachariae Isstrom Glacier. The worst losses are shown in the darkest red color in the new video.

Since 2020, CryoSat-2 and ICESat-2 have been orbiting on the same trajectory, a joint effort by ESA and NASA to ensure that data collected by both satellites can be simultaneous and synchronized, the researchers say.

"It's great to see that the data from the sister missions are providing a consistent picture of the changes taking place in Greenland," said Thorsten Markus, ICESat-2 mission project scientist at NASA.

"Understanding the similarities and differences between radar and lidar, which measure the height of the ice cover, allows us to fully utilize the complementary nature of these satellite missions," the scientist added.

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