A recent report published in the US-based Environmental Research Letters states that 530 gigatons of ice melted into the world's oceans in 2010, more than twice the annual average of 285 gigatons per year for the past 30 years.

Led by Dr. Marco Tedesco of City College New York in the USA, an international team of scientists found that the ice disappearing in 2010 exceeded a previous record set in 2007. Scientists have already noted that if the entire Greenland ice sheet were to melt, it could trigger a seven meter sea level rise that would submerge coastal cities around the globe.

Researchers concur that the main cause is climate change, with Greenland temperatures in 2010 being 3 degrees Celsius higher than previous summer averages, and the capital city Nuuk experiencing the warmest spring and summer since record- keeping began in 1873. The region also saw a combination of warm weather and lower-than- average snowfall with stretches of bare ice, which is less reflective than snow and thus absorbs more heat from the sun's rays. Speaking of the rapid warming process, Dr. Tedesco stated, “Everything adds up to accelerate things.”

We appreciate this report, Dr. Tedesco and international colleagues, that highlights the imperiled future of Greenland and the world's coastlines. May humanity quickly awaken to the importance of adopting planet-cooling practices in time to preserve ecosystems conducive to human survival.

Supreme Master Ching Hai has frequently warned of the immeasurable dangers posed by climate change-induced ice melt, as during a March 2009 videoconference in California, USA, when she also offered the most effective solution.

http://www.france24.com/en/20110121-record-melt-greenland-icesheet-2010,
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2011/01/21/21climatewire-greenlands-ice-feels-the-heat-in-record-sett-93789.html