What Greenland’s nine-day mega-tsunami tells us about climate change

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🗞️ Driving the news: A nine-day seismic event last year has been traced to a mega-tsunami in Greenland, triggered by a landslide caused by glacier melt
• The wave, generated by 25 million cubic meters of rock falling into the Dickson Fjord, created a 200-meter-high wave that bounced through the fjord for days
• Climate scientists link the landslide to glacier thinning, driven by the accelerating effects of climate change

🔭 The context: Glaciers, remnants of the last ice age, have been retreating rapidly in recent decades due to rising global temperatures
• This melting destabilizes mountains that glaciers once supported, causing landslides and, in some cases, triggering tsunamis
• The phenomenon reflects a broader trend of ice loss that contributes to rising sea levels and poses risks to coastal and mountain communities worldwide

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Glacier loss not only threatens freshwater supplies but also leads to dangerous natural events like landslides, floods, and tsunamis
• As climate change accelerates ice melt, such events are becoming more frequent, amplifying the need for urgent climate action to reduce emissions and mitigate further damage.

⏭️ What's next: The continued acceleration of glacier melt highlights the need for global political leadership in curbing greenhouse gas emissions to slow the rate of ice loss and prevent more catastrophic environmental events

💬 One quote: “It shows how climate change is now impacting these areas,” said Stephen Hicks, a scientist from University College London.

📈 One stat: Since 1970, glaciers have lost an average of 26 feet of ice thickness, equivalent to cutting 94 feet off the top of each glacier.

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