Fossils show Greenland was once ice-free – and could be again

Image courtesy of Ray Swi-hymn CC BY-SA 2.0- 

Joel Kontinen

Ancient plants, seeds and insects preserved beneath Greenland’s ice sheet reveal that it once melted completely, raising concerns about sea level rise if it happens again.

When was Greenland ice free? It did not happen today, but during the years when global warning was not thought about,

“Fossilised plants and insects extracted from beneath the centre of Greenland provide “smoking gun” evidence that the ice sheet has completely collapsed in the past – and could do so again.

The findings, taken from a sediment core drilled 30 years ago, reveal that the island was once an ice-free Arctic tundra complete with insects and plant.”

By Madeleine Cuff 2024 Fossils show Greenland was once ice-free – and could be again | New Scientist 5 August.