❄️ Discovery: Greenland ice-free not long ago, and will be again very soon

A recent discovery shows that Prudhoe Dome, an ice dome in the northwest of the Greenland ice sheet, completely melted about 7,000 years ago.

However, that era, the Holocene, is considered a period of relatively mild and stable climate. The disappearance of this ice at such a recent date therefore calls into question our ideas about the resilience of these formations in the face of modest warming.


To reach this finding, researchers from the GreenDrill project drilled through the ice to the buried sediments. The analysis of these samples, published in Nature Geoscience, indicates that the bedrock was exposed to the open air between 6,000 and 8,200 years before our era. To date these sediments, the team used a technique based on the light emitted by minerals when they are released after a long period in darkness. This precise method confirms that the melting occurred during the Holocene, a period when temperatures were 3 to 5 degrees Celsius higher than today.

This discovery has direct consequences for the future height of the oceans. Areas like the Prudhoe Dome, located at the edge of the ice sheet, are particularly sensitive to heat. Their melting could contribute significantly to sea level rise. Scientists explain that understanding which regions melt first helps to anticipate local risks and refine forecasts.

The execution of the GreenDrill project required a significant logistical effort, with drilling campaigns conducted under extreme conditions. Researchers had to contend with fractures in the ice and very low temperatures, working in isolated tent camps.

In the future, GreenDrill plans further drilling and analysis to deepen our knowledge. The cores already collected may contain traces of ancient plants, offering a glimpse into Greenland's environment during warm periods. These observational data are valuable for calibrating numerical models that simulate ice melt. They provide concrete reference points on the relationships between warming and ice loss.

The fact that an elevated area like the Prudhoe Dome could have melted under the effect of a climate slightly warmer than today's shows its sensitivity. Current projections indicate that comparable temperatures could be reached by the end of the century, allowing us to visualize the future evolution of this region.