An international team of around 80 scientists and crew will set sail on polar research ship the RSS David Attenborough for Greenland to investigate whether the island’s rapidly melting glaciers could disrupt a major Atlantic Ocean current system and with it Europe’s climate.
Glacier Melt Risk
The five- to six-week mission departs Britain after the country and Western Europe just experienced the warmest June months on record, disrupting power supplies, shutting schools and causing excess deaths. The expedition is part of a £20 million project called GIANT – Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points – which seeks to understand how the glaciers melt and break into the ocean and the impact this has.
Scientists are concerned that the melting freshwater could disrupt a system of rotating ocean current that helps to regulate Europe’s climate, which could lead to more extreme weather and rising sea levels. Ship Captain Matt Neill, who made his first trip to Antarctica as a cadet with BAS in 2011, said he has already witnessed first hand the impact of the world’s changing climate.
Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
