Global warming causes the crust of Iceland to rise, reveals a new study.
Scientists from the University of Arizona (UA) report that global warming is causing Iceland's glaciers to melt faster, which has resulted in the rising of the Earth's crust under the island.
The researchers who conducted the study claim that it is a known phenomenon that the crust rises when ice on glaciers melt. Whether the latest rise of the crust is related to deglaciation of the past or modern time remains unknown.
However, the latest study is the first to understand the connection between the faster uplift of the crust and the faster melting of the glaciers.
"Iceland is the first place we can say accelerated uplift means accelerated ice mass loss," said Richard Bennett, an associate professor of geosciences at UA, who is also the co-author of the study.
According to Kathleen Compton from UA, who is also the author of the study, records show temperature started increasing around 1980. The glaciers also started melting around the same time, which caused the uplift of the crust under Iceland.
To determine how fast the crust was rising, scientists installed 62 GPS receivers to rocks across Iceland. The GPS receivers were installed mainly in central and southern Iceland where most of the ice caps are located. Some GPS receivers were installed as early as 1995.
The researchers tracked the GPS receivers' position on a yearly basis to calculate the upward shift of the crust. The study observed that the crust under Iceland is rising by 1.4 inches each year.
The uplift of the crust, at least under Iceland, is directly associated with the melting of glaciers, which is caused by global warming.
Some studies have also pointed out that the uplift of the Icelandic crust due to global warming may also increase volcanic eruptions on the island. The eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 had dire economic results on a global scale. Thousands of flights in Europe and Iceland were canceled as the eruption spewed ash clouds.
The researchers added that there are geological evidences that suggest volcanic activity in several regions of Iceland increased following the deglaciation that occurred about 12,000 years ago.
The study was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.
