Scientists explain the decrease in sea level in Greenland

With changes in Greenland's glacial mass, sea levels in the region could drop significantly by 2100. Glacial isostasis will cause a decrease in the local sea level due to the fact that the earth will recover, and the gravitational influence of the decreased ice sheet will weaken. This was reported by the journal Nature.

According to the publication, sea level declines will have an impact on Greenland's coastal communities, where the economy and infrastructure are vulnerable to changes related to sea level. The changes will also have implications for the dynamics of sea glaciers.

The authors claim that the reason is related to the unique geological situation in the region. It is specified that about 80% of Greenland's territory is covered by a powerful ice sheet, the thickness of which can reach 1.6 km. Such a mass of ice presses on the land, which sinks under its weight. According to the study, the glacier is currently melting at a rate of about 200 billion tons per year.

A model of glacial isostasis, as well as data on the vertical movement of the earth and sea level, was used to predict changes in sea level. Modeling has shown that the local water level in the Greenland region may decrease by 0.9 m in the median value by 2100 (compared to 2017).

Research shows that over the past 45,000 years, only modern humans have begun to live in latitudes where cold temperatures and limited biological diversity make survival difficult without thermoregulation and sophisticated methods of obtaining food.

After the peak of the last ice Age, when cold and drought forced global populations to leave the northern regions, the settlement of the ancestors of Native Americans brought them to the Western Hemisphere. They passed through Beringia and further south through the Lawrence and Cordillera ice sheets.

The calculated data show that the local sea level will fall over the coming decades. It clarifies that this, in turn, will affect the coastal regions of Greenland and may have important consequences for local communities and ecosystems.

Researchers believe that such a significant change in sea level can have a serious impact on the lives of residents of the region, since most of the population lives in coastal areas. In addition, it is expected that this could affect the economy, coastal infrastructure, as well as Greenland's food security.

A study conducted by the Earth Observation Center at the University of Manitoba with the participation of international experts on December 1, 2025 showed that the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is destroying its own structure faster than previously thought. According to the researchers, similar dynamics may occur on other vulnerable Antarctic shelves.

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