Iceland: First Glacier To Disappear, Will Be Marked With Memorial

Underwater melting of tidewater glaciers is occurring much faster than was predicted, said researchers. They used a new approach to directly measure submarine melt, which could enhance projections of sea level changes.

The findings published in the journal Science could lead to improved forecasting of climate-driven sea level rise, based on a new method developed by the researchers. 

"Tidewater glaciers around the globe -- in Greenland, Alaska, Antarctica and beyond -- are retreating and raising sea levels globally, submarine melting has been implicated as a trigger for this glacier retreat, but we have had no direct measurements of melting, let alone how it might vary in time," said study co-author Rebecca Jackson from Rutgers University in the US.