An international mission of eighty scientists will set sail for Greenland this week aboard the polar research vessel RSS David Attenborough to investigate how Greenland’s rapidly melting glaciers could disrupt the Atlantic’s major current system and, consequently, Europe’s climate.
According to sea-news.az that the six-week mission departs from Britain following a record-breaking hottest June in Greenland and Western Europe, which led to disruptions in energy supplies, school closures, and excess deaths.
Kelly Hogan, a marine geophysicist with the British Antarctic Survey who is leading the mission, stated in an interview aboard the ship: “The heatwaves that have occurred in the UK and Europe over the past few months show how difficult it is to adapt even to small changes in the climate.”
The expedition is part of a £20 million project called GIANT (Greenland Ice Sheet and Atlantic tipping points), which aims to understand the impact of glacial melting and calving into the ocean.
Scientists are concerned that melting freshwater could disrupt the rotating ocean current system that helps regulate Europes climate, which could lead to more extreme weather conditions and rising sea levels.
The vessel is named after the veteran naturalist David Attenborough, though for many Britons, the proposal will always be known as “Boaty McBoatface” after it topped a 2016 public poll to name the ship.
The ship, which will depart for Greenland, is equipped with a high-tech submersible capable of diving to a depth of 1,500 meters into the snow-ice mixture. Through it, the impact of the warming climate on the island’s glaciers will be mapped. Furthermore, the data collected by the mission will be integrated into next-generation climate models and an early warning system for glacial collapse.
