Scientists Reveal What Happened to Earth When Greenland Was Ice-Free 400,000 Years Ago- Issue Serious Warning

The subject of rapidly melting ice sheets in the extreme polar regions of Earth has been a constant concern recently in the scientific world. However, a 2023 study published in the Science journal has revealed that the melting of ice in Greenland wasn't new to our planet. The timespan goes back to about 400,000 years ago when major chunks of the world’s largest island had spruce tree forests and wildlife instead of the present snow-capped mountains and icy terrains. However, extensive research on the time when Greenland was free of ice revealed alarming details indicating an unsustainable future on Earth if the current trends of global warming continue. 

Scientists were initially unable to determine the date of the era when parts of Southern Greenland were intrinsically green. However, the significance of interglacial time, precisely 416,000 years ago, lies in the duration, magnitude, and effects of the natural warming that caused the ice sheet to melt. The warm climates lasted for nearly 14,000 years and information on that era will allow researchers to collate it with modern conditions to predict the future climate. Geophysicist Willi Dansgaard analyzed the ice core drilled in one of the U.S. Military’s most unusual bases, Camp Century in 1969.

He explained how the Earth’s climate had fluctuated over the last 125,000 years with extended cold glacial periods causing consequent warm interglacial periods. During this time, the sea levels rose to about 20 to 40 more than today’s levels with most of the modern land submerged underwater, per the report by IFL Science. Frozen soil was extracted from beneath a mile-thick section of the Greenland ice sheet during the Cold War. In a six-year effort, American scientists and military engineers explored the great depths of Greenland by drilling to the bottom of the ice sheet and then an additional 12 feet into the rocky soil beneath. Brief research at the time suggested that the soil showed evidence of a hotter planet than today. 

The uppermost layer of the soil had perfectly preserved fossil plants that confirmed the ice-free era of historic Greenland, which climate scientists called the MIS 11, spanning between 424,000 and 374,000 years ago. As interesting as it sounds, this discovery is a clear indication that the modern world is headed toward an unbearably warmer future. The study estimated that the carbon dioxide levels during MIS 11 remained between 265 and 280 parts per million for 30,000 years. The CO2 levels, in turn, impacted the long interglacial periods on Earth, warm enough to melt all of Greenland’s ice sheet.

At present, the CO2 levels stand at 420 parts per million, 1.5 times more than MIS 11. Therefore, it is not difficult to surmise the effect of greenhouse gas emissions on the already rising temperature of Earth. It is speculated that some million years into the future, the polar ice caps will drastically melt and result in elevated global sea levels due to Earth’s extreme temperatures. Rising sea levels will flood and drown coastal regions including Miami, Mumbai, and Venice among others. Even if we abruptly stop releasing CO2 into the atmosphere, the existent amount will remain for some thousands of years or more. Hence, it is a warning call for humans to make wise choices and limit CO2 levels as even the tiniest contribution shall prevent history from repeating and protect the ice sheets of Greenland.