In the face of climate change, it is the high latitudes that are set to suffer the most. The effects of anthropogenic global warming will be greater, as will the potential for geological and geomorphological hazards due to loss of ice mass. In accordance with a previous post of mine, Greenland and Antarctica will suffer from the repercussions of isostatic rebound which in turn can trigger earthquakes and potentially tsunamigenic submarine landslides. Similarly, melting of ice has notably triggered a volcanic response in Iceland and Alaska. Stewart et al.(2000) discovered that a 1 km ice load has the potential to allow rebound of hundreds of metres with accompanying stresses equal to plate-driving forces. Even a minor temperature climb in high latitudes can instigate hazardous ice melt even on a small-scale due to its sensitivity to change. The figure below [taken from McGuire, 2010] summaries the notable high latitude ice sheets and mountainous regions that are particularly vulnerable to temperature increases as well as their likely associated hazards.
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