Greenland ice dome fully melts, signaling future sea-level risks

(MENAFN) A study has revealed that an ice dome in northern Greenland fully melted in the past under temperatures similar to those that could occur later this century, providing new insights into potential ice-sheet loss and its impact on global sea levels.

Researchers examined the Prudhoe Dome, a Luxembourg-sized ice formation, by drilling a deep ice core. Analysis uncovered sun-bleached sand dating back to a warmer post-glacial period, showing that the dome had completely disappeared roughly 7,000 years ago.

Scientists noted that summers in the region were 3–5°C warmer than today, levels that human-driven climate change could replicate by 2100. Such melting of Greenland’s ice sheet could raise sea levels by several tens of centimeters, potentially reaching up to one meter (3.2 feet) this century, underscoring the need for refined estimates of how fast various parts of the ice sheet could vanish.

The Prudhoe Dome core adds to sparse evidence indicating that parts of Greenland were ice-free hundreds of thousands of years ago, with the entire ice sheet having melted as recently as 1.1 million years ago.

While researchers emphasized that modern melting differs from past events caused by natural orbital changes, they highlighted that the findings can improve climate models simulating Greenland’s response to rising global temperatures.

MENAFN07012026000045017640ID1110565855