Sharp Rise in Greenland and Antarctic Surface Melt Since the 1990s

Nature Climate Change, 4 July 2025

Daily observations of surface melt over the past three decades show that overall melting of Greenland’s surface has significantly increased each year, and East Antarctica has also registered significant surface melting. These spikes in surface melt are driven by a wide range of factors, worsened by rising global temperatures. Greenland’s northern basins have suffered intensified melt due to North Atlantic atmospheric patterns that have resulted in changing temperature, precipitation, and wind over the ice; while its western basins endured high surface temperatures intensified by Arctic sea ice loss and ocean warming. At the opposite pole, pockets of warm air intruding over the surface of East Antarctica have led to hotspots of greater loss, which have significantly increased since the turn of the century. Surface meltwater ponds formed more frequently (see capsule above), a critical precursor to ice shelf destabilization. These findings highlight interconnections between ice sheet stability and sea ice extent, atmospheric circulation patterns and surface meltwater ponds, and should aid in forecasting extreme melt seasons and ice loss.

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