It is not surprising that the Arctic is now melting rapidly due to climate change. This is bad news for the rest the world.Sometimes it is difficult to grasp the enormity of the problem or the impact it will have on others, thousands of miles away. New data from the World Meteorological Organization may help to paint a picture. According to the organization, the amount of ice in Greenland that was melted on Tuesday would have enough water to submerge Florida in two inches.CNN reported that it was a significant melting. Ted Scambos, University of Colorado snow- and ice researcher, said this. The eastern half of Greenland, from the northern tip to the southern tip, was mostly melted on July 27, which is quite unusual.According to @PolarPortal, there is a massive ice melting event taking place in #GreenlandFlorida would need to be covered in just 2 inches (5 cm) water.Not as extreme as 2019 in terms of gigatons but the melt area is a bit larger than 2 years ago.#ClimateChange #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/Ai7RaWWebK World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) July 29, 2021AdvertisementAdvertisementOne Florida may seem a bit too literal a measurement, as the state's coastal area is at high risk from flooding due to climate change. The comparison, while it may seem unappetizing, serves as a warning to the area.The melting of the polar ice caps will only accelerate if world leaders don't take immediate and severe climate action.According to Thomas Slater, University of Leeds glaciologist, surface melting has been more severe than ever in Greenland over the past decade. Extreme melting events like yesterday's will increase in frequency as the atmosphere warms over Greenland.Slater published research in Cryosphere this year, which measured the amount ice that had melted between the 1990s and the present day. It was a staggering 30.8 trillion tonnes. Most of it came from the Arctic.AdvertisementAdvertisementMost shocking of all is the fact Tuesday's melt did not break any records. In recent history, Greenland has experienced more ice melting in shorter time periods. However, Tuesday's ice melting was from a wider area than usual. This suggests that the problem will become more widespread in the future.According to Scambos, Greenland is melting more frequently. It was rare in previous centuries or decades for Greenland to reach temperatures above freezing at its summit.READ MORE: Florida could be covered in Greenland ice if it melts on Tuesday [CNN]More information on melting ice: Worlds Glaciers Melting Way, Way faster than We ThoughtAdvertisementAdvertisement
