The melting of Greenland and Antarctica’s continental glaciers is causing sea level rise due to the warming of the climate and the sea. Although this process is natural, the acceleration of it is related to global warming. Scientists have expressed concerns about specific glaciers, such as Thwaites and Pine Island in Antarctica and Jakobshavn in Greenland, which release significant amounts of ice into the sea.
Researchers have proposed a solution to protect these melting glaciers by designing a giant underwater curtain. This curtain would prevent warm water from melting the glaciers by blocking the flow of warm currents below. While the effectiveness of this idea is still uncertain, researchers are working on testing and studying it in hopes of protecting the glaciers from further melting.
The proposed curtain would be attached to the seabed and include buoys to hold it up. Researchers estimate that it will take about ten years to study and test the idea before it can be implemented in Greenland. Protecting these glaciers is essential, especially in Greenland where discharge channels are narrower than in Antarctica, making them more vulnerable to melting.
Some experts believe that glacier protection measures such as underwater curtains are not practical or effective, while others see them as an important tool for mitigating climate change’s effects. However, building and maintaining such curtains come with significant costs that need to be considered carefully before implementing them on a large scale.
As researchers continue to study and test these ideas, we hope they will find solutions that can protect these vital natural resources while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions caused by climate change.