TheInterviewTimes.com | February 22, 2026 | 04:03 PM IST | New Delhi
Recent studies reveal Greenland ice sheet convection plumes like boiling pasta and a sixfold rise in extreme melt events since 1990. Discover impacts on sea level rise and latest climate research.
The Greenland ice sheet shows unexpected internal motion resembling boiling pasta due to thermal convection in its depths. At the same time, extreme surface melt events have surged sixfold since 1990, driven by climate change. These findings from two February 2026 studies highlight rapid changes with major sea level implications.
Discovery of Ice Convection Plumes
Researchers from the University of Bergen published in The Cryosphere that plume-like structures in northern Greenland form through thermal convection. Geothermal heat warms basal ice, causing it to rise in slow columns despite staying solid, much like pasta in boiling water.
This process requires thick ice over 2,200 meters, low snowfall under 0.15 meters per year, and surface speeds below 1 meter per year. Models show northern Greenland ice may be 9 to 15 times softer than standard estimates, altering flow dynamics.
Lead author Robert Law noted these plumes disrupt radiostratigraphy and provide key rheology data. Co-author Andreas Born called it a “wild” discovery for solid ice behavior. Such convection draws warmer basal ice upward, potentially speeding mass loss.
Surge in Extreme Melt Events
A University of Barcelona team reported in Nature Communications that extreme melt coverage grew by 2.8 million square kilometers per decade since 1990. Meltwater output jumped from 12.7 gigatons per decade overall to 82.4 gigatons since 1990.
Seven of the top ten melt episodes hit after 2000, including massive events in 2012, 2019, and 2021. Northern Greenland now leads as a melt hotspot, analyzed via air mass patterns and climate models from 1950 to 2023.
Lead researcher Josep Bonsoms emphasized climate change makes melts more frequent, widespread, and intense. High-emission paths could boost anomalies by 372 percent by 2100.
| Study Aspect | Convection Plumes (Bergen) | Extreme Melt Surge (Barcelona) |
| Key Mechanism | Thermal convection from geothermal heat | Climate-driven surface melting episodes |
| Main Location | Northern Greenland (thick, slow ice) | Expanding across sheet, north hotspot |
| Quantitative Change | Ice 9-15x softer; plumes >1/3 thickness | Area +2.8M km²/decade; water x6 since 1990 |
| Data Period | Radargrams, models over millennia | 1950-2023 melt records |
Implications for Sea Level Rise
Both studies signal faster Greenland mass loss than models predict. Softer ice boosts internal deformation over basal sliding, while surging melts add direct water volume.
Updated rheology could refine projections, as current models may overestimate sliding and underestimate deformation. Combined effects threaten accelerated global sea level rise.
No major updates post-publication as of February 22, 2026; research urges model revisions for better forecasts.
Expert Reactions and Future Outlook
Glaciologists view these as “freak of nature” insights reshaping ice sheet physics. They call for radar surveys and lab tests on old ice to confirm softness.
Northern plumes match low-snow, stable conditions absent in faster southern areas. Integrating findings may cut projection uncertainties.
As Arctic warming accelerates, monitoring these dynamics grows urgent for coastal planning worldwide.
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