Rising Temperatures and Surface Mass Loss in Greenland: Implications for Regional Glacier Dynamics and Global Sea Level Rise

Year : 2025 | Volume : 12 | Issue : 03 | Page : 15 22
    By

    Disha Manish Deshpande,

  • Ajaykumar R. Kambekar,

Abstract

In Greenland, the ice sheet serves as one of the strongest indicators of global climate change, with consistently rising temperatures driving it toward an even more negative mass balance. Over the last two decades, warmer conditions have exacerbated surface melting, darkened ice, and resulted in feedback stimulating further loss. This study assesses how those temperature trends—particularly during summer peak months—have impacted the stability of Greenland’s ice, and then, more importantly, how that stability is turned into rising sea levels that directly impact offshore and coastal systems across the globe. Using GRACE, MODIS, ICESat data, and NOAA temperature records, we find a continual connection between unusually warm summers and large, rapid surface melt events. The years 2012 and 2019 serve as extreme examples. The earlier the snow cover melts, the earlier there is a bare ice surface that absorbs a larger amount of heat (known as albedo feedback). Furthermore, with decreasing levels of snowfall in winter, there is less compensation for the melt in summer months; hence, net ice loss remains unabated. The cryospheric imbalance is not just a far-off issue; it is far-reaching globally. Since 2000, Greenland alone has added more than 1 cm to global sea level rise, and the rate of sea level rise from Greenland has been steadily increasing. While 1 cm seems small, it is still accumulative and raises the risk of flooding and storm surges associated with low-lying coastlines, deltas, ports, and offshore infrastructure. In fact, Greenland now exceeds Antarctica as the largest single land-based contributor to global sea level rise. These changes affect systems in the environment, economies, design thresholds for engineering, and strategies for long-term adaptation for marine and coastal development. Our results indicate the urgent need for offshore structural planning and global climate policy to incorporate cryospheric changes originating at the poles. Monitoring Greenland’s melt is not just about the ice quantity but also about understanding the rate of change for our oceans and preparing for the impacts that are already beginning to reach shorelines across the globe.

Keywords: Rising temperatures, mass loss, Greenland, glacier dynamics, global sea level rise

[This article belongs to Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology ]

How to cite this article:
Disha Manish Deshpande, Ajaykumar R. Kambekar. Rising Temperatures and Surface Mass Loss in Greenland: Implications for Regional Glacier Dynamics and Global Sea Level Rise. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2025; 12(03):15-22.
How to cite this URL:
Disha Manish Deshpande, Ajaykumar R. Kambekar. Rising Temperatures and Surface Mass Loss in Greenland: Implications for Regional Glacier Dynamics and Global Sea Level Rise. Journal of Offshore Structure and Technology. 2025; 12(03):15-22. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/joost/article=2025/view=234979


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Regular Issue Subscription Original Research
Volume 12
Issue 03
Received 17/07/2025
Accepted 01/08/2025
Published 06/09/2025
Publication Time 51 Days
141

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