| Greenland's Glacier Melt Information Graphic |
Greenland’s Ice sheet is roughly 1.71 million km² and covers 80% of Greenland’s surface. The BBC reported on August 11, 2006, that NASA had compiled data suggesting the glacier’s was melting faster than ever before. By studying satellite images, scientists were able to calculate the melting rate at 230 km3 per year. This is too large a number to comprehend, so I decided to break it down and visualize it.
To imagine the size of this, lets compare it to something we know. Here in Toronto, we have a large measuring stick that we can easily compare height to, the CN Tower. How high would the melt from the Greenland glacier reach if it were placed in a mold the size and shape of Toronto? The city of Toronto takes up an area of 630 km2. 239 km3 divided by 630 km2 equals 0.37937 km or 379.37 m. The CN Tower is 553.33 meters tall. The melt would reach taller than the main observation deck. The second tallest structure in Toronto is First Canadian Place, or the Bank of Montreal building. It measures 298 meters tall. The melt from the glacier would cover all of the buildings in Toronto except for 173.36 meters of the CN Tower. |
