Climate Change Is Proving Too Harsh For Iceland, More Volcanic Eruptions Expected

Iceland is melting too fast, faster than anticipated, according to a new study. The North Atlantic country is rising, and researchers say the extra uplift could be behind an increase in volcanic activity.

Researchers noted that the earth's crust is rising at a much faster rate amid the greater warming of the last 30 years.

At some sites in south and south-central Iceland, where five of the largest ice caps are located, ice loss resulting from that warming produced an uplift of 1.4in per year, the researchers said, according to The Guardian.

"It's similar to putting weights on a trampoline. If you take the weights off, the trampoline will bounce right back up to its original flat shape," said Richard Bennett, a geologist at the University of Arizona and one of the authors of the new research.

According to mathematical models, the bigger bounce was due to increased warning over the last 30 years.

"What we found is that the uplift is increasing. It's faster and faster everywhere because of the accelerated loss of ice mass," Bennett added.

According to the study, at the moment, Iceland is rising at the rate of 1.4 inches per year and with the melting ice, land is rising, also called "uplift phenomenon."

"Our research makes the connection between recent accelerated uplift and the accelerated melting of the Icelandic caps," said University of Arizona geoscientist, Kathleen Compton.

The study has been published in the Geophysical Research Letters.