What is Zombie ice? Read on to find its threatening impacts on the global sea levels

Regardless of current climate actions, the world will adapt to the unfreezing of the Greenland ice sheet, which will inevitably raise global sea levels by 10 inches. The reason behind this is the 'zombie ice' that is melting down from the Greenland ice cap and blending into the ocean.

The statistics are according to recent research published in the Natural Climate Change. Scientists involved in the study have calculated Greenland's minimum ice loss and the parallel increase in global sea levels.

What is zombie ice?

Zombie ice, also known as doomed ice, is the one that continues to be a segment of the parent ice sheet but does not accumulate fresh snow. This type of ice is prone to melting and raising sea levels.


According to Jason Box, the study's lead scientist, 'zombie ice' will continue to flow into the ocean regardless of what climate actions the world takes now.

What phenomenon has led to zombie ice?

It is because of the warming that has affected the climate already. The study focuses on an equipoise condition where snowfall from the northerly extremes of the Greenland ice cap melts down to the recharge edges of the snow glaciers and hardens them. The study reveals that over the past several decades there has been less replenishment and more melting.

What are its impacts?

According to the study calculations, even if the global temperature is equilibrated at the present stages, 3.3% of the total ice volume of Greenland will continue to unfreeze. It is based on the ratio of recharge to loss used to evaluate the minimum promised ice loss.

Considering that global warming is anticipated to worsen, the melting and its direct impact on the rising sea level could get worse as well. It could climb up to 30 inches if Greenland’s melting record year (2012) works as a regular phenomenon.



However, no fixed timeline has been provided, just that it is to happen within this century.

While a few have raised questions about the timeline being left out, many have stated that the research reveals a close estimate of what is supposed to happen.

What could a 10-inch rise in sea level mean?

The unavoidable rise in the sea level, as predicted by the research, is precisely a piece of bad news for millions residing in coastal zones.

The UN Atlas of Oceans says that 8 out of the 10 world's largest cities are close to the coast. Increasing sea levels will cause high tides, floods, and storms to occur more frequently. It will lead to threats to local economies and infrastructure. The low-lying coastal regions will have to bear a harder hit.

According to the World Economic Forum’s 2019 Global Risks Report, approximately 800 million people in 570 coastal cities are already endangered by a rise in the sea level by 0.5 metres by 2050.