Madam, - Congratulations to Frank McDonald on a factual and highly readable article on the melting of the Greenland ice-cap (Weekend Review, June 24th).
I was also fortunate to visit east Greenland in 1984, as part of an Irish expedition to study barnacle geese, which breed there and winter in Ireland and Scotland. At that time, 22 years ago, the land was in the grip of the ice until late June and no shipping could reach the coast until July due to the pack ice. The changes in in two decades are staggering and give us some indication of what is to come in the years ahead.
Current scientific estimates of the global-sea level rise over the present century range from about 50 centimetres to one metre.
The implications of this for Ireland are very little understood or appreciated by Irish people. It could mean significant coastal flooding in low-lying areas such as Dublin city, Cork harbour, the Shannon estuary and many of our major coastal settlements.
Add to this the likely increase in the intensity of storm surges on the Irish coast and, before he retires, Frank McDonald may have to write another book to add to his earlier titles. This one might be titled "The Submersion of Dublin". - Yours, etc,
RICHARD NAIRN, NATURA Environmental Consultants, The Murrough, Wicklow.