The ice sheet of Greenland is also meling more quickly than scientists predicted. Its largest glacier, Jakobshavn
Isbrae, is moving towards to the sea faster than expected. In fact, the glacier is moving twice as fast as
it was in 1995. Rising air and sea temperatures are two well-known causes. Researchers have also discovered
other unexpected processes that cause them to melt faster. For instance, water from melting ice runs
down cracks in the glacier and gets between the ice and the rock below. This makes it easier for the glacier
to slide into the warmer sea water.
Some researchers believe that Greenland’s melting, if it continues, could add at least a meter to
global sea levels by 2100. If the ice sheet of Antarctica, now largely unaffected, begins to melt,
the next few centuries could see at least a two-meter rise in sea levels, forcing tens of
millions
of people out of their
homes.