Greenland's glaciers continue to melt away because of rising global temperatures.But the melting ice might provide a way to lessen the impact of climate change.As the ice melts, it deposits tiny silt.Silt is very small sand, mud or other material carried by running water."It's a kind of wonder material," said Minik Rosing.He is a native Greenlander and professor at the University of Copenhagen.Called glacial rock flour, the silt is crushed to tiny particles by the weight of the melting ice.One billion tons of the silt is deposited it per year on Greenland, the world’s largest island.Rosing and his team have found the nutrient-rich mud improves plant growth when used in farms.It also absorbs carbon dioxide from the air in the process.Researchers from the University of Ghana were able to increase corn production by 30 percent using glacial rock flour.The flour decreased the effect of rain and heat on poor farmland.The tiny size of the silt's particles is what allows plants more access to nutrients, including potassium, calcium and silicon compared to normal, rocky farmland.
