New Greenland fossil discovery unveils ancient tundra, clues to sea level rise
New research reveals that central Greenland was once covered by flourishing tundra— not always an ice sheet—offering new insights into the region’s climate history and providing important information about future environmental changes, such as sea level rise.
“We had no anticipation that we would find plant, insect and soil fungus fossils in the centre of Greenland that has two miles [3km] of ice on top of it,” lead author Paul Bierman from the University of Vermont, told Eye on the Arctic. “So when we did, that was a spine-tingling moment.”
The research, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined ice cores drilled in 1993, by researchers from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2).
Since then, the cores had been stored by the University of Colorado.
When analyzed by Bierman and the rest of the research team, they discovered a range of fossils, including spike moss and Arctic willow, an insect leg and compound eye, as well as wood and Arctic poppy seeds.
Implications of sea level rise
This discovery is significant because it challenges existing beliefs about the stability of Greenland’s ice sheet, the researchers say.
“The biggest takeaway here is that today, there are two miles of ice, but over the last million years, that ice vanished and was replaced by a diverse ecosystem, so it’s a lot of ice to melt away,” Bierman said.
“When all that ice melts off Greenland’s terrestrial landscape, it goes into the ocean, rising sea levels as it does.”
As climate change continues to affect Greenland’s ice, researchers believe that studying past warming periods and their impact on the ice sheet can help improve predictions about how it will behave in the future and its effects on sea levels.
“Nature removed the entire ice sheet in the past without our adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and warming the planet as is happening now, so it warns of the fragility of the Greenland ice sheet,” Bierman said.
“Greenland’s melting is now already a major part of sea level rise and over time it’s going to reshape the geography of the coastal zones.”
‘This is a solvable problem’
Bierman hopes the findings underscore the urgent need for climate action to slow Greenland’s ongoing melt.
“Nature won’t clean this up, we’re going to have to do it ourselves if we wanna save the ice,” he said.
“We have a little bit of time because the ice sheet will melt slowly, but it’s gonna require getting the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere
“It’s not about doom and gloom, because I don’t think that gets us anywhere, but this is is a solvable problem, it’s just time to take some action.”
Comments, tips or story ideas? Contact Eilís at eilis.quinn(at)cbc.ca
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Be wary of thin ice amid mild weather conditions, says hunter in Fort Smith, N.W.T., CBC News
Finland: Unusually high May temperatures in Finland, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: Alarming, above-average ice loss in Greenland due to rising temperatures, Eye on the Arctic
Russia: The fastest warming of the Russian Arctic was detected in spring, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Hot days in Sweden extending further north, Radio Sweden
United States: Bursting ice dam in Alaska highlights risks of glacial flooding around the globe, The Associated Press
