In present times, Greenland’s 98 per cent area is covered with ice, however, less than a million years ago, it was almost ice-free and was filled with green tundra, as per the new research.
After studying a new fossil discovery from Greenland, the study has stated that the evidence “provides the first direct evidence that the centre — not just the edges — of Greenland’s ice sheet melted away in the recent geological past”. This was part of the statement released by the University of Vermont.
“Our new data is the strongest confirmation yet that the ice in the centre of the island vanished and was replaced by a tundra ecosystem,” said study lead author Paul Bierman, who is a geologist at the University of Vermont, while speaking to Live Science.
For studying the Greenland’s past, a sample of ice core which was extracted in 1993 was reexamined by the research team.
In the analysis, the scientists discovered a plethora of fossils, which included fungi, willow and insect body parts. However, the scientist’s most spectacular discovery was made in the preserved Arctic poppy seed, which left the team astonished.
“The original plan with the sample was to measure [carbon-dating] isotopes, we didn’t know we were going to find fossils,” said Bierman.
The scientists also found important evidence in the specimen of rock spike moss (Selaginella rupestris) which is still present in sandy and rocky places.
“They need the things all plants need to grow, and they can’t get those on top of an ice sheet,” said Halley Mastro, a graduate student at the University of Vermont and co-author of the study, while speaking to Live Science. “They just wouldn’t grow,” he added.
Scientists detect loss of ice in Greenland million years ago
In a 2016 study conducted on the core, it was suggested that the current Greenland ice sheet was almost 1.1 million yeas old.
The scientists also estimated that the loss of the ice at a site, known as GISP2, will mean that 90 per cent of Greenland was nearly ice-free at that time.
Bierman and Mastro reexamined the 1993 core which was kept at the National Science Foundation Ice Core Facility in Colorado for nearly 30 years. “The ice part of the core has been extensively analysed,” said Bierman.
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“The people who were taking the ice cores weren’t thinking much about what was beneath. After one set of analysis on the sediment, it was put in a bag on a shelf. We would not have known to check if we didn’t already have a project working on sediments below the ice,” he added.
“It will take decades, if not centuries, to lose its ice completely, but most of the sea level rise, more than other places, is coming from Greenland,” said Bierman.
(With inputs from agencies)
Shambhu Kumar is a science communicator, making complex scientific topics accessible to all. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
