NASA Warns Of 'Rapid' Melting Of Greenland Glacier

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Space Agency NASA warned Thursday that one of the largest glaciers in Greenland is melting at a "rapid" speed, and which will have noticeable consequences in the coming decades.

The glacier named Zachariae Isstrom, which holds around 5 percent of the Greenland ice sheet- 35,440 square miles- has been reclassified from being "glacialogically stable" in 2012 to a "phase of accelerated retreat."

In a study funded by NASA and published in `Science` magazine Thursday, researchers found that Zachariae Isstrom was pouring 5,000 million tons of annual ice mass into the Atlantic Ocean.

If the glacier were to melt completely it would alone have the capacity to raise sea levels worldwide by more than 18 inches.

"North Greenland glaciers are changing rapidly. The shape and dynamics of Zachariae Isstrom have changed dramatically over the last few years," said study lead author and researcher at the University of California, Jeremie Mouginot.

"The glacier is now breaking up and calving high volumes of icebergs into the ocean, which will result in rising sea levels for decades to come," he said.

Next to Zachariae Isstrom is another great glacier, Nioghalvfjerdsfjorden which is also melting fast.

Both these glaciers hold around 12 percent of the Greenland ice sheet, and if they were to melt completely, sea levels worldwide would rise by nearly 3 feet.