Greenland's ancient ice melt warns us about rising seas

Technology Jan 06, 2026

Scientists just found out that Greenland's Prudhoe Dome ice cap melted away about 7,100 years ago—when the climate was comparable to today's.
This discovery suggests our current ice sheets could be more at risk than we thought.

How did they figure this out?

Researchers drilled over 1,600 feet into the ice and used a technique called luminescence dating to check how long sediments had been buried.
Turns out, those rocks were exposed much more recently than expected.

Why does it matter for us?

If Prudhoe Dome melted again today, global sea levels could rise by up to 2.4 feet—enough to worsen coastal flooding worldwide.
Greenland is already the biggest source of sea-level rise right now, and this study provides a crucial data point connecting warming temperatures to melting ice.