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Scientists study global impact of Greenland's melting glaciers

A happy face is seen near the tents where researchers live at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.
A happy face is seen near the tents where researchers live at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
By Getty Images

As sea levels around the globe rise, researchers affiliated with the National Science Foundation and other organizations are studying the phenomena of melting glaciers and its long-term ramifications for local populations and the world as a whole.

Warmer temperatures in Greenland have had a direct effect on the country's glaciers, altering the ways that local people farm, fish, hunt and travel across land.

Globally, sea level rise has prompted some leaders to take action. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed a $19.5 billion plan to boost the city's capacity to withstand future extreme weather events.

Ottilie Olsen and Adam Olsen pose for a picture on July 20, in Qeqertaq, Greenland. Greenlanders are learning to adapt to the changing climate and go on with their lives.
Ottilie Olsen and Adam Olsen pose for a picture on July 20, in Qeqertaq, Greenland. Greenlanders are learning to adapt to the changing climate and go on with their lives.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A happy face is seen near the tents where researchers live at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.
A happy face is seen near the tents where researchers live at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Water is seen on part of the glacial ice sheet that covers about 80 percent of Greenland on July 17.
Water is seen on part of the glacial ice sheet that covers about 80 percent of Greenland on July 17.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Professor David Noone from the University of Colorado uses a snow pit to study the layers of ice in the glacier at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.
Professor David Noone from the University of Colorado uses a snow pit to study the layers of ice in the glacier at Summit Station on July 11 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Sarah Das from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution walks though a surface meltwater lake on July 16 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland. She is part of a team of scientists that is using Global Positioning System sensors to closely monitor the evolution of the surface lakes and the motion of the surrounding ice sheet.
Sarah Das from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution walks though a surface meltwater lake on July 16 on the Glacial Ice Sheet, Greenland. She is part of a team of scientists that is using Global Positioning System sensors to closely monitor the evolution of the surface lakes and the motion of the surrounding ice sheet.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Kelly Deuerling, a Ph.D. candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Florida, fills a bottle with water from a glacial lake as she takes part in a study to analyze the water chemistry coming out of the glacial environment and using that to understand how the melt is effecting the sea waters on July 10 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
Kelly Deuerling, a Ph.D. candidate and NSF Graduate Research Fellow at the University of Florida, fills a bottle with water from a glacial lake as she takes part in a study to analyze the water chemistry coming out of the glacial environment and using that to understand how the melt is effecting the sea waters on July 10 in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
Fisherman, Inunnguaq Petersen, hunts for seal as he waits for fish to catch on the line he put out near icebergs that broke off from the Jakobshavn Glacier on July 22 in Ilulissat, Greenland.
Fisherman, Inunnguaq Petersen, hunts for seal as he waits for fish to catch on the line he put out near icebergs that broke off from the Jakobshavn Glacier on July 22 in Ilulissat, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A full moon is seen over an iceberg that broke off from the Jakobshavn Glacier on July 23 in Ilulissat, Greenland.
A full moon is seen over an iceberg that broke off from the Jakobshavn Glacier on July 23 in Ilulissat, Greenland.Joe Raedle / Getty Images
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