Climate change leading to rise of Iceland, which could be behind uptick in volcanic activity

Iceland is rising because of climate change, with land freed by the melting of the ice caps rebounding from the earth at a rate of up to 3.5cm per year.

The downside? Researchers believe the extra uplift could be behind an increase in volcanic activity, with three Icelandic eruptions in the last five years shutting down flights and spewing ash in the air.

In new research published in Geophysical Research Letters, scientists from the University of Arizona and the University of Iceland found that the earth's crust was 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 3.5cm per year, the researchers said.

Researchers have known for some time that land freed from the weight of ice sheets tends to rise. But they did not anticipate just how swiftly the bounce in Iceland was occurring.

"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.