Researchers discover fate of melting glacial ice in Greenland

Over the past several decades, scientists have observed a significant increase in the melting of glacial land ice on the island of Greenland, spurring concerns about global sea level rise and the long-term effects of atmospheric warming. What has been less clear, however, is what happens to this meltwater once it enters the ocean.

Now, a team of researchers led by faculty at the University of Georgia has discovered the fate of much of the freshwater that pours into the surrounding oceans as the Greenland ice sheet melts every summer. They published their findings today in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"Understanding the fate of meltwater is important, because research has shown that it can carry a variety of nutrients, which may impact biological production in the ocean," said study co-author Renato Castelao, an associate professor of marine sciences in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "There is also evidence that large freshwater inputs could alter ocean currents and affect the normal formation of sea ice."
The researchers created a simulation that tracks meltwater runoff under a variety of atmospheric conditions, and they were surprised to discover that most of the meltwater found off the west coast of Greenland actually originated from ice on the east coast.


Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-04-fate-glacial-ice-greenland.html#jCp