‘Zombie ice’ could raise sea level 10 inches, threaten infrastructure

A new report detailed the extent of what could be a major threat to infrastructure in the U.S. and around the world. That threat is known as “zombie ice.” It’s ice that is deemed dead meaning snow is no longer reaching the ice to keep it frozen. Therefore, the ice is slowly melting away.

In Greenland, there’s potentially 120 trillion ice sheets and glaciers in that zombie state. Environmentalists say within this century, that ice will melt and the global sea level will potentially be 10 inches higher. Last year, the zombie ice was projected to have minimal impact on the sea level. It was projected to grow between two and five inches before the latest report. Now, some say the sea level could grow between 10 and 30 inches by year 2100.

The northeastern U.S. coast is relatively close to Greenland. If the sea level grew by 10 inches, some scientists say it would call for a restructuring of society. With it brings a higher risk of high tide flooding and storm surges that could jeopardize all sorts of infrastructure and potentially put more lives at risk during hurricane events.